MMG and DDG Travels: Saturday, April 18, 2009 Albuquerque Old Town

A beautiful day today! Bright, sunny, warm, really pleasant.

We decided to visit Albuquerque's Old Town this morning and by arriving early found a parking place which made many people envious of us as they arrived for the Founders Day Celebration that was scheduled for Old town that day.

Old Town is on the site of the original crossroads of the Albuquerque area, centered around the Plaza which fronts the San Filipe de Neri Church which has been serving the area since 1706. The original church burned and was rebuilt in 1793. It is the oldest building in the city.

Here are some of the street scenes:

Wood Xylophone, I think.

Albuquerque Mounted Police.

What other police mounties ride Percherons? Seems appropriate since their historical use was as battle mounts. Must admit they are intimidating up close!!

After wandering the streets and having a lunch in the church forecourt, we headed over to the Albuquerque Biological Park. While the Park encompasses several attractions, we were most interested in the Aquarium and the Botanic Garden.

At the Botanic Garden, there was not much in bloom except some of the, dare I say it?, cacti. Only one picture though. I call it "Bad hair Day". this blossom was on a plant that looked more like a small tree than the usual ground hugging cactus.

We visit Aquarii whenever we get a chance and for a small city, the Albuquerque Aquarium is tops. The experience starts as you approach the Aquarium.

The Guardians of the Aquarium

My Favorite Guardian

Everyone's Favorite "Save the Kitty" Statue

The Pelicanlady found a new best friend.

Not all youngsters want to risk fingers to open the door!

Inside the Aquarium. It is really tough to take pictures in the dim light of the aquarium and I'm not happy with the results, but just to prove we were there, here are a few: