Mexico
Zona Centro

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    • Day 22

      Guanajuato

      October 23, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

      Am Vormittag noch ein Stadtbummel in San Miguel, dann mit einer relativ kurzen Busfahrt nach Guanajato. Die Stadt liegt zum Großteil am Berghang und wir haben ein AirB&B mit toller Aussicht. Zufälliger Weise findet hier gerade das Cervantino statt, ein großes Kulturfestival. Somit ist in der Stadt unheimlich viel los. Es ist also ziemlich viel Rummel, aber großteils recht lustig. Zum Abschluss des Tages haben wir noch ein Callejon erwischt. Dabei zieht man mit einer Gruppe Musikern durch die engen Gassen. Jetzt noch ein kurzes Bier auf unserer Terrasse und dann ab ins Bett.Read more

    • Day 20

      Night Out on the Town

      March 16, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

      Such an active fun day today. Peter was meeting Glenn for coffee so I headed off on my own adventures in the morning.

      This time I climbed up to the look out point for some great views. Then after Spanish and lunch we walked to the Biblioteca Publica because we’d heard they offered all kinds of courses and activities. Like most buildings here, it’s centred around a courtyard with numerous rooms leading off of it. We didn’t have much time to explore, but certainly will next time.

      The highlight of the day was a delish Thai dinner that Madeline had prepared, then we headed off for a Big Night Out. What fun it was.

      First, we stopped at Ocre to listen to Antonio, who John calls « the piano man » Antonia loves taking requests and can play anything you wish. Little did we know it was 2 for 1 night - this didn’t mean sharing between 2 people - NO, they brought 2 large drinks for each of us. The bonus - and surprise - was that Peter convinced John to play the piano. WOW what talent.

      Next stop was El Tupinamba, a matador themed bar, for some good old rock & roll. We were all dancing up a storm like we were 20 again. Such fun. Wish I could post all the videos I took.

      Our final stop was Centanni where the floor was packed with expert Salsa dancers. Would love to be able to dance like that. Took a video to show how it’s really done - our old 50s jive just doesn’t compare. 😉

      All in all a super fun day
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    • Day 13

      Pickelball & Drinks at Sue’s Place

      March 9, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

      Finally, I had a chance to play pickelball in San Miguel. It’s more complicated than in Arizona as you have to sign up in advance on Playtime Scheduler. After I’d set up an account and logged in, I saw that all the courts were full for the next 2 weeks.

      David, my PB friend from Toronto, told me to come anytime and join his group. He plays in the highest level 4- 5 so it was great fun. The 6 men were extremely good, but “kind” - and I was delighted as I really played up. Such fun. Getting there & back, though, is a real pain as it’s far away, so think I’ll leave my PB to Arizona where I just have to walk across the street.

      In the evening, Sue invited us to her place for drinks & pizza. It was spectacular - large, spacious & tastefully decorated. We found out it was $US 10,000 / night. 😲Tony & June Eyton were also there so Peter enjoyed reconnecting with him, and I enjoyed meeting them both.

      Another fun day.
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    • Day 7

      Festival of the Conquistadors

      March 3, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

      We really lucked out today. Little did we know it, but the first Friday in March is the Festival of the Conquistadors.

      What an amazing sight. We wandered into the Jardin about 10am and it was packed with hundreds of dancers all in ornate traditional costumes. They were still there when we passed by again about 10pm, dancing as enthusiastically as ever.

      Googling a bit, I found out that this has been a tradition for 400 years. The dancers are paying their respects to El Senor de la Conquista, a 1575 stature of Christ housed in the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel (beautiful church). People who enter the church this day say 33 prayers, one for each day of Jesus’ life.

      After lunch we climbed up behind our place on El Chorro to get a view of the city, - so much larger than we thought - then we were invited to John & Madeline’s for drinks, followed by dinner at Hecho en México a nearby restaurant. Food was delish and the servings were huge.

      Such fun seeing Sariya & family after all these years. We decided the last time we’d seen her she was still at Dartmouth College - YIKES about 25 years ago. Was great to meet her husband John, daughter Ariadne, in first year at McGill, a son Fred heading to university next year.

