Santa Fe New Mexico

 We went into Santa Fe on our first Sunday but as we are a bit fed up with going into towns on a Sunday to find most places closed we decided to shop at some big box stores we have not had access to on the road for a while. When we arrived we saw we were next to the Railyard District and the Artisan Market was open so we had a nice wander around there and I bought a walking stick made from cactus wood. We then squeezed Dave the Truck into a very small parking lot of a Whole Foods and spent a small fortune stocking up on goodies we cannot buy at Walmart.

We went back to Santa Fe the following Saturday to do the more tourist places. First was the Cathedral Basilica of St Francis of Assisi but unfortunately we could not go in fully as there was a ceremony being held to ordain new deacons. We did get a picture from the window at the back of the church.

We walked along the Palace of the Governors where local artists sell their products under it's portico.

Santa Fe Plaza

Museum of Contemporary Native Arts

Next we visited Loretto Chapel which is now a museum and is home to The Miraculous Staircase. You can read it's history at the link below but in summary the staircase was built by an unknown carpenter in 1873 and has been constructed with simple tools and has no nails or screws. The rare wood used is not native to the American Southwest. It is believed the unknown carpenter who disappeared after completing the staircase was St. Joseph. 

Being in the Chapel felt strange for me. It used to be a place of worship but is now a museum so how do you act in it? And you had to pay $5 entry and there was a huge gift store as you exited the chapel. Museum or church?

https://www.lorettochapel.com/our-story

Historical picture of the staircase before the handrail was added not long after it was constructed as it was very difficult to use without it.

We then had a quick walk around the nearby streets and stopped for a snack. We would have liked to have stayed all day but as usual we were on the clock as we had left Morgan in the rv. This is a cool town with amazing art galleries, jewelry stores everywhere and lots of restaurants.

The French Pastry Shop

 There was an area not far from the town center called Canyon Road which is a mile long section of road edged by art galleries and shops. We drove along it hoping to stop for a little bit and walk around the stores but we could not find any parking so we had to leave. Maybe next visit!