Santa Fe is So Cool!

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I've been on the road nearly every day... Must have driven about 3,000 miles already, mostly following Interstate 40, a road that goes through several States from Tennessee to the Californian border, lately singing "I'm on the way to Amarillo..."

Crossing the northern tip of Texas I spent a day in the flat Amarillo in order to get that song out of my head. I got invited to a food exhibition there, how nice! I ate well and for free but was surprised a couple of hours later by someone asking me the reason why I was taking pictures of houses in a neighbourhood I found quite charming. I was totally unaware that is apparently a 'rough area'. As It seems, rough areas may look extremely different in different parts of the world... I was told people showing 'suspicious behaviour' like me would always be confronted. No worries, I took my not-at-all-suspicious camera back to the van and drove off!

The Old Route 66! Yehey! I got to the terracota-dominated centre of Santa Fe and felt I was inside a western film: the sun shining on the flat roofs, Indians selling their artefacts under wooden varandas... I just regret the absence of horses as cars and motorcycles have definitely taken over the streets. Can we also have the horses back, please?

A laid-back city surrounded by beautiful landscape, Santa Fe strikes me as an American capital which preserves its history, values cultural diversity, emphasises the racional use of natural resources and is concerned about its ecosystems and endangered species... With its many fine art galleries, Santa Fe is also on the country's top list for art lovers and art collectors, and the food here has a clearly delicious Mexican influence with added sophistication.

I've spent a few days parked outside a large supermarket. Had the lock broken and my bicycle stolen, but that didn't spoil my time here. I replaced it with an even cheaper model and carried on cycling around, managing my photos at the public library, exploring the art galleries, watching the sun go down in the warm evenings... I even thought of applying when I saw a sign asking for teachers at a local primary school... Work? I guess travelling has nearly managed to detox me completely from my last job, but will I ever be ready to face school again? Let me enjoy the world, thank you very much!!!

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Photos

The Old Route 66!
Don't get me wrong but I still think 69 beats 66 by far! hehe

Huge Sign of Love
nice rest stops but 9 dollars for a shower is a ripoff!

Taking me Across the Country
I must already have driven over 2000 miles on this road alone!

"Storyteller" at Public Library
by artist Ellen Alexander, from New Mexico's Trail of Painted Ponies

Loretto Chapel
Where one can get married besides the miracle staircase!

Mission of San Miguel
one of the country's oldest churches

Landscape
Painters are never short of inspiring places around here!