In October 2024, I went to Albuquerque, New Mexico and crossed an item off my bucket list by attending the International Balloon Fiesta. I spent a few extra days in the Albuquerque area and took a side trip to Santa Fe, which was about an hour away from the AirBnb I was staying in. Santa Fe was exceptional and the tour I booked through Airbnb Experiences was the “icing on the cake,” so to speak.

I met my tour guide, Christian, in the main Santa Fe square in downtown. He gave excellent advice about where to park and was instantly recognizable with a friendly smile and a cowboy hat. Since it was a private tour, he adapted the pace and some of the content to my liking. I so enjoyed this tour! Christian is a superb storyteller and really made the history of Santa Fe come alive.

We started with the Native American origins and the arrival of explorers. It was fascinating, not anything like I’d read about in my slightly dry history textbooks in years past. He went on to share stories of some of the local buildings, including a downtown hotel (La Fonda) and a cathedral (Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi) plus a chapel and a church. While we couldn’t enter two of the buildings because it was a national holiday, Christian provided fantastic background information for what was unique and special about both places.

Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi ⬇️

Loretto Chapel ⬇️

Loretto Chapel Famous Spiral Staircase (from Shutterstock). Christian told me an absolutely fascinating story about this chapel and its staircase. ⬇️

Christian encouraged questions and was very personable. This was not your average well-rehearsed and delivered tour. He asked questions of me to see if I knew some of the history and also got me involved in experiencing the place. I felt totally immersed in what I was learning.

For example, in San Miguel Church I got to ring the historic church bell by striking it with a large mallet. (See below) The sound of the bell has a long and interesting history. The bell originated in Spain and was shipped to its current area in the 1600’s from Southern Spain. Christian showed me a large crack in the bell and questioned me regarding my thoughts and observations of some unique characteristics of the bell. I’m not going to share them because you, too, need to take this fascinating tour and make your own observations! 😉

While on the tour, we briefly toured an 800-year-old Adobe house considered to be the oldest house in the United States. It was quite compact but very interesting.

Adobe brick ⬇️

While learning about the history of Santa Fe, Christian asked about my lunch plans and pointed out some great restaurants for lunch. One was right across the street from my car so I went to that one. It is called Cafe Pasqual’s and Gallery. I will write a separate blog post about that, but if you get to Santa Fe, it is a must-do place. It is charming, very busy (best to make a reservation), and both the food and service was amazing. The link is below. ⬇️

https://pasquals.com/

While I was touring Santa Fe Plaza area, there was a large, annual powwow happening in the park in the main square. I enjoyed the music, the festive atmosphere, and the dancing. Really, it was the perfect day to go to Santa Fe!

Santa Fe is a beautiful city that has so much to do! The Arts is a huge focus and there are many galleries and some great museums, such as the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, The Museum of International Folk Art (more on that in a future post), the New Mexico Museum of Art, The New Mexico Historical Museum, and much more. I spotted a large botanical garden near several of the museums.

There is a substantial emphasis on historic preservation and it shows. There are many adobe homes and unique historical buildings in the city center. The Plaza and downtown area has many unique shops and restaurants. I could easily stay there a month and still not see it all. In fact, I started looking at the price of housing there when I got home. I don’t do that very often, so that tells you how much I adored Santa Fe! 👏

Near the outskirts of the city, there is also the original Meow Wolf attraction. Not sure what that is? Neither was I, but it was so fun, despite feeling like I was the oldest person in the building. More about that in a future post too!

So head to the beautiful city of Santa Fe, New Mexico and stay a while! There is so much to see and do! While you are there, contact Christian and book a tour. You will have a great time and be amazed at how much you learn! You may even see me there someday in the future! 😉

A few more photos and Christian’s business card below! ⬇️