... a matter of seconds (and deciding to walk a closed road).
We had half an hour before the Mission would open the day after we had arrived in San Miguel so we decided to visit the adobe house near the Mission first.
Now we all know Adobe of the computer programs but originally it's the building material for houses in very hot and dry climates: earth, clay, straw and whatever was present and could be sunbaked or dried, thus forming a 'brick'.
A couple of houses built this way can still be visited in the US.
Not this one: not open today, road closed for traffic. But the road was nice, we weren't traffic but walkers and we still had that half hour to spend so we walked on and took our time strolling the grounds and seeing the house from the outside.
On the wall of the giftshop we spotted a poster with a very interesting, 1880 sort of picture. Part of a photo exhibition in Paso Robles, 10 miles south.
We decided to go there after the Mission.
We came in Paso Robles and were bowled over.
This was a lovely little town. With a decent centre, a library in the middle of the square, around it little shops, galeries, restaurants for fine dining - this looked seriously good.
The exhibition was interesting as well. In the building of the Historical Society, this day represented by two very American ladies: chatty, enthusiastic, very helpful. They showed us around the photo's, the town parafernalia and the counter with everything about Paderewski.
'Scuse me, THE Paderewski, the pianist, the former president of Poland?'
'Oh yes. He bought a ranch here. You see, we have medicinal waters over here and he had problems with his fingers. He lived here for 10 years, oh yes, gave lots of concerts here in the Park where he played the piano and the violin, we still have a Paderewski Festival every year, people loved him in America'.
Yes, that I knew - he often performed in the USA, but to walk into the place where he lived - in America! -, with all the clippings from his performances, the pictures taken just outside the library - I must say, it was a strange encounter!
We did buy a CD where he plays a couple of Chopin polonaises. We played it and you can hear he clearly enjoyed playing the piano, and Chopin.
We stayed and chatted with the ladies for an hour or so. Outside again we ran into an elderly man whose wife came from Friesland.
We chatted with him.
After we parted we strolled into a covered market building with all sorts of art galleries and chatted with one of the artists who insisted on introducing us to another artist, the Dutch born Susanna Hoy.
So we chatted with Susanna about Holland, her work as a model in the seventies, her children in LA, our trip so far, must see places up North, must stay places in Paso Robles and den Bosch ('s Hertogenbosch) where she was born.
Three hours after we had arrived in Paso Robles to go and see an exhibition we sat on a terrace in the shade, both a Corona before us and we decided to stay.
We stayed in the most beautiful hotel yet.
We fine dined, it was the best food we had had in America yet, we chatted with the French born chef Andre (born in Grasse, grew up in Avignon - well, we've been in both places a couple of times) we complimented him on his cooking (it was very good, mind, even to French standards!) and when we finally said goodbye he hugged me and we parted as friends.
This is the America we've so often encountered. People are so nice, so helpful, so eager to talk to us, always giving us advice on where best to go, or stay, or eat. Even after three weeks it still amazes us. People take their time here, and they never seem to be in a hurry.
This is one of the things that makes our holiday so special!
We had half an hour before the Mission would open the day after we had arrived in San Miguel so we decided to visit the adobe house near the Mission first.
Now we all know Adobe of the computer programs but originally it's the building material for houses in very hot and dry climates: earth, clay, straw and whatever was present and could be sunbaked or dried, thus forming a 'brick'.
A couple of houses built this way can still be visited in the US.
Not this one: not open today, road closed for traffic. But the road was nice, we weren't traffic but walkers and we still had that half hour to spend so we walked on and took our time strolling the grounds and seeing the house from the outside.
On the wall of the giftshop we spotted a poster with a very interesting, 1880 sort of picture. Part of a photo exhibition in Paso Robles, 10 miles south.
We decided to go there after the Mission.
We came in Paso Robles and were bowled over.
This was a lovely little town. With a decent centre, a library in the middle of the square, around it little shops, galeries, restaurants for fine dining - this looked seriously good.
The exhibition was interesting as well. In the building of the Historical Society, this day represented by two very American ladies: chatty, enthusiastic, very helpful. They showed us around the photo's, the town parafernalia and the counter with everything about Paderewski.
'Scuse me, THE Paderewski, the pianist, the former president of Poland?'
'Oh yes. He bought a ranch here. You see, we have medicinal waters over here and he had problems with his fingers. He lived here for 10 years, oh yes, gave lots of concerts here in the Park where he played the piano and the violin, we still have a Paderewski Festival every year, people loved him in America'.
Yes, that I knew - he often performed in the USA, but to walk into the place where he lived - in America! -, with all the clippings from his performances, the pictures taken just outside the library - I must say, it was a strange encounter!
We did buy a CD where he plays a couple of Chopin polonaises. We played it and you can hear he clearly enjoyed playing the piano, and Chopin.
We stayed and chatted with the ladies for an hour or so. Outside again we ran into an elderly man whose wife came from Friesland.
We chatted with him.
After we parted we strolled into a covered market building with all sorts of art galleries and chatted with one of the artists who insisted on introducing us to another artist, the Dutch born Susanna Hoy.
So we chatted with Susanna about Holland, her work as a model in the seventies, her children in LA, our trip so far, must see places up North, must stay places in Paso Robles and den Bosch ('s Hertogenbosch) where she was born.
Three hours after we had arrived in Paso Robles to go and see an exhibition we sat on a terrace in the shade, both a Corona before us and we decided to stay.
We stayed in the most beautiful hotel yet.
We fine dined, it was the best food we had had in America yet, we chatted with the French born chef Andre (born in Grasse, grew up in Avignon - well, we've been in both places a couple of times) we complimented him on his cooking (it was very good, mind, even to French standards!) and when we finally said goodbye he hugged me and we parted as friends.
This is the America we've so often encountered. People are so nice, so helpful, so eager to talk to us, always giving us advice on where best to go, or stay, or eat. Even after three weeks it still amazes us. People take their time here, and they never seem to be in a hurry.
This is one of the things that makes our holiday so special!
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