Taos

I decided I needed to spend a day in Taos.  It is beautiful here!  This is where I'm staying.

I got up slowly and then headed up 64 north in search of a restaurant called Farmhouse Cafe.  It is a farm to table restaurant surrounded by artsy shops.  There is art here everywhere.  Even on the back of people's vehicles.

After breakfast I went to the Taos Pueblo.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It is one of the oldest continually inhabited communities in the United States.  About 150 people live in the pueblo full-time.  Every building is made with adobe.

The St. Geronimo, or St. Jerome, Chapel was completed in 1850 after the original church was destroyed by the US Army during the War with Mexico.  I sat in the church for awhile, soaking up the sacredness of the space.  Eventually, I paid $1 and lit a candle and prayed for Donald Trump.

I strolled around the pueblo.  I always gravitate towards cemeteries.

There were outdoor ovens everywhere.

It made me decide I had to have some fry bread.  I chose the pumpkin fry bread.

When I left the Pueblo I headed to Rancho de Taos to see the San Francisco De Asis Catholic Church.    Construction of this church began around 1772.  It is adobe in the shape of a crucifix with buttresses. The website says it has a mystery painting, the Shadow of the Cross, painted by Henri Ault before the discovery of luminescent materials.  During the day it is a painting of Jesus by the Sea of Galilee. But at night it becomes a silhouette of Jesus holding a large cross above his shoulder.  Some claim to see it move.  The website says you can experience the painting in daylight and darkness if you stop in the gift shop and pay $3.  The gift shop was closed and I was disappointed.

I had read online that there is an awesome bridge over the Rio Grande gorge.  I decided to head there.

My weather app had warned me that wind was in the forecast.  I didn't think about what it would feel to be in the middle of this bridge when the wind was gusting through the gorge.

But I will do scary things in search of a photo.

Next I headed back to Taos and paid an exorbitant $10 to park my car just to stroll around.  I found the Taos Plaza.  It was ho-hum.  ButI did enjoy poking my head into a store filled with gems and fossils.  I wanted everything in the store.  I bought nothing.  I stuck my head in a few more shops.  I got some greeting cards and stocking stuffers.  I ended by going to the Taos Inn to get some food.  I returned before late to enjoy my room and go to bed early.

Heading North

I decided not to have hotel food for breakfast and found a restaurant called The Shed.  I am a huge fan of Eggs Benedict and they had so many choices I felt a bit overwhelmed.  I finally opted for Eggs Benedict with brisket and a green pepper hollandaise sauce.  It was magnificent.

I had a conversation with Brett last night and told him I had ended my day in Las Cruces.  He said, "Oh, you should try the Hatch peppers."  I had never heard of those peppers.  So when I studied the map during breakfast I realized I could head north and take backroads to Hatch, New Mexico where Hatch peppers are grown.  So I did.  I have found that traveling alone makes me notice my surroundings more than when I am with someone.  I passed orchard after orchard of trees but I couldn't figure out what they were.  (I asked the woman at the gas station and she said, "You aren't from around here are you?  They are pecan trees.")  New Mexico is a beautiful state no matter where you are in the state.

I made it to Hatch, New Mexico.  The Hatch pepper festival is over Labor Day weekend.  So I missed it.

But I did see strings and strings of the dried ones.

I decided that my next stop would be Santa Fe.  I have never been there.  It is beautiful.  The weather was crisp.  I decided to experience the galleries on Canyon Road.  I thoroughly enjoyed this excursion.

Someone mentioned to me that I might enjoy the Santuario de Chimayo, a Catholic Church and shrine.  So I drove north of Santa Fe to find the church.  The dirt around the church has been said to have healing powers.  Some of the visitors take dirt with them when they leave.  The church replenishes the dirt from the neighboring hills.  I wandered through the site and considered taking some dirt with me to rub on my knees....but I didn't.

From Chimayo I took the High Road to Taos through the mountains.  The aspens are changing color and they were striking amid the pine trees.  It was a beautiful drive and took longer than I anticipated.

