San Miguel de Allende to Mazatlan

 December 13, 2021 - December 23, 2021

Monday and Tuesday were taken up with preparations for our trip to Mazatlan on Wednesday morning.  We stopped at La Comer to purchase the duck we were planning to have for Christmas dinner and some other items we needed for our trip.  As we packed for the trip Lola became more and more agitated.  She has come to know the meaning of packing.  She doesn’t like change.  Kali was completely oblivious to what was going on.

On Wednesday we got up early only to discover that our electricity was out.  After contacting our land lady we found out that the electricity was out on the entire block.  Not wanting to open the fridge or the freezer any more than absolutely necessary I walked to OXXO (a 7-eleven type store) to buy ice for our cooler.  We quickly grabbed everything we needed to put in the cooler and continued packing up the car (without coffee or breakfast). We wrestled the cats into their carriers and left the apartment at 9:45 hoping the electricity would come on soon, but who knows.  Our first stop was La Comer’s cafe to get some coffee and breakfast before continuing on our trip.  The first part of the trip was on roads that went thru every small towns on our way to a major toll road.  Not only was it slow going, but the towns all have giant speed bumps (totally unmarked) about every block or so to keep the traffic speed down.  The car scraped bottom on many of these bumps which made for a stressful start to the trip.  Finally we reached a toll road and the trip went more smoothly.  We were in the mountains going up and down and all around for the rest of the day until we got to the outskirts of Guadalajara.  We were booked in to a small hotel for the night in a quiet neighborhood in Guadalajara called Tlaquepaque.  Unfortunately our GPS took us to the exact same address except not in Tlaquepaque.  Some very helpful guys working nearby finally found the correct spot in our Google maps app and we found our hotel.  It was a lovely spot, quaint and colorful, but we had a bit of a problem communicating with the hostess.  Under stress, unfortunately, my Spanish is not good.  

Our hostess recommended the restaurant
 next door which was excellent.

In our original plan our entire trip to Mazatlan was to take about eight hours, but our first day took six and our second day took another six.  After we got out of the unbelievable traffic in Guadalajara (almost two hours) and onto the toll road the day went smoothly until we got to Mazatlan and couldn’t locate our apartment.  We contacted our host and he talked us through getting to the apartment and getting the car parked inside the gate in front of our apartment.  The apartment is great with lots of windows, a large modern bathroom, a comfortable king size bed and a small kitchen.  After settling in Bob located a great nearby restaurant.  We walked down our hill and made a left turn and we were right on the ocean.  Beautiful!

It was overcast in the morning when I got out for my walk along the Malecon along the ocean.  I was enjoying the atmosphere so much I walked more than usual (over 7,000 steps).

This was a part of my view on my morning walk.

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Fishing boats on the beach

Unfortunately, my photos app on my laptop is acting up and I haven’t been able to download my photos or edit them.  Consequently, I will not be able to include many photos of Mazatlan in this blog post.  I hope to correct the problem so I can add the photos to future blog posts.  My computer would not log onto the internet while in Mazatlan so I will continue my trip to Mazatlan in a later post.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Life in San Miguel de Allende - 10

 December 7, 2021 - December

Not much has been happening this week besides my normal morning walks and afternoon outings with Bob.  We did find a new restaurant - “Hecho en Mexico”on the other side of Centro from where we live.  Although it was too far away to walk to it was an excellent find.  I had one of their lunch specials and Bob had fish tacos.  

Bob and I at Hecho en Mexico

This lovely courtyard contained several tables
for customers to enjoy their food.

I had half a Rubin sandwich and a salad, delicious.

After lunch we wandered around a bit following my maps app on our way to “The Lifepath”.  We finally asked a neighborhood guard where the street was and he pointed us in the right direction.  The path was a paved street closed to vehicles and displayed amazingly beautiful murals and architecture.

The entrance to the Life Path

Mural of the Virgin Mary

Modern art style mural

A colorful banner outside a gallery

This blue door caught my eye.

The exposed stone shows the age 

of this building.

We ate at home more than usual. Since we are leaving for Mazatlan in less than a week we want to use up the fresh food in our fridge.  I made an interesting pork chop meal with a delicious sauce one night and Steak Diane for lunch one day.  Both turned out well.  We have found that some of the meats here don’t have the same amount of flavor as the same meats in the US and the sauces I made for both of these dishes solved that issue. I made another batch of turkey vegetable soup from the broth I made on Thanksgiving Day.

