Monday, August 13, 2007

2007 Santa Fe Day 3

Up early, I ran about two plus miles along the trails above the lodge. I ran part of the trail that we had rode with the horses the previous day. I now have new respect for the horses; I was surprised how steep parts of the trail were as I struggled up them on foot.

We had an early breakfast at the Burrito Company near the Plaza. Afterwards, while Sharon shopped, Jack and I wandered around.

Our first stop was the Santa Fe Plaza. The Plaza has served as the end of El Camino Real (The Spanish Royal Road from Mexico City), The Santa Fe Trail and the Old Pecos Trail.

From there Jack and I went to the Governor's Palace. Originally constructed in the early 17th century as Spain's seat of government for what is today the American Southwest, the Palace of the Governors chronicles the history of Santa Fe, as well as New Mexico and the region.

Our next stop was the New Mexico Museum of Art. There was only one piece that impressed me: Blue River by Georgia O'Keefe.

At this point, we hooked back up with Sharon. The three of us headed to the Georgia O'Keefe Museum. We saw an interesting film on her life. I was a little disappointed with the current exhibition; it focused on her abstract work. I would have been more interested in seeing her landscapes of the Southwest.

After wandering through the town, we spent some time touring the St. Francis Cathedral. Started by Bishop Jean Baptiste Lamy in 1896, it is based on the Romanesque cathedral in his hometown of Clermont-Ferrand, France. The church contains the Conquistadora Chapel to the left of the altar. The walls of this chapel are all that remains of the old adobe church dating from the early 1600's.

From the there, we went to the Loretto Chapel. Influenced by the French clergy in Santa Fe, the Gothic Revival-style chapel was patterned after King Louis IX's Sainte-Chapelle in Paris; a striking contrast to the adobe churches already in the area.

We had a very late lunch at the San Francisco Street Bar & Grill. Using the GPS after lunch, we found an Albertson's and bought some food for breakfast. Leaving Albertson's, it started to rain again, but not as long or as hard as the first two nights.

Back at Bishop's Lodge, Jack and I toured the chapel and then headed to the pool. Jack and I spent some time playing football in the pool.

Getting cleaned up, we had a late dinner at the Blue Corn Cafe and Brewery. Billed as New Mexican food, both Sharon and I thought that the food was better than at the much more hyped Shed where we ate on Saturday night.

After dinner, we packed up. We are getting up early tomorrow, heading out for the day and changing hotels.

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