Category Archives: travel

The Desert Southwest is just hard to beat for great road trips.  We did this trip in July of 2004, and I had my very first digital camera—a Sony DSC-F707.  My, how digital technology has advanced since those days.

The subject of today’s photographs is Canyon de Chelly.  I’ll let this national treasure’s natural beauty do my travelogue for me:

The temperatures rose to the upper sixties, blue skies peaked around high, wispy cirrus, and the open road beckoned.  Heeding that call, Ursula and I jumped into our mighty roadster and headed up the back roads through the cotton fields and pecan orchards to the small town of Mesilla, New Mexico.  We’ve talked about Old Mesilla before, but the reason for this trip was the annual Dia de los Muertos—the Day of the Dead.

Our visit to Old Mesilla began at our favorite Mexican restaurant El Comedor, within easy walking distance of Mesilla’s historic central plaza.  Situated in the center of the plaza is a large bandstand, which on this day housed a DJ and an array of speakers that poured festive music over the celebration.  The north end of the plaza is anchored by the Basilica of San Albino.

Lining the perimeter of the plaza were artists hawking their crafts, vendors selling the usual tasty fare, and family memorials.  The shops that bound the plaza to the east and west were open and business was brisk.  Stores displayed native American silver jewelry.  One winery shop sold New Mexico wines and pistachios (we wound up with five pounds of shelled, green chili-flavored pistachios—they’re great on salads).  The quaint book store was, as usual, very well stocked with books geared toward New Mexico points of interest and historical figures running the gambit from infamous outlaws to famous lawmen.

So, what does a Day of the Dead celebration look like?  It looks a bit like this:

If you make the trip to St. Tropez (as we discussed last week) and forgo taking the ferry over to Port Grimaud, then you just wasted half the fun you could have had on your visit to this area of the Côte d’Azur (aka, French Riviera).  Indeed, Ursula was insistent that this was a must-see side trip when our home for fifty-four days last year, Holland America’s MS Prinsendam, anchored just outside St. Tropez’s sheltered harbor.  And she was quite right.

Port Grimaud is built around an intricate network of canals.  But think not of Venice, for Grimaud is far more modern.  Imagine instead of South Beach meets Venice—expensive cars, expensive homes, expensive yachts, and expensive shops surrounded by architecture far more modern than St. Tropez, yet with a similar character and feel.

Grimaud is also a walker’s paradise.  Foot bridges are everywhere, arching elegantly over countless canals.  The streets and sidewalks are exceptionally pedestrian-friendly, and thrilling sights await around nearly every corner.  White sand beaches abut translucent aqua waters dotted with sailing yachts casting tall masts upwards against azure skies.

With all this awaiting you, come prepared.  Bring your camera, or perhaps even two.  Slip extra batteries into your pocket and make sure you have plenty of space left on your memory cards.  Don your most comfortable walking shoes.

Here is a sample of what you’ll see at this wonderful destination: