Zapopan

We stayed with our friends, Pat and Gail, for two weeks in Chacala before heading to the beautiful city of Guadalajara by Pacifico bus on Monday, January 30.

As I mentioned before, we have been to Guadalajara several times but that was many years ago. It is Mexico’s 2nd biggest cit with a population of around 5 million people..
The historical and cultural centre is lovely and full of history and art.

We spent 4 nights in the oldest hotel in the city, the Frances Hotel, that was built in 1610. The building is considered a national monument and is in a great location to walk to everything that we wanted to revisit. It was previously known as EL MESON DE SAN JOSE or Saint Joseph's Table. In 1980, renovations were completed with thought given to retaining its historical character.

A doorman greets you and takes you into the lobby that has beautiful Spanish arches and stone columns and a gorgeous chandelier in the middle of the room. Very elegant. There are old paintings and photographs in dark wooden frames. Heavy furniture is thoughtfully placed about the room on hardwood floors and an old elevator takes you up to your floor or the rooftop terrace. It was definitely a step back into the old days of colonial Mexico.

We found an early morning coffee shop and a great little breakfast restaurant, that we visited every morning, and then spent three days walking in the Zona Central.

So what did we see? Do?

- A fantastic laser light show on the walls of the huge Guadalajara Cathedral (1561).
- Protests against deadbeat dads in front of the beautiful Teatro Degollado.
- Exhibits at the Regional Museum of Guadalajara that include pre-Hispanic pottery.
- Cabañas Cultural Institute - in 1938 and 1939 the Mexican muralist José Clemente Orozco decorated its interior with a mural known as "El Hombre de Fuego" (The Man of Fire).
- we passed on seeing the wax museum that was close by
- Handicrafts, clothing, and food stalls that pack the huge markets of San Juan de Dios
- Plaza de las Armas where a chiropractor was ‘fixing’ people up on the park benches
- a trolley tour of Guadalajara
- a haircut
- dinner in a great Argentinian restaurant - Mil Ocho Noventa
- we also went to the area where the electronics shops are located and bought our grandkids knockoff handheld gameboy machines with 400 old school games.Read more