Wednesday May 10 2023 - We had airline miles that were going to expire, so we decided to fly to Albuquerque, rent a car and drive to Santa Fe and then to Taos. We also used some Marriott points, so in theory it was a cheap trip. We stayed at a Residence Inn, in Santa Fe the first night (an hour drive from the airport). It was a 6:00 AM flight from Indy, which with the time change got us into Albuquerque at 10:00 AM (and we even had a layover in Dallas). We spent the afternoon walking around the Canyon Rd area, which is full of art galleries. It was fun to be back in the middle of spring (except for my allergies). After a few hours in the galleries we headed to downtown Santa Fe to explore the plaza and find some dinner.
Yay, it's spring in NM
We enjoyed the Canyon Rd galleries
enjoying the sun with a friend
that's a bench like I've never seen
tulips!
enjoying the beautiful weather in one of the many gardens on Canyon Rd
wisteria behind us
the wisteria was in full bloom everywhere
I became enamored with all the beautiful doors on this trip. You're forewarned, there are going to be lots of door pics!
love the pueblo style houses
Canyon Rd and Delgado
The Santa Fe plaza
Snacks and beers above the plaza
pretty walkways
love this fence
Dinner at the Shed. I had tortilla soup and Kev had Green Chili Stew, both so good (and VERY spicy hot)
Thursday May 11, 2023 - This morning we drove 1.5 hours to the town of Taos. We are staying at the Bed & Breakfast Casa Benavides, which is right in the Taos downtown. We spent the morning/afternoon walking around Taos and had lunch at the Gorge Bar and Grill. There are quite a few art museums and history museums in Taos and we picked the Taos Art Museum at Fechin House, which was a short walk from our hotel. What a gem! The museum is in the home of Russian architect/artist Nicolai Fechin. It's filled with his impressionistic art and furniture that he built, as well as being in his home that he designed. His father was a woodworker in Russia and Fechin learned from him. I loved every door, window and desk...really beautiful.
front of Casa Benavides
Anderson Tattoo Parlor
Indians protecting the front door
Green chili burger...yum! And Kevin ordered the Green Chili stew again. Different than last night's, but just as good!
Taos was full of pretty doors
more doors
and more doors
The living room of Fechin House
beautiful painting under a beautiful window
Fechin's daughters desk-shelf combo. The desk pulls down using the metal piece as the leg for the desk. So clever!
what a bedroom...no sleeping past sunrise here
I love the arched door frame with square carved doors
more pics of spring
Fechin's studio
some unique benches in the garden
Fechin House
It was a cloudy chilly day, but we did get an occasional view of the mountains
Taos is Art
Friday May 12, 2023 - We had a wonderful breakfast at the hotel, and I loved the colorful dining room. After breakfast it was a 10 minute drive to the UNESCO site Taos Pueblo. Native Americans have lived here continuously for 1000 years. We took a tour that was given by a member of the community who guided us around the village and told us what life is like there. We then drove to the Rio Grande and walked out onto the bridge that is 650 ft above the river. There was a nice hike along the river which gave lots of pretty views of the bridge. Just a few minutes from there was a community called Earthship Biotecture. We stopped for a quick look. The houses are self-sustaining and built from car tires, and all types of bottles and recycled plastic.
waiting for breakfast
The church courtyard at Taos Pueblo
beautiful views of the mountains behind the village
the scary walk out onto the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge
Rio Grande Gorge Bridge
Visitor Center at Earthship Biotechture
I can never get enough of the mountains
Our 2 hour drive pack to Albuquerque. The trees are so green. Spring comes later than in Indy.
More green green trees and mountains
