Day around Santa Fe
We headed out in the morning, the plan was to see a few things on our list and then have breakfast. The cathedral was still closed so we figured we'd come back. And then the hunger hit. OK, well let's just go eat first and then start sightseeing.We put our name down on the waiting list at the well-renowned and much recommended Cafe Pasqual's. What a gem!!!! We split two dishes and a flute of bubbly and had a wonderful time talking and catching up. "Christina, this table over here keeps looking at us." I remarked."Yea, Sally, we're kind of loud.""Oh, we are?" I said, erupted in laughter, and kept telling my story.
After breakfast, we wove through the streets of downtown Santa Fe to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. But!! I needed to get on the donkey for a photo op :). [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9do6lwtxzSY&feature=youtu.be[/embed]
At the museum, we paid our admission and checked our coats and bags. Just as we were going to start exploring, a young guy gave his 2 docent-guided badges back to the woman at the front desk who turned around and said to Christina and me, "there are 2 spaces now open in the docent-guided tour starting right now if you'd like to join, she's wonderful!""Thank you!" We exclaimed and put the laniards around our necks.Gail, the docent, was a hoot!! She seemed to know everything about Georgia O'Keeffe and the way she led the tour was charming, we went from room to room as though we were traveling through the life of the famous artist.In the first room, Gail told us about a painting by O'Keeffe, a floral piece titled, the Jimson Weed, she went on to say "well, if you have this flower in your garden, you'd better tear it out because it's poisonous! If you have a dog or a cat and they eat it, well they'll just die!"I leaned into Christina and said, "natural selection."She rolled her eyes and elbowed me. he he heGail was so enthusiastic about Georgia O'Keeffe, it is so inspiring to see people passionate about something, anything! She had these quirky mannerisms, she would say something and then look around, "can you believe that?!"After our lovely tour at the O'Keeffe Museum, we walked around and checked out what the street vendors were selling in the plaza. A lot of silver and turquoise jewelry here, copper, too.Next stop, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, it was so beautiful inside. It was very well-lit which is a bit unusual for Cathedrals. I loved the energy inside. I don't care if you're religious or not, there is something beautiful about having faith in something, anything. And striving to be a good person, do a constant re-check of your life and make sure you're on the right path. Be true to yourself, be true to human kind, be kind.We checked out the Loretto Chapel and miraculous staircase. If you haven't heard, this staircase is built without any nails. Unfortunately, I am too tired now to write about the details but maybe I'll refresh this post with data at a later date.
We walked back to the hotel for a rest, then went to the Gruet Tasting Room at the Hotel St. Francis. We sat in the sunshine and enjoyed a bubbly tasting, it was lovely. We talked and dreamed of the future and even got philosophical.Next was dinner at La Choza. The food was magnificent; we split a meal: green chili stew, a blue corn burrito, and a chicken taco. It was all lovely but we are beat. Worn out from touristing. It's bath and bed time.Good night, folks.