小瓜呆 murielee84

Did you know that in 1500s, people thought the current state of California was an island?

您知道在西元1500年代時，人們以為現在的加州是一個獨立的島嶼嗎？

The proof is on the mural in the Law Library inside the Santa Barbara Courthouse.

有圖為証： 在聖塔芭芭拉法院內的法律圖書館中，有一面牆壁上畫有當時的地圖。

The Courthouse in Santa Barbara was designed by William Mooser III; this Spanish-Moorish style building was completed in 1929, after the 1925 earthquake ruined much of the city.

現在的聖塔芭芭拉法院是在 1925 年地震後蓋得，設計師是William Mooser III;  這棟西班牙摩爾式的建築物是在 1929 完成的。

This courthouse also has a jail, which is no longer used to hold prisoners. The docent said that when they built the courthouse, the jail was the first to be completed. You can tell what was urgently needed at that moment - she joked about it.

最先完成的是附屬監獄，導覽者還開玩笑說：你們就知道當時最緊急的須求是什麼了！

* This is the used jail.

Hand-painted ceilings, chandeliers, and giant murals are everywhere in the courthouse. All the tiles were made here except these little ones – from Sevilla, Spain.

到處都是漂亮的天花板、吊燈，導覽者特別指出，除了這一些小小的地磚是從塞維亞進口，其他的都是當地製造的。

* This little one does look like the Golden Tower in Sevilla.

這個小圖案還真的很像在塞維亞看到的金塔。

After the docent mentioned it, I started to pay attention to the floor. As we went on with the tour, I noticed that the tile got larger and larger. They do look really different from the imported ones.

經她一提，我開始注意地板，發現越走地磚越大。

* The left one looks like a turtle. 左邊的燈像烏龜，右邊的是船形燈

 
* This is the Law Library mentioned above – it’s on the second floor of the courthouse.

法院二樓上有一個小小的法律圖書館。

* These books looked so old – felt like the ones they would use in Harry Potter.

架上的書看起來好古呀！感覺就跟是哈利波特是同一年代的書。

* The docent pointed out that the entire courthouse is very open – spiral stairs lead to exterior without physical doors blocking the path.

法院的整體設計是很開放的，螺旋形的樓梯從中間就接到庭園，沒有門可以把整棟建築封閉起來。

This courthouse is a functional building, where lawyers and judges actually handle judicial business. There are no huge hallways, so when they were thinking about having Michael Jackson’s trial here, people were concerned how this tiny place would hold the press and huge crowds.

這樣漂亮的法院不只是觀光景點，是真的有法官跟律師在工作的；因為走廊很小，當初要審判 Michael Jackson 時，說要在這兒，大家就擔心狹小的空間無法容納那麼多的媒體與歌迷，還好後來轉到別處了。

What I liked most about it was the "El Mirador" clock tower. When we just arrived at Visitor Center, the gentleman told us to take elevator up to the top of the tower before we join the tour at 2 pm. The tower is 85’ tall and offers 360° views of the city.

我最愛的是到El Mirador 鐘塔；當我們剛到遊客中心，裡面的人就告訴我們要先坐電梯到上面看看，再參加導覽；鐘塔有85呎高，可以看到全市風景。



* It looks like a door leading to another room but it's the elevator. 電梯也很特別

* Most people thought that the entire California coast is oriented north and south. It is true for the most part; however, it is not around Santa Barbara, which is surrounded by hills and mountains on east, north and somewhat west side - the Pacific Ocean is in the south. When you reach the top of the tower, you can see a painted compass on the floor – to help people orient themselves, I guess.

* Toward the west is hill. 往西看山 (The crazy wind! 這風是怎樣？)

* The ocean is to the south. 往南看海

* This is south-west view. 這是往西南看

* On all four sides are panels that tell you which is what – it’s kinda fun trying to match the photo with actual view.

每一面都有圖片對照，告訴你那一棟是那一棟

The Sunken Garden hosts many events through out the year –  I visited on the Saturday before Easter and these chairs were set up for the Easter Sunday. 

東北面往下看是 Sunken Garden， 常常都有活動；這些椅子是為了明天復活節聚會而排的

* You can get married here, too. 也可以在這裡辦婚禮喔！

This was the side view of the Garden. 下面這一張是從一樓走廊看出去

The tower closes at 4:30, so make sure to get there earlier.

鐘塔 4:30 就關了，所以要俯看全市風景的話，不要晚了

Free docent guided tours: daily (except Sunday) at 2 pm.

除了星期日，每天下午兩點都有免費的導覽。

Monday, Tuesday and Friday: additional tours at 10:30 am.
星期一、星期二、星期五早上 10:30 也有

* Guided tour begins in this Mural Room. The fabric of the draperies (on the right side of the photo) is over 100 years old — so do not touch the drapes.
導覽在二樓的 Mural Room 集合

Mural Room 的天花板，電線就藏在樑中

* Guided tour 導覽

Business day: 8 am to 5 pm; Weekend: 10 am to 4:30 pm

如果不想聽導覽，可以自己逛

法院上班日會從八點開到五點，週末則從十點開到四點半

805-962-6464; 1100 block of Anacapa St

More photos 更多照片:

http://www.pixnet.net/album/murielee84/13664215