I have never heard of it so when my friends said we're headed to the Palace of Fine Arts, the claustrophobic me was not happy with the thought of being inside another dark, damp, museum building with vast number of pictures painted by famous artists hanged on the wall.
I was happily disappointed. The Palace of Fine Arts is a gorgeous, picturesque outdoor architecture. The classical Roman rotunda and colonnades by a lagoon makes for a beautiful, romantic landscape. No wonder it is a favorite for weddings in San Francisco.
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| Roman colonnades in San Francisco |
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| The Rotunda |
It was said to have been built in 1915 for an exhibition to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal and the recovery of San Francisco from earthquakes and fires in 1906. The plan was to dismantle it after the exhibition but it was too beautiful to be taken down so it was allowed to remain. The theme, Roman ruins, was selected to show "the mortality of grandeur and the vanity of human wishes". Because it was not built to last, the palace later on suffered decay and in 1964 it was demolished- and restored.
We had fun exploring the place, just being together and mastering "jump shot" photos against this lovely back drop.
Classical ruins in a beautiful garden- the palace has become one of my most favorite places in San Francisco.
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