24 Hours in Santa Fe

Eric and I were going to be in New Mexico for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and decided to come in a day early to spend some time in Santa Fe.

After a day of traveling, we arrived at the Inn of the Governors ready for a little R&R. It wasn't quite the luxury hotel that I was expecting from the pictures online but it was a cozy historic inn with lots of charm. Plus, everyone we encountered at the hotel was incredibly nice and helpful.

I read online that Santa Fe has a Margarita Trail but we weren't going to be in town long enough for me to buy a passport and get the five stamps needed to claim the t-shirt. Apparently, one is limited to two stamps (margaritas) per day since the higher elevation means that one margarita in Santa Fe is equivalent to three margaritas at sea level. No matter. I decided that I would just create my own mini Margarita Trail over the next few days while we explored New Mexico.

Conveniently, one of the stops on the trail was our hotel's restaurant, Del Charro. It was the perfect place to be indoctrinated into the wonderful world of New Mexican food. Pretty much everything in New Mexico comes topped with your choice of either red or green chiles. If you want to look like a local, say you want it "Christmas" and your food will be topped with both.

I ordered the Silver Coin Margarita and it paired perfectly with the frito pie that Eric and I shared.

For dinner, we both had the special which was a carne adovada stuffed burrito. Wow...New Mexicans like their food spicy! We were surprised by the amount of heat that came with the food but it was delicious and we loved it.

For dessert, we shared a natillas...cinnamon topped Spanish pudding served in a light pastry bowl.

Our first night in town was a foodie success and we went to bed with full bellies and smiling faces.

The next morning, we wandered the narrow streets and alleys to browse the different wares for sale.

We found our way to the plaza which had red chiles hanging everywhere along with many vendors selling jewelry and artwork. There were also Native American musicians and dancers performing.

We stopped in La Lecheria Ice Cream for free samples of chocolate. Once inside, we couldn't leave without trying a couple scoops of ice cream. It didn't matter that it was barely 11:00am...traveling always throws your schedule off :-)

Afterward, we wandered around some more to admire the random pieces of artwork, shop window displays, and adobe architecture that were around every corner.

We stopped at the Loretto Chapel to view the legendary stairway. It was a small chapel but very beautiful on the inside.

Sadly, our time in Santa Fe was coming to an end and we needed to head back to Albuquerque. It felt like we barely scratched the surface of this charming town. There was a lot of great art, shopping, and food still waiting to be discovered. Hopefully, we'll get a chance sometime to come back and finish exploring all that this beautiful city has to offer.