Our first stop along our Southwest vacation Aug. 2012 was Santa Fe, New Mexico, the oldest functioning capital in the USA. What an enchanting place!! The weather was gorgeous with a high of 80 and cool mountain breeze. Nothing was overly crowded and the people were extremely friendly. All of the buildings and homes in Santa Fe must be done in the Adobe style, whether it is real or fake, according to a mandate by the governor in the 1930s. The city still abides by this today, keeping with tradition while also unifying the town and offering tourists a feeling of Santa Fe from the 1200s.
Toured St. Francis of Assisi Basilica in the heart of town, enjoying Romanesque architecture and stained glass windows from the 1300s, along with a gorgeous baptismal font. The front doors reminded Dylan and I of the famous gilded doors of the Duomo in Florence. They have a statue of Virgin Mary which was supposedly carried during the First Crusade and brought over to America in 1400s. She has over 300 outfits and a crown made of gold and diamonds. Pretty crazy huh?! The stained glass windows are made of lead by the way- not too smart back in the late Middle Ages huh?! There are only 2 places in the world that will clean windows like that today and according to the Docent we talked with, it cost a truck-load of money to get this done, so it has only happened once in the Basilica's history; ironically, 2 months before we got there. :)
Next stop was the Loretto Chapel, the only Gothic cathedral west of the Mississippi, to see the miraculous staircase. (Notice the Gothic altar piece and outside spirals) According to legend, a wandering man built the 20 ft. famous staircase completely out of one piece of wood without using any supporting beams or handrails in order to reach the choir loft. Staircase contains 2 complete 360 degree turns. He left just as mysteriously as he had come. The staircase stood like that for years until in the early 1900s, the nuns and choir ladies said the staircase was unsafe and required handrails, so the church built them on.
Next came a visit to the oldest functioning house in the USA. A small, nondescript adobe building connected to a pizza parlor and gift shop. Artifacts from the 12-1300s from the Pueblo Native Americans were inside. Our favorite was an old tortilla press. These "chili tails" were everywhere so of course, I had to get some to take home. My souvenir from Santa Fe. :) The chilies actually start out green and then turn red as they dry.
No comments:
Post a Comment