I arrived in Taos at dusk with a rainstorm on the way.  I checked into an absolutely lovely hotel.  They gave me a whole suite.  Just when I got to my room the thunder and lightning began.  I had a delicious meal in the hotel and am now sitting by the fireplace in my suite eating pecan pie (the pecans are probably grown here in New Mexico)  and writing my blog.  Aaaah...the life.

Heading East

I left today on a trip unlike other trips I have taken before.  I have never taken a road trip by myself.  I usually spend hours making plans and I put in very little time getting ready for this trip.  I decided I wanted to go east and that there were things that would be nice to see if I could.  The reason this trip is different is because I am now a widow.  Every moment of every day I miss my husband.  One of my secondary losses is all the dreams we had for trips we were going to take together are now gone.  I am having to re-dream my dreams.

I'm an extrovert and I like to travel with others.  I am also very clear that I don't want to depend on others to be able to live my dreams.  So...I took a trip this year with my sister.  It was fabulous.  I took a trip with my children and their partners.  It was magical.  Now I want to know if I can travel without others and still enjoy myself.  I know I can travel alone....but will I like it?  This trip is a test.

I got up at 4 a.m. this morning and left the house by 4:30 a.m.  I did that because one of my fantasies when I am driving home to a dark house at night and I know that no one is waiting there for me is to just get on the freeway and drive away...escape my lonely house.  But I always go home because there is a dog there who needs attention....and also because I know that if I run away I won't be less lonely.

But I thought it would be nice to leave in the dark and pretend I was running away.  I took the 10 East.  I went through Phoenix and down to Tucson.  I got off the freeway at Tucson because I realized I had never seen the Tucson Church of the Brethren.  I found it.

Back on the freeway I entertained myself in numerous ways.  I listened to a book on tape:  The End of White Christian America.  It is over 7 hours long.  I still have an hour to go.  I rocked out to music from the sixties.  I talked to my children on the phone.  I kept track of what state license plates I saw (I have 31, so far). I sat quietly and thought about stories I would like to write.  I let the clouds wow me.

I drove all the way to Las Cruces, New Mexico.  I drove for 11 1/2 hours.  I'm not sure why I did that except that just driving was part of the fantasy.  I am staying at a hotel in Las Cruces that looks down over the city.  This is my favorite part of the hotel.  They are very conscientious about making sure everyone can reach the elevator buttons!

As soon as I got to my room I changed into jeans and headed out for White Sands National Monument.  Our family went there when I was 6 years old.  I have a vivid memory of the place and wanted to see it again....50 years later.  It is about a 45 minute drive from Las Cruces.  It costs $5 to get in and closes at 8 p.m.  Tonight is the eve of the full moon and I thought that might be cool.

This place is beyond description.  My photos can't do it justice.  I arrived right at dusk, parked at the picnic grounds and climbed a sand dune.

It had rained shortly before I arrived, which made the sand more compact and, therefore, easier to traverse.  It also made for some beautiful reflections.

I was worried that the moon might not rise before the park shut down.  No need to worry.

I drove back to my hotel.  It has been a long, long day.  That is another reason I should learn to make some trips alone.  I like to suck the marrow out of every day.  I'm not usually the kind of person that flies to some idyllic locale and then sits by the pool all day.  I want to see things.  Not everyone wants to work that hard while on vacation!

Day Eighteen -- Leaving on a Jet Plane

We met in the lobby at 4 a.m. to take a minivan taxi to the Athens airport.  You can't take public transportation that early in the morning. We were more subdued and tired than we have been on other mornings...except Brendon who is looking forward to seeing his cats again. We have a Swiss Air flight to Zurich, a five hour layover and then a twelve hour flight to San Francisco. When we arrived in Zurich Brett and Brendon stayed at the airport and the rest of us opted to catch the train into downtown Zurich. Since Matt and I had made this journey before we got to the train without a hitch. It is a very short ride into Zurich and then just a brief walk to the river.

 

We walked along the river until we found an outdoor cafe serving delicious pastries. We enjoyed the relaxed Monday morning scene in downtown Zurich.

 

Then we took a stroll down the little side streets. It felt like not much opens until later in the day.

 

I found the scooter I want to buy.

