Morelia

Morelia is a city in the State of Michoacán in the Guayangareo valley, about four-and-a-half-hours away from Mexico City. One of the main reasons that attracted us to the city was that it was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and was halfway between Mexico City and Guadalajara. The city, similar to Antigua, Guatemala, is filled with well-preserved colonial buildings. The main difference is that the buildings are made from stone, which gives it less of a rustic feel. As you walk through the town, you could swear that you were in a small European village rather than Central America.

Based on the reactions from the locals, it was fairly clear that the town was not high on most tourists itinerary. The State of Michoacán doesn't have the greatest reputation but the city of Morelia seemed safe as we walked around the streets at night, bypassing families as they crowded around the main cathedral to watch the lightshow and fireworks extravaganza. At one point, we even had one of the locals approach us and ask us why we had chosen to visit Morelia. Filled with pride about his city, he pointed out some of the significant attractions in the area.

We spent the next day continuing our adventures around the old town and crossed paths with an Icelandic woman. This would be the first of many chance meetings. We crossed paths in the streets as she searched for a nearby museum and then later in the day as we wandered around one of the many free museums. Small world. We swore that we weren’t stalking her.

Later in the day, we had another chance meeting but this time it was with a local couple, Tony and Israel. Immediately we hit it off with, despite the lack of language skills. We seemed to stumble through our conversation. Tony and Israel were kind enough to show us around and to share their local cuisine. As we sat in the park eating our dorilocos and papalote, we exchanged details and talked about our different cultures. It was also a great opportunity for us to practise our Spanish. We had definitely underestimated the city and could have easily spent more time admiring the city's architecture, touring the many free museums and sharing experiences with the locals.

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