Santa Fe Trip

Last week-end, Corrine, Raisa and I took a quick trip to Santa Fe, Chimayo and Taos. We started out the trip at Toast (appropriately on Santa Fe and Bowles in Littleton). I had the Flight of Pancakes: from left to right there was blueberry ginger, strawberries and cream, bananas foster with ice cream and last but not least, chocolate! Who says you can't have dessert at 7am? Every one's breakfast was great. Brian, Scott and Owen joined us.




Raisa enjoyed the Easter display
in a window down the street from La Fonda.

















At the Chocolate Shop.







We also visited The Loretto Chapel which was patterned after St. Chapelle in Paris. When completed in 1878, it was the first Gothic structure west of the Mississippi. It contains the "famous staircase", a spiral winding structure, built without any supports, to the gallery above.
Typically, monks would use ladders to access the choir loft so stairs were not built. When the sisters of Loretto took over the chapel, the nuns preferred not to use ladders. There isn't room to build a traditional stairway. The story goes that the nuns prayed for a solution. One day an unknown carpenter came to the church and built the spiral staircase. It really is beautiful and has 33 steps. Later a railing was added. We also stopped at the Santuario in Chimayo. The tiny church there is where believers claim that the dirt from a hole in the floor of the church has healing powers. People come from all over to take a bit of the dirt and have left many crutches, pictures of loved ones in need, baby shoes, and letters with their personal stories. The stories and evidence of faith moved me to tears. Over 10,000 people are expected to visit this tiny church during the Easter season. We were there with a few other people. It was nice that it wasn't crowded at all.