Old Town, Luminarias and NM fusion

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Thursday the weather started out cold with the forecast of snow to the north and rain to the south. We are camped between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, so we opted to visit the one to the south. We went to the Old Town area of Albuquerque and walked around. Beautiful jewelry and southwest art/sculpture abound. There were lots of shops and many of the walkways were covered, so it was easy to get around without getting wet. What was surprising was the reaction of the locals to the rain. There was a lot of looking out at it and comments such as “how do you like our weather?” Initially I responded to what seemed just routine polite comments. But after talking with a few people it became apparent that the rain was special and exciting to them. Everyone commented that they need the rain. This is an area where they receive less than a half inch a month at this time of year and during their rainy summer months it’s less than 2 inches a month.. No wonder the rain is special. I had been thinking about the rain from my perspective and wishing it would stop and wondering if we would be able to see the sun and blue sky. By afternoon the rain had stopped and the sky was a lovely shade of blue.

We had planned to have lunch after touring Old Town. In talking with some of the shop keepers we decided to take their recommendation and eat at the Pueblo Harvest Bakery & Café located in the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. We both enjoyed our meal and saw other meals go by that we would like to try at another time. The food is described as New Mexican fusion, which brings together a variety of cultures.

We returned to the Old Town area on Christmas Eve to experience the Luminarias. The walkways were lined with small bags with candles. There was music and carolers, so the atmosphere was quite festive. This is a tradition in the area and it was fun to experience it.

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Photos

Snow capped mountains
I enjoy seeing the mountains in the distance. They change throughout the day as the light changes. Cloud shadows add to the visual interest as they move across the landscape.

Cultural Center
Note that the bags for the Luminarias are in place on the roof.