Art Mecca

In terms of Art sales, Santa Fe is second only to New York City. You can't walk anywhere without seeing beautiful sculptures and other works of art, from the most sophisticated to simple folk art made of recyclables. Surprising to me was the preponderance of a type of art called ethnographic. It is the art of various cultures and there are galleries everywhere that focus on art from Africa, Thailand, Indonesian, etc. .

Pictures From the Plaza

Santa Fe Historic Plaza

The plaza has seen everything from gunfights and hangings to bullfights and political rallies. The old adobe buildings proudly show their age and the architecure unique to this capital city. It was founded in 1680 by Spaniards who were later driven out by the Pueblo people who have lived in the area for 2,000 years. The city's name has been shortened from its' original La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asisi (the Royal City of the Holy Faith of St. Francis of Assisi).
The Palace of the Governors in the plaza is the oldest public building in the US (1610?) and has the distinction of being the seat of 4 regional governments - those of Spain, Mexico, the Confederacy, and the US Territory.

A Traveller's Heaven: The Travel Bug

Anything to do with travelling, free internet, an expresso bar with biscotti and other pastries all under one roof! It was tough leaving. One wall is dedicated to travel authors and every Saturday the store sponsors free presentations on travel. Another wall has every language dictionary imaginable. I found English-Mongolian plus languages I didn't know existed. One section has every kind of travel and hiking gear. Maps are everywhere as well as globes of every size. Christmas came early this year!

Parking at the Edge of the Universe

Santa Fe has about 68,000 inhabitants, but during the summer this doubles, with all the tourists coming in. Parking is impossible. With this in mind I waited for the coldest day (11 degrees with the wind chill factor) to venture into town to the historic area. Surely on such a cold day everyone will stay home. Wrong! I finally found a spot 10 blocks from my destination, but it was a beautiful spot, next to our Santa Fe river. For now the river is 2-4 inches wide and perhaps an inch deep, but in spring it becomes a real river from the melted mountain snows. Even now the area around the river is beautiful with parks and picnic tables - a lovely place to walk, even in the cold.

Fall in Santa Fe

Fall may be shortlived since winter can't seem to wait to get here. Last Sunday I saw beautiful sunshine on the drive to the local Borders. As I walked in the front door of the store and turned around, a blizzard came out of nowhere, with the snow blowing perfectly horizontal at 45 mph. In less than 5 minutes it was gone and the sunshine was back. The clerk told me, "If you don't like the weather in Santa Fe, just wait five minutes and it will change." (Much like when I lived in England!)
Since moving here, daily temperature highs and lows have been at least 30 degrees apart so it has been a challenge layering to anticipate the day's variety. Really need to buy gloves.
An additional thought; this blog is focused on travel, but it is hard to ignore the impact of the recent historical election. I couldn't leave the TV throughout the election process and as the results were announced, I watched with joy as crowds from all over the world cheered the news. As an international traveller during the last 8 years, it has been increasingly difficult to answer questions about the President and the war. The cheering international crowds have given me hope that we travellers will again receive the warm welcomes of previous days. I agree with the eloquent letter to the Editor that Tal Streeter wrote in todays' The New Mexican newspaper:
"As a result (of the election), Americans can walk taller both here and abroad as citizens of the world, preparing with renewed hope for the opportunity of sharing the responsibility for the good health of this precious little blue marble and its inhabitants, our home in the universe."

Santa Fe Opera Collage

The architecture of the new opera house is controversial but it was impossible to walk anywhere around the site without finding beautiful sweeping lines that jutted out to the surrounding mountains and desert. My favorite architect is Frank Lloyd Wright and the opera embodies one of his basic principles - that the structure should look like it came from the surrounding earth. It is almost an organic extension of its surroundings. When you walk around it, it feels just like that.

Santa Fe Opera Tour

The opera season here is almost the opposite of the New York season. It lasts for 8 weeks from late June to late August with 40 performances. The opera house itself is surrounded with buildings which house cast and crew in season. I can't wait for the season to start, but doubt if I can afford the opening night tickets that range from $1,700 to $3,000.

