I didn't know much about Albuquerque (isn't it near Phoenix?) so it seemed like an interesting place to go to bypass east coast Christmas rituals. I had no idea Albuquerque was a sunny adobe colored mile high city bordered by the Rio Grande and a mountain named for watermelon because it turns pink in the evening. Or that New Mixico is populated by a multicultural mix comprised of pueblo Indians, living in their ancient villages speaking ancient unwritten languages, and descendants of Spanish colonizers of whom 40% may have been "crypto" jews fleeing the Spanish Inquisition. I didn't know 5 different flags have flown over New Mexico, ours only very recently. One of the things Road Scholar does best is explain America to Americans, and this program was a stunning example.
The program logistics were perfectly conceived and managed by the very experienced Road Scholar regional office in Albuquerque. The program director was an extraordinarily talented communicator. The hotel was beautifully decorated for Christmas, had everything you needed, and was staffed by very helpful people. This was my 10th Road Scholar program and one of the very best.