Experiencing More of Balboa Park

Although we've been to Balboa Park many times already, we always find new things to do whenever we go there.  Sunday was no different.  We went in the afternoon and caught the end of the organ concert at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion.  Donated to the city in 1914, it is one of the world's largest outdoor pipe organs, and there is a free concert every Sunday.  After the concert, we were able to get a closer look at the organ and check out the inside as well.

Dom and the girls up on the stage.

Inside of the organ.  We were surprised to see the bass drum, and some very small pipes along with the large ones - the longest pipes are 32 feet, but there are some only as big as a pencil.

After the organ concert, we headed over to check out the international cottages that were built for the World Fair 75 years ago.  There was a big festival with lots of food and dancing to celebrate this huge anniversary.  We walked through the German cottage - my family heritage.

Scotland and England had these figures out front that Audrey was happy to check out.

Dom and the girls inside the Irish cottage, where we bought a couple slices of pound cake - yum!

We couldn't walk past the big green dragon statue without pausing to let the girls play.  Since Daddy was there to lift her up, Eliza finally made it to the very top.

Daddy and the girls.

The girls loved the fountain, as always.  We watched them paint the bricks with water for a while, before moving on.

Finally, we walked over to the carousel.  Dominic took the girls on it while I watched and took pictures.

This was Eliza's first time riding without an adult standing right next to her.  She picked the lion even though it didn't go up and down, and she loved it!

Audrey rode on a horse with an American Flag on the side - it just happened to be the one that was next to the lion.  There were lots of cool animals that they can try in the future - like the frogs, pigs or giraffes.  

This was Audrey's first time on a carousel and Dom stood next to her to make sure she didn't fall off the horse.  She was smiling and waving the whole time!

Balboa Park is the nation's largest urban cultural park.  We haven't even been to any of the 15 museums located there, but love to go just to walk around and explore.  This was another beautiful visit!