03 Nov My Refined Style #14-My Taos and Santa Fe Vacation Part II

( The Rio Grande and me feeling adventurous)

Hello Friends!

It is getting to be that time of the year, everyone gets busy and I begin my shopping for Christmas. Today, however, I am going to share with you my second installment of my Trip to Taos and Santa Fe. To get more of the “flavor” of the city, I will share some of the things we did and where we ate

I loved the Anaconda Bar in our hotel in Taos. A giant anaconda sculpture and 1000 gal fish tank. Plus very good margaritas!

I spoke about how I packed lightly for this trip HERE, and share PART 1 of my vacation story HERE.  We began the second day with having a delicious full breakfast in the hotel at the El Monte Segrato  where I enjoyed some poached eggs, vibrantly colorful fresh fruits and coffee. Every meal had a little bit of spice! That was something I didn’t know about my brother Matt, that he loves spicy things! ( ie. Margaritas, tacos  etc) . After our breakfast, I shared about the Spa afternoon with Shannon, my sis in law, which was wonderfully relaxing.

We then decided that we wanted to visit the Oldest Winery in Taos. This was the La Chirapada,  a  quiant, winery and wine shop in Taos.  La Chiripada Winery is an American winery in Dixon, New Mexico, founded in 1981 by Michael and Patrick Johnson.^[1] It has regularly won awards for its wines at the Southwest Wine Competition and the New Mexico State FairWine Competition.^[2] It is the highest commercial winery in the United States, at an elevation of 6,100 feet (1,900 m).^[3] La Chiripada is a feature of the annual Dixon Studio Tour, which occurs in late fall and is the oldest continuously-running annual studio tour in Northern New Mexico.^{[4]  ** Wikipedia creidt}

We enjoyed wine tasting and were pleasantly surprised to find the wines very enjoyable. They ranged from dry to very sweet with  a Burbon and a Port wine combination. Let’s just say one needs a few drops of this after dinner in the winter, and there is no need to run your fireplace. I had a few sips and I was warm and fuzzy. We each took a bottle of our favorite red ( sis and bro) and white ( hubby and I ) and enjoyed it later on the patio outside our hotel room, appreciating the company and view.

There was just a little alcove to sit and we posed with our Wine Enthusiast Magazine. From there, we decided to go to Vivac, another winery down the road, with an amazing mountain view, tables to enjoy it, and a bit more vino to taste. We did get some cheese and truffles to go with our grapes.

Later in the trip we visited Taos Mesa Brewing, as 3 out of the 4 of us enjoy beers and wanted to try the local favorites. I am giving it a shot, and was able to find ones not too hoppy or with a bitter aftertaste. We listened to music and got more of the lay of the land. As we drove, we stopped along The Rio Grande, which was amazing to see, as whitewater rafters ventured by. We took lots of photos and I stood on a rock and posed for fun. Another of nature’s wonders , we stopped at the Rio Grande Gorge. There were a fair amount of people on the bridge as we took photos. Jessica Chastain, was in Santa Fe for a movie, and I noticed on IG was at the Gorge the day before. cool.

I am more of a wine drinker, but am open to trying or finding a beer I like.  Nothing too hoppy, or tart. For the next 2 nights in Santa Fe, we stayed at The Chimayo Hotel. A charming hotel with colorful artwork throughout, we were in the center of the city. I loved being where the action is!

Santa Fe was a bit busy when we were there, lots of artists and artisans selling their wares on the sidewalk. We dilegently looked for some gifts for Christmas.  For someone who loves unique-handmade pieces, this was heavenly! Just tough to make a decision. We strolled though the shops, where  thousands of pieces of  new mexican jewelry was displayed. Coral, Opal, so many different stones adorned these pieces each stone adding to the cost of the final price. I found a piece I loved, very elegant, almost a large teardrop shape, in coral and blues, it reflected in the sun. Gorgeous! The price, however was a bit too high for me. We then, went into another store, and a similar pieces, same shape, popped out at me, like it was the only piece in the case! Let’s just say, I bought it for a fair amount and was quite excited to take it home as a memory I will always have.

Let me not forget the magnificent churches we went to. The Cathedral Basilica of St Francis, Santaurio de Chimayo, and the Loretto Chapel, “A popular wedding site, diminutive Loretto Chapel in downtown Santa Fe is world-famous for its circular wooden staircase. Built by an unidentified man who showed up in 1879 with a donkey and a toolbox, his staircase has two 360-degree turns, no visible means of support, and has wooden pegs instead of metal nails. The faithful believe that the mystery man was St. Joseph.” wiki. My Mom wanted us to see the staircase, and it was quite impressive. 

( The Center Cross is a Relic dated back to AD!)

Hubby took a picture of this beautiful horse I pet outside the vineyard.

The night before we were to leave, we went on the roof of the El Dorato Hotel and enjoyed the view and the sunset.

I love exploring, getting a feel for the culture and people of the area in which I am visiting. A few more things we did on our trip: We all got on our suits and enjoyed the Roof Top Hot Tub at the El Dorato,( sorry no pics in the hot tub)! as we could see the city of Santa Fe. More great food. The last leg of our trip, the night before we were to leave, we went back to THE SHED for more amazing New Mexican food. We had the same waiter as the first day we visited, and I told him were we coming FULL CIRCLE.  I couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful trip, with family and memories to keep me satisfied.

If you’ve got to have a fashion post, see Monday and Tuesday of this week. 🙂

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