The Santa Fe Opera

Many consider the Santa Fe Opera second only to the Metropoliton Opera in New York. This is saying a lot for an opera in a town of 68,000 people but it is born out by numerous publications and guide books, and definitely by any of the locals. Everyone takes great pride in our opera and it is one of many reasons why I decided to move here. One of my first trips after getting settled was to drive north to see it. It took about 20 minutes to get there and the drive, once it leaves the city, is beautiful. It seems to change in the blink of an eye from conjested city to desert surrounded by mountains. An exit off the main highway takes you winding up a 2 lane road to the opera house itself. I was very lucky because this is not opera season and workers had left the gates open so I helped myself to a tour around the structure.

Xeriscape Santa Fe Style

Because it is part of the high desert, water is scarce and everyone is encouraged to let nature take its' course. Landscapes of naturally growing plants and trees are everywhere, because they have adapted to the dry conditions. Yards are typically rocks or sand with beds of lavender, sun flowers or other wild plants that require almost no water. A few die hards do have grass but they are the exceptions. This is the view of the arroyo from the living room of my house. There are magnificent mountains in the background and a walking path that follows the dry stream bed throughout the neighborhood. In the mountains the aspens are now turning to a brilliant gold as the cold weather approaches. Where did I pack those socks?

On the street where you live....

Almost all houses and businesses in Santa Fe look like variations of the original adobe houses that were here originally over 600 years ago. Building is tightly regulated to give the entire city a historic feel. There is a beautiful historic area in the center of the city, but even suburban developments like mine adhere to the building guidelines.

Santa Fe Casa

The inside of the house is filled with light, and there is plenty of light in a city that is almost 8,000 feet above sea level. The living room has 30 foot ceilings with pine beams running across the width. Most houses have the same type of fence outside made of bundled sticks. It is called a "coyote fence" for obvious reasons. The desert area has coyotes as well as mountain cats and other interesting critters.

Mi Casa in Santa Fe

To check out Santa Fe to see if it is everything the travel books say it is, I flew out. Checking out the different neighborhoods I found a small house on the edge of an arroyo (a natural valley made by a stream). Like all structures in Santa Fe it is adobe in a pastel color to match the surroundings. I fell in love and within 3 weeks I was moving in.

Come With Me to Santa Fe!

I've moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico and invite you to join me as I explore this beautiful new country. I use the word "country" intentionally, because even though it is in the U.S., it is one of 4 U.S. cities that I feel are so unique, they are almost like foreign countries. I include Santa Fe with New Orleans, San Francisico, and New York.
So many friends have asked me, "Why Santa Fe?" In short, it is a place that called to me. Over the years I have made road trips across the US many times and each time that I drove through New Mexico, I was drawn to its barren and sweeping landscape. It is from another time. There is a reason it is called the Land of Enchantment. In addition, I have flown into Albuquerque (yes, I had to look up the spelling), to drive north to ski Taos. Each time I was captured by the country and its history. The Taos pueblos are still occupied as they have been for 1,000 years. This is a place where we anglos are the new intruders to a country where the original American Indian and Mexican settlers have lived since before Columbus discovered America.
I am not alone in feeling such a strong pull to this area. In the 1920s, D.H. Lawrence wrote, "The moment I saw the brilliant proud morning shine over the hills of Santa Fe, something stood still in my soul."
The Indians called this area the Dancing Ground of the Sun. It is an expanse that begs your reverence and allows you to "meet the sky for the first time."
Please join me as we explore this unique land.
ramblinme

Buenos Aires; A few Corrections

I asked Natalin, my Evita tour guide in Buenos Aires, to check the accuracy of the information about Argentina in my blog. Here are a few corrections she made;
1. The soccer stadium I showed belongs to Boca Juniors and the neighborhood of elegant faded mansions surrounding it is called La Boca.
2. Lorenzo (the 80 Year old pictured) was a friend of Evita's but they did not work together.
3. The Evita Items displayed were not from Lorenzo's private collection, but were collected by all the people who worked in the building with Evita "as an honor to her and all the workers."
Also important is that Natalin asked that we don't let the actions of one hotel desk clerk spoil the impression of her country. I would agree!
Thanks to Natalin for the great tour and also the follow-up to make sure that my blog is accurate.
If you plan to go to Buenos Aires, Natalin and her tour company Travelline are highly recommended!
Here is her contact information:
http://www.travelline.com.ar/

Happy Trails....

