It Is March…Where Are The Swallows?

 

It Is March…Where Are The Swallows?

 

The miracle of the “Swallows” of Capistrano takes place in March of each year at the Mission San Juan Capistrano.  

Legend has it that the little birds actually fly into the Mission on March 19th and begin rebuilding their mud nests, which are clinging to the ruins of the Great Stone Church. 

As the faithful little birds wing their way back to the most famous mission in California, the village of San Juan Capistrano takes on a fiesta air as they witness the “miracle” of the return of the swallows.  www.swallowsparade.com

After the summer spent within the sheltered walls of the Old Mission, the swallows take flight again, and on the Day of San Juan, October 23rd, they leave after circling the Mission bidding farewell to the “Jewel of the Missions.”

This legend also has a song that romanticizes the beautiful historic Mission. The lyrics are below….

RENE, LEON T.

You know me…I am a romantic! 

The Captain and I visited this old Mission a couple years ago and as I was on the “exercise thingy” this morning…(yes, I was on it for the second day in a row…WHOOPEE!)…  

… I got to thinking about the date in March when the legendary swallows return to Capistrano. 

When I finished my 30 minutes of walking….instead of grabbing a snack, I searched our media library for the pics we took of that beautiful, romantic, historic Mission.

I would like to share a few with you.

If you have been there, you know how enchanting the Mission can be…..if you haven’t been there, come along with me as I revisit through pics and memories. 🙂

 

 

 I really like the architechture of this Mission. It is no secret that I like  Spanish arches and tiled roofs.

 

 

Beautiful interiors! This historic eating area became a place to display art. 

 

 

The gardens are spectacular and this view shows the old ruins.

 

 

A little shop has seeds to purchase for many of the native species.

 

 

There are several fountains….

 

 

and lots of bells…well, it is a Mission after all. 🙂

 

There are many rustic benches to sit upon and reflect…..

 

 

There were a lot of butterflies….but I was only able to capture a pic of one…I was too busy admiring the gardens.

 

 

And the fountains ….

 

 

All that walking requires a lot of sitting….

 

 

And reading….

 

 

And admiring more bells….

 

 

Although we were there in the Spring…we didn’t see any of the little swallows….but we did see plenty of mud nests.

Me