We have noticed pinatas hanging across many streets.

Piñatas hanging in the courtyard of Fabrica Aurora.

So I asked Goggle this question:

Why do Mexicans use piñatas on Christmas?

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The traditional Christmas Piñata form is a seven-pointed star. The religious meaning of it is that each point represent the Seven Deadly Sins. The person with the stick (which it is interpreted as the virtue) is blindfolded to represent the faith.

Piñatas are definitely an interesting and colorful tradition.

Bob took this photo with his new lens as we
basked in the sunshine waiting for lunch.

On Saturday we visited a Bazaar near the center of town where I found some hand made Christmas cards, place mats, facial soap, and two cakes in a jar (novel idea). We stopped by a nearby hotel to have lunch in their cafe.  Then it was home to watch the Army vs. Navy game.

What a beautiful setting for a bazar.

And of course my daughter Rachel sent me lots of photos!

Happy baby!

Mom and baby

Thank you for reading my blog.  My next blog will include part of our trip to Mazatlan.

Life in San Miguel de Allende - 9

November 29, 2021 - December 6, 2021

Since we were getting tired of turkey in all of its forms we decided to go out to lunch on Monday.  We walked to the restaurant in the Fabrica de Aurora galleries.  As we entered the grounds a man was coming toward us and asked if we were visiting or did we live here.  This started a lengthy conversation about the positive aspects of living in San Miguel de Allende.  He has been living here for three years with his wife.  Coincidentally, he was from Elkridge, Maryland (just outside of Baltimore).  It’s a small world we live in.  He is renting a house up in the hills surrounding San Miguel.  Bob was very in intrigued with the idea of living in a similar spot that was not so close to town.  I guess that’s a research project for him.

Cacti growing at the entrance 
to Fabrica de Aurora

After my morning walk and shower on Tuesday I used the left over Thanksgiving mashed potatoes to make a delicious shepherd’s pie.  I froze most of the other left overs for later (Bob is not a big fan of left overs).  We hadn’t been out all afternoon when Bob suggested dinner at the restaurant “Chill”.  The restaurant seating area is on the second floor which provides a great atmosphere overlooking the street and the prolific flowers hanging over the wall across from the restaurant, but the food is not as outstanding.  

The beautiful entrance to a gallery
that I pass on my morning walk

Our big task on Wednesday was to get our Prius to the Toyota dealer in Guanajauto for its regular service.  Driving in Mexico is definitely an experience. About half way to Guanajauto we were stuck behind a large dump truck that was going very slowly up and down the mountain roads.  Even in the no passing zones on sharp curves the many cars that were behind us passed us and the truck.  I was petrified that there would be a head on collision right in front of us.  All was well though and we arrived at the dealership almost on time.  I had to use everything I know about Spanish and my translation app to communicate what service was needed.  During our three hour wait we walked to the Applebee’s next door for lunch.  The menu was similar to the menu in the US, but with a definite Mexican flare.  We made it safely back to San Miguel around 2:30 to a couple of hungry cats waiting for their lunch.

On Friday we took a tour to the nearby city of Queretaro in the neighboring state. The tour guide informed us that Queretaro was the cradle of Mexican independence from Spain as the great men and women who fomented the revolution met in a building there.  It was on September 16, 1810 that the revolution was launched by Miguel Hildago and Costello (a Catholic priest). The war lasted for over eleven years.  The following photos will document our tour:

Our 1st stop was at the Iglesia de Santa Cruz
which was built as a small chapel in1531.

The alter of the Iglesia

The ceiling of the iglesia was equally ornate.

We toured the convent attached to the church.
This is the courtyard.

This view from inside the convent gives
you an idea of how thick the walls are.

An aqueduct was built to bring water to the city of Queteraro
from a lake and the aqueduct ends on the top 
of the convent.

Rain water was caught and stored in this well.

Another view showing the thickness of the walls

The trees in this garden were the reason the church
was built on this site as the thorns on the branches
look like those used in Christ's crown of
thorns and resemble a cross.

A close up view of the thorns

We walked through town to another church which had a large square.

This statue of an indigenous dancer was on
our way to the next church.

A typical street in the historic section

The square in front of the next church had
a manger scene set up. Notice that the
Christ child is not in the manger yet.