      What a wonderful start to our stay in SMA.
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    • Day 594

      San Miguel de Allende

      December 21, 2018 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

      A short flight into Leon, then a few hours by taxi and we arrived in San Miguel de Allende (SMA). SMA is a very charming colonial UNESCO city. It’s very popular with expats and tourists, yet still feels lived in and not overdone.
      We spent our time here walking through the hilly, cobbled streets and admiring the many beautiful old buildings, many of which have been converted into shops and cafes. John also got his haircut at a very hip barbershop where they used lots and lots of products with names like “beard lube” and the barber had tattoos of a barber pole on one side of his neck and a pair of scissors on the other. We had been looking forward to some cooler weather, but were a little surprised how cold it was with nighttime temperatures dipping below freezing. Enjoyed shopping at a local farmers market for Xmas dinner complimented by some Mexican bubbly and catching up on some Netflix (Narcos Mexico – Yikes! - and The Sinner).
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    • Day 3

      Day 2 Centro Historico & Grand Hotel

      February 27, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

      Had a lovely breakfast at Hotel Gillow, included with the room. The waiters don’t speak English, so using Reverso and lots of gestures we made our choices - which worked out well. We then headed out to explore the surrounding area.

      We headed down the nearby walking street, popping into an exhibit by Marysole Warner Baz - impressive - then past China Town into the modern part of the city.
      One building looked like a fabulous museum of indigenous artist, but was in fact a Casino. Disappointing.

      From there we headed to the Arch of the Revolution for a quick view, then walked back to Zócalo, the main square with the Presidential Palace. The had been a huge protest there the day before so there were police everywhere - lots of women - and the square was roped off to cars.

      From here we went into the Grand Hotel overlooking the square, which friends had recommended. The architecture was stunning. Our timing was great - we didn’t have a reservation, but as we were there early there was room. Luckier still, it coincided with the lowering of the flag with lots of high goose stepping officers. Quite the spectacle. A lovely end to the day.

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    • Day 2

      San Miguel de Allende

      October 23, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

      First look, San Miguel de Allende. The town is beautiful. There’s not a lot to do beyond wander around and eat, so that’s what we did.

      It has a reputation as a gringo ex-pat center, but we didn’t see many. There were tons of Mexican tourists from other parts of the country.Read more

    • Day 5

      Heiße Quellen und Entspannung

      March 3, 2020 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

      Von Mexiko City brachte uns der Bus ins malerisch gelegene San Miguel de Allende. Nach den Strapazen der letzten Tage stand aber erstmal eine angemessene Entspannung in den heißen Quellen nahe der Stadt im Vordergrund.Read more

    • Day 6

      "Ein Geschenk von Mexiko an die Welt"

      March 4, 2020 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

      Die malerisch gelegene Kleinstadt San Miguel de Allende bietet nicht nur köstliches Essen und bestauneswerte Kirchen, sondern auch unzählige einladende Hinterhöfe mit blühenden Bäumchen und einzigartige Ausblicke.
      In gut 17km erkundeten wir die pittoreske Stadt auf den Spuren des zukünftigen Brautpaares - denn hier haben sich Itzy und Alex vor einiger Zeit verlobt...
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    • Day 21

      San Miguel

      January 27, 2017 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

      Unser erster richtiger Ausflug ging nach San Miguel einer der Pueblos Mágicos („Magische Orte“) in Mexiko. Mit dem Auto ging es vier Stunden Richtung Norden. Dabei saßen wir zu viert auf der Rückbank; interessiert hat das niemanden. Ich hätte ja gedacht, dass wir den einen oder anderen Offizier bestechen müssen, aber es hat sie wirklich nicht gejuckt, das scheint hier Gang und Gebe zu sein.

      Die Stadt jedoch ist wunderschön und nicht umsonst Weltkulturerbe. In den engen Gassen säumt sich ein buntbemaltes Haus an das nächste, was ein wunderschönes Stadtbild abgibt. Das Zentrum ist der große Platz mit der Kirche, wo sich allerhand Touristen tummeln. Auch viele Amerikaner besuchen die Stadt, sodass ich an allen Ecken mal wieder ein wenig Englisch gehört habe.
      Weiterhin konnte man hier wirklich gut essen und Souvenirs einkaufen.

      Auf dem Rückweg haben wir noch einen kurzen Stop bei den nahegelegenen Thermalquellen eingelegt. Das Wasser hatte circa 40 Grad Celsius und ich kam mir vor wie ein Suppenhuhn. Dennoch war es wirklich entspannend, aber nach 30 Minuten ist mir die Hitze doch etwas zu Kopf gestiegen.

      Die Landschaft drumherum war wieder einmal atemberaubend. Ich wäre am liebsten ausgestiegen und gewandert, doch meine Gruppe war nicht so naturbegeistert. Dennoch habe ich sie dazu bekommen nachts einmal anzuhalten und den wundervollen Sternenhimmel zu betrachten, der von unzähligen Sternen gesäumt war.
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