 

We took the train back with time to spare. Back in the terminal we reconnected with Brett and Brendon and found our gate for our twelve hour torture flight. Early in this long flight Brendon fell asleep in his seat, across the aisle from me.  When the steward came by with a drink cart he hit Brendon's knee.  Instead of a quick apology he lectured Brendon on impeding his work. Then he returned and told Brendon that he couldn't sue him because he was covered by Swiss Air and this was international air space. He came back a third time and said he had written up a report about how Brendon was impeding the work of the flight crew; he had informed the captain; and Brendon was not allowed to leave his seat without permission. It was the most ridiculous thing I have seen. It put a bizarre ending to our amazing trip.

We landed in San Francisco on time and went through the rigors of custom control.  We all looked beleaguered and ready for a Rip Van Winkle sleep. We said our good-byes and Matt and Jane headed for the BART.  Brett, Brendon and I took a shuttle to their car. By then it was rush hour but luckily it was Memorial Day and we breezed across the Oakland Bay Bridge. We stopped at their apartment so that Brendon could spend time with the cats. Brett drove me to the Holiday Inn at Oakland airport. I knew I wouldn't feel like another plane ride and so I will fly home tomorrow morning on Southwest. When I checked into my room I marveled at the size of a typical hotel room in the United States.

Day Seventeen -- Rain, Rain, Go Away

We had agreed at dinner the night before to meet in the lobby at 7:45 a.m. so that we could get up to the Acropolis before the crowds. It was gently raining when I got up and the forecast said it would keep raining until 6 p.m.  Matt and I didn't go to the Acropolis while we were here before, wanting to save the experience to do with the whole fam. This is our last day in Athens so our only chance to see the Acropolis. There was only one problem with our plan.  No one had shared it with Brett. When I stopped by Brett and Brendon's room they were fast asleep. I told them that if we didn't see them in the lobby at 7:45 we would go ahead. Brett has been feeling ill for the last several days and I wasn't sure what he wanted to do. But they rallied and met us for breakfast in the hotel. I had brought an umbrella with me but couldn't seem to locate it on this particular morning...of course. We took the gentler route up the hill on the side that houses the Acropolis Museum.  Once inside the entrance we got a better view of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus.  

 

The rest of the group went down the steps to the Theater of Dionysus. I stayed up top where a German woman got me to take photos of her with her flip phone, barking instructions to me in German and then shaking her head in disgust. Then we started the ascent to the Acropolis, through the Buele Gate.

 

We could see the dark ominous clouds coming our way. Brett kept us moving by letting us know that the rain was soon to make our way back down treacherous. Plus, we could see bus loads of people arriving behind us.  We enjoyed the Parthenon, 

 

the caryatids on the Erechtheion,

 

the views of the city below us,

 

and views of the scope of the Acropolis.

 

Our next stop was going to be to sit and enjoy some coffee at a sidewalk Taverna on the other side of the hill.  We made our way there but the rain was not letting up. We started down the stairs, lined with little cafes, but by now the water was running down the steps.  We had one spill but not fatalities. This was not a place to enjoy a relaxing cappuccino. At the bottom of the hill I bought an umbrella from a wandering salesman. Matt told him I wanted the purple one with polka dots.  Tourist!  We found a nice restaurant to sit down. By now we were pretty well soaked through.  

 

Our next hope was to stroll leisurely through the Monstiraki Flea market.  The man at the restaurant assured us that they were open, rain or shine.  It was nothing like the last time Matt and I had been there. Brett and Brendon headed back to their room to get dry. Matt, Jane and I wandered through the permanent shops of the flea market looking at furniture, jewelry, gramophones, juke boxes, ivory carvings and other treasures. 

 

By then I wasn't feeling well.  I headed back to the hotel and Matt and Jane headed off for more exploring in the rain.  When I got back to the hotel Brett and Brendon made me tea and gave me some medicine.  Then I headed for my room, put my pajamas on and went to bed. I slept and shivered for the rest of the afternoon.   I am the latest recepient of the illness we are all sharing with each other. Around dinner time, Matt checked in on me.  He and Jane will bring me back some soup.  When they returned with the soup they shared their photos of their afternoon. They had walked through different parts of Athens and then enjoyed a couple hours at the Athens Museum of Contemporary Art. That was one of the things I loved about traveling with my sister in Italy, finding modern art in a city known for the ancient.  We all went to bed early. Tomorrow our ride to the airport arrives at 4 a.m.