So Good to Be Home!!!!

Several surprises greeted me at home. First, the Kitties were beside themselves with joy that I had returned. One of them almost woke up from her nap! Secondly I discovered that just outside of my condo balcony, the the first ever beach marathon (26.2 miles) was being held to raise money for breast cancer. Thousands of people from all over the world were participating and made it a huge success.
I spent a lot of the day trying to find out who had won the Super Bowl and that evening a full moon greeted me. All in all, a nice welcome home.
The South American trip is over but I plan to continue the blog, adding bits from time to time about travelling in general. Also, I still hope to visit Abu Simbel Egypt in October for the special sunrise ceremony and hopefully put together another trip around the world for the end of this year.
In closing, a quick note about this blog. Because everything I write is in reverse order and previous contents are listed by date, not title, I want to give a quick summary of what's in the blog, especially if someone is just tuning in.
Below is a travel summary and photos of my first visits to Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Argentina. Photo Albums of the South American trip can be found at;
http://picasaweb.google.com/ramblinme
After the South American trip entries are descriptions and photos of a trip I took around the world to Peru, Egypt, Russia, India, Madagascar, Kenya, Tanzania, Bhutan, Tibet, China, and Hong Kong. Everywhere I travel I try to go to countries I haven't visited before, so much of the blog is a first timer's perspective.
I hope that you enjoy the blog and that you will continue to travel along with me.
Happy Trails

P.S.Curitiba, Brazil

Recently I received these gorgeous photos from Daniel Herthal. I met Daniel and his son on the train tour from Curitiba, Brazil to Morretes and he was kind enough to share his photos. Even though Daniel and son were tourists that day, he actually is the director of his own tour company. Here is contact information for him;
www.andritur.com.br or

andritur@andritur.com.br

Journey's End - Farewell South America

The beautiful city of Buenos Aires was the final stop on my trip to South America. The trip seemed to go by in a blur. Travelling back to Jacksonville Beach, Florida took almost 40 hours, partially due to my bad planning and partially because using frequent flyer miles puts you at the mercy of available seats and flights. Visiting Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, and Argentina for the first time was an extraordinary experience for me. Thank you for all the comments and encouragement you sent during the trip and for travelling along with me through this blog. Happy Trails....

Faded Glory-Buenos Aires Soccer Stadium Neighborhood

The beautiful old buildings surrounding the soccer stadium hint at the exquisite buildings and wealthy neighborhood that once existed there. There are some attempts to bring them back, but many look deserted and covered with graffiti.

Buenos Aires City Tour

A quick bus tour of the city gave a sample of the beauty and diversity of the city architecture. Top right is their famous soccer stadium and bottom left is the opera house, currently undergoing an extensive rennovation. Bottom right is a massive metal sculpture of a flower that actually opens and closes in response to the sun. With a multi-million dollar price tag, it is the most expensive sculpture in Argentina.

Evita Farewell

The Evita tour ended appropriately with my tour group (top left) and I sharing a bottle of Argentinian wine at Evita's favorite cafe, Confiteria Ideal (top right). The resident pianist played tango after tango as we toasted the memory of Evita Peron and bid a final farewell to one of the best tours and tourguides ever - Natalin.
Don't miss either if you travel to Buenos Aires!

Lorenzo Olarte-Living History in Buenos Aires

A remarkable part of the Evita tour is the opportunity to sit and talk to Mr Lorenzo Olarte who was a coworker of Evita Peron. Young looking for someone in his 80s, he maintains his personal collection of Evita memorabelia including photos of her body lying in state (in the building where they both worked), an autographed photo of Juan and Evita, and a poster of Evita. This is a small part of his collection and merely sets the stage for his first hand accounts of the Argentinian history he shared with Evita.
My sincere thanks to Mr. Olarte and to Natalin for these pictures.

Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Ricoleta Cemetery, the most expensive property in Argentina, is a city of tombs, statuaries, and small chapels marking the burial places of the most wealthy and famous in Argentina's history. An exisiting family tomb is the only way to currently be buried there.
The map of Recoleta is an enormous spider web of lanes with tiny alley off-shoots.
In one of these out-of-the-way alleys, a constant crowd lets you know that you are there - the Duarte family tomb where Evita is finally at rest.