There was also a section depicting the three kings.

Opposite the church on the square is 
La Casa de la Corregidora which
was the home of the cities mayor and wife during
the early days of the Mexican war of Independence.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Life in San Miguel de Allende - 8

 November 25, 2021 - November 28,2021

I spent most of the day Thursday preparing our Thanksgiving dinner.  I made the filling and pumpkin pie on Wednesday afternoon and put the Turkey in the oven at 7:30 am.  I was hoping it would be done by 1:30 pm just in time for our 2:00 pm target for dinner.  As usual the turkey had a plan of its own and wasn’t ready until 2:30.  Our neighbor from downstairs arrived just as Bob was carving the turkey and I was putting all of the side dishes on the table.

We used the kitchen table for a buffet.

I filled my plate with a variety
of Thanksgiving favorites.

We enjoyed visiting with Krystyna our
downstairs neighbor.

Claire looks thrilled about her
first Thanksgiving.

On Friday we wandered around Colonia Guadeloupe on our way to the Santa Anna Cafe in the back of the library.  The streets weren’t crowded, but there were lots of people out shopping.  After lunch we continued our walk to the main square where an artisans bazar was still set up.  We didn’t purchase anything, but it was an interesting display of local crafts.

Just a peek inside an open gate
reveals this lovely courtyard.

A fountain in the library courtyard

The artisans market in the square downtown

Our plan for Saturday was watching the Ohio State vs. Michigan game starting at 11:00 am and then the Penn State vs. Michigan State game at 3:30pm  We were thrilled that Michigan beat Ohio state  42 to 27 (the only game of the year that we cheer for UM).  However, the PSU game was disappointing. Michigan State won in a real nail biter 30 to 27.  We had pizza for lunch and turkey leftovers for dinner (perfect Thanksgiving weekend meals).

On Sunday morning we visited a Bazar Navidad right around the corner from our apartment. It was set up in the walkway along the arroyo.  The artisans offered jewelry, handmade Christmas decorations, pastries, products created with honey, crocheted toys, hand painted clothing, and food items.  We purchased a paper mache angel two fruit tarts, and a beautiful hand painted t-shirt (for me of course).   Bob fixed steak and salad for lunch, delicious. It was a nice change from turkey.

The creature on this hand painted t-dhirt
is a symbol of power in the Hispanic culture.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Life in San Miguel de Allende - 7

 November 18, 2021 - November 24, 2021 

After the busy day we had on Wednesday, Thursday was a lazy day.  I took a walk in the morning and fixed all of our meals at home. I even baked an oatmeal cake with a coconut coating on top (Bob loved the cake).  

We had lunch at Hierba Santa which has the best Mexican food we have had since we have been in San Miguel. Bob thought it would be a good time to experience a shot of Mescal after we finished lunch.  We sipped the mescal slowly wincing a bit at each taste. Mescal definitely is not my thing.

The sea bass was delicious.

Fresh flowers are always on the
tables at Hierba Santa.

After lunch we walked around a bit, looking in some of the shops on the main street in our neighborhood.  There is one very nice consignment shop in this area which will be having a big sale on Black Friday. I’ll enjoy returning to the shop next week for that event.  

The weekend was mostly for watching football.  Penn State beat Rutgers, 28 to 0. This is the first year in quite awhile that we have had a TV that we could view college football games on. 

My Sunday walk took me to the main square
where an artisan market had been set up.

I was tempted to purchase one
of these Christmas trees.

On Monday and Tuesday we hunted and gathered all of the items we will need to produce a Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday.  On Tuesday, after our visit to La Comer for the groceries we forgot on Monday, we ate at a restaurant nearby called Rustica.  We sat at the lovely outdoor dining spot in the courtyard and had a delicious meal served on “rustic looking” plates with some unique touches.  

This dark chocolate brownie with ice cream was irresistible.

The sink in the bathroom was most unique.

We could picture ourselves sitting in this
lovely courtyard all afternoon.

This tree was growing in the
middle of the restaurant.

Of course, on Wednesday I started the cooking marathon.  The meal will not be as elaborate as I used to prepare especially since we couldn’t find any cranberries or cranberry sauce in any of the stores we frequent. I will definitely miss Bob’s cranberry sauce. After all how can one eat turkey without cranberry sauce?

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Thank you for reading my blog.