Impulse Cruising Again

We left the hotel and stopped at McDonald's for breakfast and were on our way. Less than an hour later we were in Santa Fe, so we found our hotel and then headed to Jiffy Lube to get the oil changed - yes, it has been 5000 miles as of today! The oil change was jiffy, so we went to the Santa Fe Farmer's Market and walked around. The vegetables being sold were beautiful! Lots of radishes and peaches. But not many crafts or other items so we left and went to downtown Santa Fe.
There is a plaza there that was the original center of town when this was settled by the Spanish. We visited the Museum of New Mexico History and spent a few hours there. Unlike Pennsylvania, New Mexico's borders changed a lot during its history amid many skirmishes, treaties, and purchases. Included in our ticket was a visit to the Palace of Governors which is original (1610) although it has been updated and changed through the years. One of the governors, Lew Wallace, wrote his second novel, Ben Hur, while he lived there from 1878-80. The palace is the longest continuously occupied public building in the US! It doesn't really look like a palace - it is just a rambling building with lots of rooms. Also near the plaza, the church is the original building although not as old - 1869.
We had lunch at the Burrito Company and it was delicious. A couple of Dos Equis washed it down. Then it was off to walk the streets around the plaza and check some of the shops. The color and architecture of all of the buildings is similar and resembles pueblos with arches, rounded walls and corners (see photo). We sat on a balcony of one restaurant overlooking the plaza and had a beer and discussed plans for the next few days.
I drove and we checked into the hotel where we relaxed a bit and then walked across the parking lot to a Greek restaurant for dinner. It was okay - we decided it is time to head home and cook for ourselves again. We are getting a bit critical...