The Broadmoor in Colorado - Part 1

I'm finally getting around to talking about The Broadmoor, the destination hotel that my husband and I visited in early May.  He was attending a work conference and I was tagging along for fun.  When I was a little girl, my maternal grandparents lived in Colorado Springs for a few years.  My grandfather worked at the Air Force Academy.  They returned to Texas when I was about 6, but I do have memories of visiting them there and some of the local attractions.  We didn't ever go to The Broadmoor, but they talked about it.  

A little history of this pretty famous hotel - the centennial of The Broadmoor was in 2018, so it was built in 1918.  Colorado Springs was a small town at the time and my understanding is that the man who built The Broadmoor, Spencer Penrose, was quite a character.  Lots of history here.  Last year, the resort prepared for a big centennial celebration and so the whole place was spiffed up.  There were exhibits and displays, a Spencer Penrose Museum on site, and history tours are offered.  I took advantage of one of the tours and took a look at the museum.  Pictures of interior things on Wednesday.  Today, I'll show you a few outside shots from my walking.

I took this picture during my first morning breakfast.  I had a lovely window table and that's a glimpse of the outside.

It had snowed and then rained the day before and it was still a bit damp outside.  The Broadmoor has part of the hotel on one side of this small lake and the other section on the other side.  It's a really big property.  There is a walking trail around the lake that was about 3/4 of a mile long.  I walked round and round, though it was a little cold for this Texas girl.

There was a sidewalk/bridge that spanned between the two sides, so that people didn't have to go all the way around.  

Lots of these birds were seen.  My husband said someone told him it was a kind of magpie.  I told him that was perfect because magpies were used in crime fiction all the time.

There were swans and ducks.  It was cold enough on my walk that my hands got very chilled and so I stopped in at a coffee bar in one of the lobbies and picked up a latte.  That helped my hands stay warm, but I had to find somewhere to 'park it' while I took a picture.  

This picture was from the next day and the clouds were breaking up.  You can see some mountains through them.  It was just beautiful and I passed lots of walkers on my trek round and round the lake.  The Broadmoor also had shuttles to nearby local sites, but I stuck to their property.  Lots to see.

Last picture for today.  I took this picture for my 'cupcake baking' daughter to see, but it makes a more fun picture than one of the coffee bar.  Ha!  I didn't try any of these, but don't they look good?  There were more tasty treats in the display cases.  And also more shops.  I did have a most delicious mixed berry muffin from this shop.  Yum!

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I'll be back on Wednesday with some info about my 'history tour' and a couple of pictures from the museum.