Boxing Day in Santa Fe

---

Breakfast at Casa Pacifica is a very cozy affair. The owner, Linda, lives with her two dogs (one looks like a small Portuguese water dog, maybe 45-50 pounds, and the other, about 25 pounds so still rather tiny, had an unknown father and a longhaired Chihuahua mother) in the apartment behind our suite. For breakfast in the winter months she feeds people at her dining room table. This morning she had coffee and fruit waiting for us and made eggs and toast as we chatted together. It was a very nice breakfast. She recommended three places to see while we are here: Bandelier National Monument (which I planned already for Tuesday), Ojo Caliente (a mineral springs place that probably won’t fit in the schedule), and Chimayo, a small pueblo that we’ll try to see on Tuesday as well. Our plan for the day was to walk around the town, see if the local Flea Market and Community Fair (like an artisan’s farmer’s market – about a block from our B&B) were open, walk to the Cross of the Martyrs, and visit the nature preserve. We also needed to find some good New Mexican fare because the food was definitely top on my list of “Reasons to Visit New Mexico.”

Our B&B is only 1.5 miles from The Plaza, so it makes for a lovely walk. The weather was cold, hovering somewhere around freezing or just below, but the sun was out and the wind was quiet so it was almost warm enough to forgo our coats. Almost. We certainly did not experience the “how long can I let this frostbite go untreated before I get irreversible damage?” feeling that we’ve had with previous winter trips. We love the high desert – to visit, not to live (we love our Willamette Valley too much for that), so we thoroughly enjoyed our walk. This was good because we walked quite a bit today. Between our jaunts in and around town and to the Cross of the Martyrs and the nature preserve I am sure that we walked over six miles (guessing based on Google maps of the area -- nothing compared to previous years!), but I can’t know exactly how far because the pedometer decided not to work. Bummer. I also discovered that my boots are good for about four miles and then they would really like a break. No, these boots were not, apparently, made for walking.

Santa Fe is filled with a rich, long cultural history. A few years ago (2002?), the city built a commemorative walkway leading up to the Cross of the Martyrs. The Cross is a memorial for the 20 friars who died when New Mexico rebelled against Spanish rule in 1680. It was a successful revolt, but it only lasted a few years. By 1692 the Spanish returned and reclaimed rule. It seems that Santa Fe has a somewhat tumultuous history, at least for a small city that’s out in the desert. One would think that conquering powers would just leave it alone, but that was not the case. I did not realize until I read the plaques on the walkway today that during the Civil War the Confederates took control of this area for about two weeks. How odd and interesting is that? I have a feeling that much of Santa Fe’s history would be rather interesting. My attention span, however, is rather limited and so all the various plaques on the commemorative walkway were just my speed: walk, read a paragraph, walk again.

On our walk back to our B&B we discovered that even though the websites for the Flea Market and Community Fair only say closed on Christmas Day, what they actually meant was closed Christmas weekend. Sadly, we will not be doing any shopping at these places, since they are normally only opened on weekends. I guess we’ll have to find some other options! It’s probably for the best – things are expensive in Santa Fe (most likely thanks to all the tourists).

The drive to the nature preserve was rather interesting. The Nature Conservancy opened this preserve a few years ago. Perhaps because it is “natural” that explains why the road was not paved. We drove the several miles out there and by the time we finally found what we were looking for we were very glad that we did not decide to walk the whole way. The last stretch of road was a mess of mud and ice, but we made it and hiked for a few minutes through trees and snow and tiny cacti.

By this time in our day we were hungry. Time to find that New Mexican food! We had our eye on Blue Corn Café and so decided to eat there even though we knew that it would be crowded because it’s popular and right off the plaza. It was a good choice. I had a happy 400th anniversary Santa Fe margarita because it came with a souvenir glass and Matthew had the oatmeal stout (since the café is also a brewery). There is a law that prohibits the sale of any alcohol on Sundays in New Mexico, but we read that businesses can apply for special licenses and we were very glad that Blue Corn was the exception to this rule! The food – blue corn tacos for me, carne adovada for Matthew – was wonderful (perhaps in part because we were so hungry – well played, Blue Corn Café!). We were so full by the time we were done that we were happy we had a bit of a stretch to get to our car. A nap was definitely in order and I slept like a log. Matthew, on the other had, just started reading Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol and has been unable to put it down. He did not get a nap.

This evening we were not very hungry, but we wanted to check out “Hoppy Hour” at another brewery within walking distance. They made great beer! Matthew and I split an order of blue corn enchiladas, “Christmas style” (red & green sauce), and even now, hours later, I am still so full! We’ve decided that we’ll go back to our normal winter trip plan of just eating breakfast and then a mid-afternoon meal for the rest of our trip – today was too much, but so good!

---

Photos

400 Years!
Santa Fe celebrates its 400th anniversary in 2010.

Santa Fe
This is the view of the city from the Cross of the Martyrs.

Always Working
While walking this morning Matthew received a call from a work colleague.

Blue Door
I love the color!

Ironic
The old historic archives building, now apparently no longer in use, still has a sign warning against forgetting one's past.