Day out in Santa Fe

Captains Log October 6 – After a bit of a lazy morning we headed into Santa Fe. Parking was

The famous stairs

the main hurdle of the day! In addition to lack of spaces, there was a box truck blocking the street on the old square and held things up for about 15-20 minutes. We found a city lot that had space and although it was $15 for the day, it was better than driving around forever.

We visited the Loretto Chapel which is well know for it's spiral staircase. The staircase has two 360 degree turns and no visible means of support. It is said that the staircase was built without

Chapel Window

nails—only wooden pegs. Supposedly the man who built it left when it was completed and no one ever saw him again.

Then we stopped at the San Miguel Mission. It's a small church but claims to be the oldest church in the USA. It was started in

Bill on the right

1797 by the Franciscan Order. They have a side room off the chapel that houses their relics.

And of course we have to visit St. Francis Cathedral. It's really gorgeous inside and so calm and peaceful. The stained glass windows are beautiful and it was a nice sunny day so it was perfect.

In addition to visiting the historical places, we did our share of shopping as well. We found a bargain spot close to our parking area and bought a

Inside the little mission

few things there and there was a outdoor market with 6-8 booths set up. The craftwork is beautiful but we didn't have any space left at home for anything large and new.

I bought some Talavera items, the one I bought for me is an air balloon that I will hang on my front porch. I could spend a fortune on that pottery. It's so bright and colorful, perfect to get your day started with

St. Francis Cathedral

on your table!

By lunch time the recommended places were packed with waiting lines. We had seen what we wanted and spent more than we should so it was time to head towards our campground and watch for a place to eat.

Bill knows I LOVE Chick-fil-a and was planning to stop at the one on the way. It was on the other side of the road and we had to

Their windows are gorgeous

pass it and get in a turn lane to get to it. As we passed it I saw a Greek place on our side of the road and told Bill I'd like to try it. Best decision of the day! They were not busy when we arrived so service was prompt and the food was excellent. We both had some leftovers to bring home.

The rest of the day was doing a load of laundry and chilling!