OCTOBER 4 - ALBUQUERQUE - OLD TOWN

THURSDAY

OCTOBER 4, 2012

 

Today was sunny and up to 68 degrees

by the time we drove into Old Town

to explore.  Our first stop was to visit

SAN FELIPE de NERI CHURCH

on one side of the Plaza.

 

 

The Church was built in 1706,

and has been in continuous use.

 

We had the leisure of wandering in and out of shops,

with one quest in mind. I wanted a turquoise ring.

We finally found this pretty little ring

 

 

 

Not far from the Jewelry store we heard

lovely flute music floating through the Square,

so we followed it to a nearby restaurant

called the Red Feather.  

 

 

 

 

We were seated within view of the musicians,

and fed both our minds, bodies and spirits.

Russ ordered Green Chili and it was served with Flat Bread.

I had a marvelous Taco salad, minus the taco.

 

 

 

 

 

Russ bought two CD's from the musicians.

 

PAHUAKUME - Pan Flute

Chasing Dream which included:

 Sound of Silence, Theme from Titanic

 and House of the Rising Sun.

 

AMAUTA - Memories of the Heart

included: Unchained Melody and Killing Me Softly.

 

They were from Ecudor and used the Pan flute,

Curved fluted and ones that looked like one inch PVC pipes

bound together in various lengths.

 

We certainly lingered over lunch

because the music was like

a delicious dessert!

 

During the afternoon we strolled into several shops.

One caught our eye immediately with the bench out front.
It was at deColores Galleria
Spanish Colonial Art & Furniture
112 Rio Grande Blvd. NW,
Albuquerque, NM 87104
www.decoloresgalleria.com
 

 

 

 

The artisans were working in one of the seven rooms,

so we had a chance to talk with them.

Their focus is on religious objects

including crosses, and wall plaques,
furniture

as well as other tempting items.

 

 

I met the designer of this beautiful necklace,

Christin Wolf,

in his Gallery in Old Town.

www.christinwolf.com

 

I asked the price on the necklace

and he said $3,000.

He understood I was not in the market

for it, but as part of our conversation,

he was willing to give me some

idea of its value.

 

 

Can you imagine me coming home with

some of this clothing?

I had to do a reality check and get out of this

shop before I started trying on these

delightful outfits.

 

 

 

 I did not ask the price on these strands of peppers.
Perhaps, if I see them again in Santa Fe, I will.
They would take a month of Sundays for us
to use them.  They make pretty decorations.
In fact, the Church we attended on Saturday
had multi color strands decorating two of the pillars.

Street Vendors in Old Town are there
365 days a year from 9 AM to 9 PM.

A card given to me by one of the Vendors
explains the "Artist Market is operated
 under the supervision provided by the City
 to protect and preserve the interests of those visitor's
 who come to Albuquerque to bask in our rich culture.
 The Old Town Artists Market is comprised
 of juried artisans who create
 handcrafted items that comply with strict rules and regulations.
We are proud to provide our creations
 to people locally and across the country."

She told me they have a weekly drawing system,
to determine what day of the week each
Artist can exhibit.
They know in advance when they will be there
if a customer hesitates to make a purchase,
on the day they first see an item
they may be interested in.
I was one of those who hesitated,
and ended up buying my ring
in a later location, that day.