The kids are, I hope, blogging about our day, but here’s my own journal. Yesterday was pretty much what you’d expect from a day-long trip. Lots of waiting, less than spectacular food, the exhaustion that comes with sitting all day. But all flights were on time, and all connections worked perfectly, and we arrived at out hotel about 10:00 local time (midnight where we came from).
Our shuttle from the airport was a tiny bus just big enough for the 14 of us. See how happy we were to be out of the airport!
This morning dawned clear and bright and warm enough to walk around without a jacket. We decided to walk into the center of Santa Fe, about a 10-minute walk. We gathered on the Plaza for a quick history lesson from yours truly, then the kids made a dash to Starbucks, and I hunted down sunscreen so we wouldn’t fry in this unaccustomed sunshine. It’s not that easy! Santa Fe has all sorts of shops, but few that supply mundane necessities. After a bit of exploring, and with the help of a friendly shopkeeper, I discovered the Five and Dime. We are now ready for the sun!
At 10, we went to the History Museum at the Palace of the Governors. One of the women from the museum gave us a wonderful introduction to the history of Santa Fe and sent us on our way through the museum. We probably could have spent more there, but a very nice driver from our hotel was waiting to drive us up to Museum Hill.
The kids were thrilled with museum hill; you can see the mountains in every direction. We had a lovely lunch at the Museum Cafe; the favorite menu item was the chicken quesadilla, though my shrimp tacos were superb. And there were cookies for desert.
After lunch, we went over to the Indian Art and Culture museum, where we got a quick but informative introduction to the tribes of this area. Our instructor, Joyce, is going to be staying at the Halona Inn when we are there, so we will get to check in with her again. The museum has some exquisite pottery, arranged by pueblo, so you can see the distinctive styles of each group. There is also a fascinating exhibit that traces the varied histories and cultures that come together in New Mexico.
The day was beautiful, and a group of the kids grabbed the chance to hike out a ways. I took way too many pictures, but here is some of what it looks like on and around Museum Hill.
Hope these convey a sense of what we’ve seen. More tomorrow, after we hike down into a gorge to find petroglyphs.
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