Day Sixteen -- Traveling to Athens

I awoke early this morning and opened up the door to the little porch outside my room. The fresh air felt nice. I thought I heard thunder in the distance. I crawled back in bed and fell asleep. An hour or so later I woke up to a downpour and water running into my room.   Matt and I ended up in Brett and Brendon's room catching up.  Brett has been ill the whole time they have been here.  He has seen very little of Mykonos.  I ate breakfast with Matt and Jane and then they headed out to enjoy some coffee and a view. 

 

I puttered in my room, packing for the ferry ride to Athens. At noon we all checked out and walked down to the town. Matt and Jane did a little shopping.  Brett, Brendon and I went past little Venice,

 

then up the hill to the windmills we followed a pink pelican.  I have never seen a pink pelican before. I was entranced.

 

With a half hour left before we needed to head up hill to catch our van to the ferry, Brett, Brendon and I sat down at a cafe near the water for some appetizers to hold us over. The service was so slow and the number of water side cafes so numerous that we left and found a cafe that could meet our time schedule. We enjoyed our last few minutes. Matt and Jane shared a souvlaki on a park bench on the beach. 

 

Our Seajet ferry was late. I find the boarding of ferries almost comical. You get in a long queue of people and when the ferry lands they tell you to hurry. They have fifteen minutes to get passengers off and on. People are running up the gangway dragging their bags. They leave the port when everyone is on the boat, most of us still stowing bags in the cargo.  I had reserved seats with a table so I could blog and journal. When we finally found our seats someone was in them but they kindly moved.

 

We arrived in Athens after the rain and walked to the Metro station with all our luggage. It wasn't long before we got off at the Monastiraki stop and walked to our hotel in the Plakka. Brett is still feeling quite ill so he elected to stay in the hotel with a bowl of soup. The rest of us headed to a restaurant around the corner called 2 Mazi.  It was recommended by our guidebook and looked like it was in our price range. Since the guidebook came out it has become a Michelin recommended restaurant. It was definitely more expensive than we expected and way exceeded our expectations.  The meal was outstanding. I had my first tastes of caviar and fish soup. I admit to liking them both. 

 

My room that night had a view of the Acropolis. I sat and stared at it before I succumbed to my tiredness. 

 

Day Fifteen -- Sacred Delos

The guidebooks and the front desk clerk agree. Why would you come to Mykonos and not go to Delos? Mykonos is mostly bad food, beaches, charming streets and partying. Delos is the sacred center of the Cyclades islands and the mythical birthplace of the twins, Apollo and Artemis...and it is about a half hour boat ride from Mykonos. It has been named as a UNESCO World Heritage site. No one lives on Delos now but there were people here beginning in the 3rd millennium B.C.  Matt, Jane and I took the 10 a.m. boat from the old port.

 

We did not hire a guide but struck out on our own. There are suggested routes that take 1.5 hours, 3 hours or 5 hours. The sun was out in full strength. I tried to imagine what this magnificent place was like in its heyday.

 

Most people who have heard of Delos know of its Terrace of the Lions -- a gift from the people of Naxos to guard the island.  The impressive ones outside are copies.

 

The real ones can be found inside the island's museum.

 

It is an extensive site with temples,

 

walls and walls built in many different centuries,

 

statues,

 

impressive homes,

 

frescoes,

 

a theater,

 

and a phallus statue, the symbol of Dionysus.

 

Matt and Jane wanted to hike the steep steps up Mt. Kynthos for what promised to be an amazing view. I stayed below and wandered among the ruins. But I did get a shot when they reached the summit.

 

Back on the boat, the sun and the walk had made us tired.

 

When we got back to Mykonos, Matt and Jane went to our hotel's sister hotel that has a nice pool. I had a scrumptious waffle at the old port.

 

Brett is quite ill, so I stopped at a pharmacy and described his symptoms. They loaded me up with medications. I took Brett lunch and medication before heading to my room for a nap. Later I headed back down the hill in time for the sunset. 

 

I walked around the lovely streets of Mykonos. 

 

I had a slice of pizza, sat on a park bench and soaked up the beauty.