Palm Sunday

Three of my friends/co-workers and I were going to San Francisco to visit the Norwegian Seaman's Church and other places; however, two people canceled. One of my friends still went.

I boarded the Caltrain train at my usual station, and my friend got on at a later station. She lent me a pamphlet about Grace Cathedral, and I read portions of it while she re-read a paper she had written a long time ago about the architecture and art of the cathedral. After she finished re-reading her paper, I returned the pamphlet to her, and I read her paper. I like her writing style.

Instead of going to the Norwegian Seaman's Church first, she wanted to go to Grace Cathedral first.

After we arrived in San Francisco, we walked for a bit, caught the 30, walked a bit more, caught the 27, walked a bit more, then arrived at Grace Cathedral, third largest Episcopal cathedral in the United States.

The building is quite spectacular on the outside and even more beautiful on the inside. My friend and I studied the murals and and observed the stained glass windows before finding a place to sit.

The service was very formal and the singing was beautiful. The Dean and one of the Lectors have British accents, which added a nice touch. The liturgy was very similar to Roman Catholic liturgy. The incense bothered me somewhat; however, I liked everything else about the service.

After the service, we visited the refreshment area and the gift shop.

We then visited a neighborhood park, and wandered around a bit. My friend was hungry, and she wanted something more substantial than the waffles and coffee that are served all day at the Norwegian Church.

Two local hotels served brunches for $59.00 and $79.00. That was more than either of us were willing to pay, so we took a cable car to Fisherman's Wharf and walked for a few blocks to Ghirardelli Square.

We ate a late lunch at a pleasant place which had reasonable prices and a very nice view of the Bay.

We wandered around a bit, then took the 30 back to the Caltrain station. We didn't have time to visit the Norwegian Seaman's Church this time; however, we may go back again on a week day.

We boarded the train, then said our goodbyes at the her station. I exited at my station, then drove home and took a nap for a few hours.

My husband was visiting friends from work, then he came home around 10:30ish. We went to dinner, came home, and I started writing.

I missed my home church; however, it was fun visiting a different church. We are all brothers and sisters.