Los Rios

San Juan Capistrano reminds me a lot of my beloved alma mater town of San Luis Obispo - both are tucked away in the hills, blue skies overhead no matter what the coast is doing, and a big beautiful Mission to give life and history to the community.
Saturday was my sister's birthday, and I met up with my mom and two sisters to explore the Los Rios district of San Juan Capistrano for a girls morning outing. Los Rios is a historic street on the other side of the train tracks from the main downtown area. One you cross over the tracks to the shady lane, there are numerous shops and little restaurants, a park and even a petting zoo! And best of all, Los Rios Tea House, which was the perfect destination for four girls on a summer day. Although we didn't have floppy hats or English accents, everything about the 100-year-old Tea House was picture perfect. A rambling old wooden house turned into a restaurant and venue, with flowers and plants hanging and blooming everywhere, and even a bath tub with a sporadic shower-head that serves as a quirky fountain - all made for a perfect ambiance. They serve a regular menu as well as a tea menu, and of course an extensive list of teas. The huge pot of loose leaf English Breakfast and currant scones with cream and jam were just about as authentic as you can get on this side of the pond. My mom and sisters tried some more interesting varieties of tea that were absolutely delicious as well, but I always love English Breakfast. We could have spent the rest of the day tinkering about the adorable little shops and exploring the rest of the predominantly pedestrian street, but duties (aka a birthday party) called, and we weren't able to explore or shop to our hearts content. However, the weather was perfect, the tea was great (although don't expect small prices on victorian tea menus!) and we had a perfect morning. However, since we didn't even get to the actual downtown part of Camino Capistrano, the park, or the Mission, next time we'll allot ourselves the whole day!