Evita Vive!

It has been over 50 years since Evita Peron's death, but her legacy continues to grow.
She was only 33 when she died of uterine cancer. During her last days, her husband Juan helped her to the balcony to speak to her descamisados, the poor and disenfranchised who became her nation of supporters and fierce political power. She died on July 26, 1952 and Juan had her body embalmed and perfectly preserved. Her body lay in state in various parts of the city, as hundreds of thousands paid their last respects.
In death, there was no peace for her. Evita's corpse was stolen by the military after they deposed Juan Peron, out of fear of her symbolic power with the people. The body was carried to Germany and then to Italy where it was interred for 16 years under another name.
(One account has the body in Paris at one point when a fight broke out and a gunshot took off her little finger).
Juan Peron negotiated and was finally able to bring her body to him in Spain where he lived at the time. Her odyssey ended when Juan died in 1974.
"Her coffin was brought from Spain and lay in state next to that of the one she had said she would die for."
Evita is now buried in the Duarte family tomb in the famous Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, the burial place for the most rich and famous of Argentina. Even here there remains a trace of her contoversial life. The guidebook and maps for Recoleta Cemetary include Evita's name, but the officials who manage the cemetery deny that she is there. Evidently, for them, she was not of the social standing and status required to be buried there.
The people, however, have raised her to near saint status. Graffiti throughout Argentina proclaims "Evita Vive!," (Evita Lives!). The Duarte famile crypt (pictured) is always crowded with visitors who leave flowers and written tributes.
One of the most popular songs from Evita, the rock opera, is "Don't Cry for Me Argentina." The words from the song are actually a variation of her last words to her people;
"Don't cry for me Argentina, I remain quite near to you."
Evita Vive!

A Mournful Tango in a Dark Room

Walk through the entryway of the Evita Museum and you are immediately directed to a small dark room, (15 x 20 Ft ?). The light is so dim that you step cautiously, especially since the floor seems to be at a gentle slant. As your eyes get used to the light, the entire wall in front of you becomes a very old black and white newsreel of crowds of hundreds of people in the middle of downtown Buenos Aires. The saddest music becomes the background music for the film and it takes some time to realize that it is a tango, How can a tango possibly be so mournful? It is then that you realize that this is film footage of Evita Peron's funeral procession through the city. The sadness of the crowds is tangible and in this very special place, you become a part of that sadness for this very special woman.

Museo Evita Entryway

The Evita Peron Museum is housed in a former home for unwed mothers run by the Eva Peron foundation. The museum contains archived films with excerpts from her small movie roles and her later speeches, rooms devoted to all of the public projects supporting the country's poor, portraits of her life with Juan Peron, her writings, and her clothes worn on state ocassions (Evita was the Jackie Kennedy fashion plate of her time).
The following is from "Argentina Insight Guides, p.65".....
"Perhaps Evita's finest hour came with her long tour of Europe, during which she met Franco, the dictator of Spain, Pope Pius XII, and the Italian and French foreign ministers. She dazzled postwar Europe with her jewels and elegant gowns. Her rags to riches story was told and retold in the press, and she was even on the cover of Time magazine."

Evita Tour - Buenos Aires, Argentina

Okey, I've already admitted to being an Evita groupie. The contradictions (saint or sinner?), the cinderella elements, her political savvy and power in her place and time, her very early death, and the subsequent mysteries around her travelling body and final return to Buenos Aires, is the stuff of legends.
So of course I signed up for the Evita tour. The first good sign was that it consisted of three of us plus a driver and Natalin, our guide. (I'm that annoying person in your tour group who asks a million questions, so it is more merciful for others if I'm in a small group.)
The rest of my group was a charming newlywed couple from Canada who raised bees for a living. Every winter they lock the hives and bees in a barn and take several months to travel the world. I kept trying to get them to adopt me so that I could travel along.
The tour was beyond expectations and included the Evita Museum, the famous Recoleta Cemetery where she is now buried, the cafe that she frequented, the offices where she worked, and a chance to meet one of her coworkers (now in his 80s), who has collected memorabelia from his time working with Evita. Let's go!