Albuquerque New Mexico 10, 11 May

We are staying in sunny Old Town Albuquerque, which has many original adobe buildings dating from the 1706. It is a maze of cobbled courtyards and walkways leading to patios and pretty gardens

Welcome to Old Town.

 

The adobe walls are made from mud mixed with straw.

 

 

Some of the abobe walls are charmingly decorated, like this one sprouting flowers.

 

The courtyards are so attractive .

 

 

There was a display of flamenco dancing at the bandstand in the charming plaza in Old Town. Albuquerque is the USA's biggest centre for flamenco.

 

 

A busking mariachi band. Mariachi is regional Mexican music going back to at least the 18th Century.

 

 

The Church Cafe is in the oldest house in the city.

 

 

The Church of San Felipe de Neri was the first building erected in 1706.

 

 

The fountains have not yet been turned on for the summer season as the water freezes over in winter.

 

 

Early evening and tango dancing is happening in the bandstand.

 

 

A painting in the Indian Pueblo Cultural Centre, run by 19 Indian Pueblo that line the Rio Grande around Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

 

 

A traditional kiva fireplace.

 

The Pueblo Indian clay pottery storytellers, passing on traditions to the children.

 

 

The New Mexico Musuem of Natural History and Science.

 

 

Inside they had a special exhibition on Birds of Paradise.

 

 

You could see Route 66 from the bedroom window of our bed and breakfast.

 

 

This is Typical of the old motels along the Route.

 

 

Despite the fact that Route 66 is now a great tourist attraction, many of the motels are closed down and looking very sad.

 

 

The mighty Rio Grande River runs through Albuquerque.

 

 

The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History is well worth visiting. A lot of the local art attracted our interest, like this one, Pueblo Women of Taos 1925 Oscar Berminghaus.

 

 

Star Road and White Sun 1920, Ernest L Blumenschein.

 

 

Pueblo Series-Taos 1026, Raymond Jonson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More San Diego and a quick stop at Los Angeles

We stayed at a very convenient and fancy hotel in San Diego, but from now on our accommodation will be a bit more characterful or sometimes we are just booked into chain motels.

The Hotel lobby. 

Outside the hotel. In the foreground is the Seaport Headquarters.

 

The harbour view from our room.

 

City view from our room.

 

San Diego's version of light rail, the trolley cars. They are very popular here. In the background is the railway station called the Santa Fe Depot.

 

 

There are many eucalyptus trees and other Australian native plants everywhere, like this bed of bottle brush.

 

The walk around the harbour is interesting. In the background is USS Midway, the Aircraft Carrier Museum.

 

These sculptures, Our Silences, have been travelling and installed in cities all over the world.

 

A massive sculpture of the famous kiss at the end of WW2.

 

 

It looks fantastic lit up at night.

 

 

Bob Hope entertaining the troops.

 

 

Bill struggling to finish his meal at the famous "Fillipes Pizza Grotto" in Little Italy.

 

 

Leaving from San Diego's Santa Fe Depot, travelling back to Los Angeles.

 

 

 

What do you know, a lot of the rail track is still running along the beach. 

On this bit the road is closer. 

We had a few hours before catching the overnight train to Albuquerque, so we went to El Pueblo de Los Angeles, dating back to 1781. This is the Our Lady Queen of Angles Church and next to it is Olvera Street which was named in 1877. It has been a Mexican Marketplace since 1930. 

Los Angeles City Hall. 

Bill enjoys a tasty Po Boy in a Lousiana style deli/cafe.

The Californian hills from our sleeper window.

 

We woke up (after not much sleep) in Arizona.

 

Almost there! The hills of New Mexico.

 

San Diego 6,7,8 May 2015

Arrived safely in Los Angeles after an impressive 13 hour flight on Qantas premium economy.

We took a bus to Union Station in downtown LA for the train to San Diego. The station is very fancy, looking more like a church than a railway station.

 

The train runs right along the side of the beach for quite a lot of the journey. By this time the sun was setting.

 

Next day we headed to the lovely Balboa Park which has many Museums, the zoo, etc.

The Museum of Man is housed in one of the many early 20th century beaux arts buildings.

 

Cute squirrel.

 

The Plaza de Panama.

 

The San Diego Museum of Art.

 

The Coronation of the Virgin, a lunette by Luca Signorelli, originally above an altarpiece.

 

Aqueduct by Mexican artist Diego Rivera 1918.

 

Harem, a photograph by Moroccan artist Lalla Essaydi.

 

Inside the San Diego Air and Space Museum.

 

One of the many fountains in the park.

 

Bill in front of another!

 

This triptych is in the small, but exquisite, Timken Museum of Art, a gallery donated by the Timken (machine bearings) and Pullman families.

 

The Cranberry Harvest, Island of Nantucket by Eastman Johnson 1824-1906

View of Volterra by Jean Baptiste Camille Corot

 

The Botanical building.

 

A Spanish colonial building.

Ducklings, fish and turtles enjoy the pond.

 

Along El Prado.