janvier 2011

Initially we wanted to stay in Patzcuaro instead of Morelia. The long route there as well as the raving reviews about Morelia dissuaded us and we chose Morelia instead. But still, we have plenty of time and we are not in a hurry to arrive in Mexico. We depart early to Patzcuaro and are pleasantly surprised with the different architecture and colors. Tiled roofs ornate white and dark red walls where all signs are written in red and black.  The streets resemble somehow to some parts of Nepal. We arrive to the main plaza and... [Lire la suite]

  We start the day with breakfast, view on the cathedral. We take a stroll in the city that takes us from one church to another, from a nice little plaza with beautiful fountain to the aqueduct, Morelia’s pride with 253 arches. We pass through many, the museum of contemporary art, before stopping at the exconvento de Guadalupe that has a beautiful, very different colorful interior with intricate designs. At a nice little plaza we stop for delicious coffees before revisiting the Mercado de Dulces where we buy some strange... [Lire la suite]

Though we left San Miguel early in the day, the connections to Morelia prove time-consuming and we don’t get there until late afternoon. Nevertheless, check in at the hotel is smooth and what’s more, it is just in front of the cathedral with the main square as lively as it gets. We take a stroll through the Mercado de Dulces where we sample the best sweets Morelia has to offer, before taking a pause in the main plaza. In front of the cathedral, crowds have assembled, some in front of clowns' show, others looking at the small... [Lire la suite]

      Today it is Jeremie’s turn to get sick, but really sick. He gets some rest but finally makes it out of the room around 1pm. We go straight to the Instituto Allende to walk around and enjoy the atmosphere and the painted walls. Then we have lunch a very casual but very tasty Jamaican restaurant complete with Bob Marley and the flag of Zion on the walls. We are not far from the center and we visit the Instituto Bellas Artes on the way before heading back home to relax and play with Noemie.   Tips: A... [Lire la suite]

  Yes, it’s a cliché. Almost everyone passes here in a journey to Mexico. We came here hesitant. Why? Because we wanted to see real Mexico, not retired Americans, burger joints and made up things. Nothing as such here: beautiful colonial mansions with nice facades can be found on all corners of the narrow and steep alleys. We peep through some of them which have converted to restaurants, hotels or art galleries. We do not leave our room until mid-day as the tequila and wine had some after effects... Passing through the huge... [Lire la suite]

The bus to San Miguel is easy to catch and we are ready to face the land of retired ‘gringos’ cause San Miguel has a big colony of Americans who come to retire, live artistry lives or study. We arrive to our hotel, located on top of the hill, in Fuentes and fall under its charm. A terracotta hacienda, full of trees, flowers, fish ponds and what’s more, the hostess is charming and shows us to our beautiful room with a high bronze bed. We leave immediately to visit the city and pass through great art galleries before stopping at the... [Lire la suite]

Part of the Guanajuato experience was ruined by our choice of the hotel. But let’s be frank, the city is deservedly beautiful and merits more of our attention. We are leaving today for San Miguel de Allende but there are still things to see, not of the least impressive. In 1865 the first mummified body that lay in the Santa Paula Pantheon was extracted, and as the years go by, other bodies are discovered in the same condition due to the characteristics of the soil in which they rested. At present more than one hundred mummies make... [Lire la suite]

  Mercado Hidalgo was designed by Gustave Eiffel and houses nice and lively shops selling everything from souvenirs, to fresh meats, juices and quick bites. The narrow streets of Guanajuato are charming, but our stroller where Noemie is seated thinks otherwise… We stop at the former house of Diego Rivera, where he was born and spent the seven first years of his life. The Casa is quite nice with a wonderful waxed floor and beautiful wooden furniture, though not original. The paintings on the upper floors show the evolution of... [Lire la suite]

  A last stroll in the city gets us to the ex-Convento de San Augustin that is closed but quite nice colors and architecture on the outside, we pass by the Santo Domingo church that has quite nice golden ornaments. On the way back to the hotel, a shop called ‘Regalos Baalbeck’ gets my attention and I pay them a visit. ‘My grandfather Khairallah comes from Lebanon’ says Maria de la Paz who owns the shop now but doesn’t speak a word of Arabic and has never been to Lebanon. A picture of Baalbeck is nevertheless exposed proudly... [Lire la suite]

Zacatecas, the city of first times for us: the Charreria, the rodeo, the visit to the mine and today the Corrida - no less. I will not go into encouraging such activities or the moral implications that is hardly regarded by some as a sport or entertainment for that matter. It’s something we’ll watch probably once in our lifetimes and today it is. As we enter the feria and the plaza de toros, we stumble across one of the three matadors of tonight’s corrida. Noemie even catches a picture with him! It’s said that Mexicans arrive on... [Lire la suite]