The view from our apartment’s terrace.

Zoe and I are on vacation this week, belatedly celebrating her graduation last May. She had narrowed own destination down to either Ashville, NC (and Great Smoky Mountains National Park), or Santa Fe, NM. Given the recent sad events in Ashville, Santa Fe it was.

Who would have thought – cactus in the snow!

Possibly November was not the ideal time to visit. When I think about New Mexico, I think about desert and cactuses and sunshine. What I don’t think about is snow. And yet, here we are — bundled up in hats and gloves, tramping through snowdrifts. A woman in a shop told me that they’d gotten as much snow in this one storm as they’d gotten all year last year. Luckily we didn’t get caught in the storm itself, and we’ve been enjoying abundant sunshine and blue skies (but with temps that only range from 30 to 50).

Botanical gardens and paper crane sculpture

By the time we arrived on Saturday and drove up from Albuquerque, we didn’t have time to do much but have a very late dinner and go to bed. We inadvertently picked a VERY popular restaurant, which still had an hour wait at 8:15pm. Luckily this gave us just enough time to drive to our apartment rental and get ourselves checked in.  We got right into the spirit of things with house margaritas and a delicious Mexican dinner (our first of many encounters with chili sauce — your choice of red or green — which comes on almost everything.  Zoe and I went with the “Christmas” option.)

We couldn’t see much around our apartment in the dark, so it was a lovely surprise the next morning to see the clear view of the distant mountains, the sun shining brightly on the snow-covered peaks.  We’re in a great location on the eastern edge of the city, close to hiking trails on one side and a short walk into the central plaza on the other.  We started our day with a brief foray to Trader Joe’s for some provisions, and marveled at how much cheaper the groceries are here.

We had to do a fair amount of logistical planning today, because some things are closed on Sundays and many things are closed on Mondays.  Another wrench was thrown into our plans when the food tour we’d signed up for was canceled due to lack of participation.  So we decided to start out at the Botanical Gardens, a short drive south.  It was a little odd being in gardens where many of the plants were dead and/or snow-covered, but it was very peaceful and serene.  We saw the giant stalk of an agave plant and learned that these plants put up only one such stalk in their lifetime, after 20-40 years, and that the stalk grows several inches each day.  We inhaled the fresh scent of the juniper pinion trees while strolling on a winding path through the forest.  And we loved all the sculptures gracefully placed throughout the grounds.

We started the afternoon by walking the short distance from our apartment to Fort Marcy Park and the Cross of the Martyrs, a large white steel cross overlooking the city.  Downhill on the other side brought us Santa Fe Plaza, the center of the tourist area of the city.  Santa Fe doesn’t exactly have the feel of a city like we’re used to — no tall buildings, not a lot of traffic.  There is a fair amount of sprawl, but the city center is pleasant and walkable, and full of independent shops and art galleries.  We had a delicious, if decadent, lunch composed of three different types of mac & cheese (out of a menu featuring at least 10 types).  We did a little shopping around the plaza and from the Native Americans selling their wares in an outdoor market along the edge.  We checked out the Loretto Chapel, which has an amazing spiral staircase that appeared on Unsolved Mysteries because no one can figure out how it was built.

In the late afternoon we’d signed up for a sunset tour with the Sky Railway.  (We’d originally wanted to do the tour that involved an e-bike trip out on the rail trail and a train journey back, but were foiled due to the snow.)  The train leaves right from the middle of the city.  It has live entertainment and drinks, and travels out of the city through beautiful scenery while watching the sun set over the mountains.  There is a “flatcar” that is basically a platform with railings, so you can stand outside and watch the scenery.  That is, until you turn into an icicle.  We spent a lot of time on the flatcar, with occasional forays indoors to listen to the music and thaw out.

After our return we headed to a nearby restaurant for dinner, and once again were foiled by a long line.  (It’s very odd — the streets here are pretty quiet at night, with not a lot of traffic and very few pedestrians — but the restaurants are somehow packed.)  By the time we finished dinner and started our long-ish walk back home, we were definitely ready for bed.  (Being on East Coast time is great for getting moving in the morning, but does not lend itself to late nights.)