Santa Fe - Day 1 (December 27)

    We had a 0930 flight to Albuquerque, so it was out the door by 0700 to park the car and clear security.  The airport was crazy, being the Saturday after Christmas.  There were people who had no idea how to work the baggage check-in system, workers yelling at people to not cross some line until he said so, and just angry people.  Once we boarded the plane it was a quick 46 minutes from gate to gate.  The weather in Albuquerque was cold and rainy.  We found our rental car and were on our way North to Santa Fe.  It took us longer to drive to Santa Fe than it took to fly from Phoenix to Albuquerque.  It took a few drives around the block to find the parking spot for our hotel, but we finally parked around 1300.  I chose the Hotel Chimayo because it was really close to the plaza and churches we wanted to visit.  It did not disappoint.

 Hotel Chimayo Courtyard

    When we entered the lobby they had candles with pictures of the saints burning on a shelf and the fireplace had hand painted tiles of the saints.  Our room was ready and we dropped our stuff off in the room before getting lunch.  Location aside, this hotel was a great choice.  The room had a wood-burning fireplace in the sitting area and was nice and roomy.  There were black and white photos of El Sanctuario de Chimayo throughout the room and a bunch of crosses made of branches.

The Beautiful Jennifer In The Sitting Area

There was a nice porch with chairs outside of the lobby, but we didn't spend much time there with the cold temperatures.   We found a spot at Thunderbird Bar and Grill for lunch.  Since we were in Santa Fe I chose the green chile pork stew and Jennie chose the chicken tortilla soup.  The food was great and it felt good to get out of the rain for a bit.  

Thunderbird Was Quite Festive That Day

After lunch we walked over to the Loretto Chapel, home of the Miraculous Staircase.  When the chapel was completed in 1878, the builders realized that they had forgotten on major detail -- a way to reach the choir loft.  Due to the small size of the chapel, traditional stairs were not an option as they would take up too much space.  The Sisters of Loretto prayed a nine-day novena to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters.  On the ninth day, a mysterious stranger arrived on a donkey with not but a toolbox.  He built a masterpiece and vanished without asking for payment or leaving his name.  To this day, architects and engineers are baffled by the staircase with has no central support and seemingly defies the laws of physics.  The staircase it held together entirely by wooden pegs--no nails or glue were used in the original construction.  The wood is a non-native spruce that does not grow anywhere in the surrounding region.  Finally, it features 33 steps, one for each year of Jesus' life.  

The Miraculous Staircase

Before Stair They Used Ladders To Climb To The Choir Loft

    We spent a bit of time in the chapel marveling at the staircase and the beauty of the  sanctuary area.  The chapel is no longer a church or chapel of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.  It is owned by a private company and used for concerts, weddings, and other events.  My being a fan of photography, I would love to shoot a wedding in that chapel.

That Altar Is Begging For A Latin Mass

St. Joseph, Builder Of Staircase

Waiting Our Turn For Pictures

    After leaving the chapel, we walked over to the Cathedral Basilica of San Francisco de Asis for their 1600 Mass.  We had some before the Mass started so we picked a front row seat and took turns walking around the Basilica.  The church is constructed with stone, a striking departure from the "Brown Adobe" architecture all around Santa Fe.  The site where the church is located has been home to three different churches over the centuries.  The original adobe church was built by the Spanish in 1626.  It was destroyed during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.  In 1714, a second adobe church named La Parroquia was built by the returning Spaniards.  In 1869, construction began on the current Cathedral.  To keep the parish active, the new stone walls were built around the old adobe church.  Once the stone shell was finished, the old adobe interior was dismantled and carried out the front doors.  

  

Cathedral Basilica On A Cold Night

Rose Window Imported From Clermont-Ferrand, France

    The Cathedral was the dream of Jean-Baptiste Lamy, the first Bishop of Santa Fe and the inspiration for Willa Cather's novel Death Comes For the Archbishop.  The mass was presided over by Archbishop John Wester and was the Mass where the Jubilee of Hope was closed for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.  

Altar Set Up For Christmas

The Cathedra Which Makes It a Cathedral

Close-up Of Altar Wall Which Features American Saints

Only Remaining Part of La Parroquia Church

    After Mass, we walked around the Plaza which was glowing with Christmas lights.  The buildings had Farolitos, paper lanterns, a lit up and glowing in the night sky.  This was one of my favorite scenes throughout Santa Fe.  We had dinner reservations at Osteria D'Assisi, a well-known Italian restaurant featuring cuisine from Northern Italy.  The service was incredible and the atmosphere was what you would expect from an Italian restaurant.  Jennie ordered a pizza and I had a bolognese pasta.  The food was great and we rolled out of there for a walk to our hotel around 2000.  We had the front desk send the maintenance guy to start a fire for us.  It wasn't long before we were ready for bed and our adventure tomorrow.

The Loretto Inn and Spa

Cathedral Basilica Is A Prominent Building

Anasazi Inn, All Lit Up

Ready For Cold Walk Back

Jennie Became The Resident Pyromaniac