More wandering

If you can believe it there is even more to see in Guanajuato. My very favorite thing to do is find a small, off the beaten path museum which shocks and thrills me with it's eclectic collection. I hit the jackpot here in GTO. In the lower section of the university was a display of specimens that had been collected in Mexico back in the mid 1700s. It must have been Spanish scientist who originally caught and stuffed all these creatures. It's hard to believe they could have survived intact for so long.



That mountain lion is more than 200 years old. Ancient alligators, monkeys making scary faces,


Stuffed birds, including two eagles


Skunk!


The absolute most shocking thing was this "mermaid baby" in a bottle from the 1700s. If you scroll back to the first photo of the glass cases you can see it was on the top shelf.


There were also two headed cats, calves and sheep. I really wasn't expecting this! Whoa!
After visiting another church way up in the hills, we found a rock shop. Mining is a big deal around here so the shop had an interesting collection of rocks!









Next we made our way to Santa Cecilia castle which I believe was constructed to feed the cities deep need for things related to Cervantes and Don Quixote. They have a big festival in GTO every year to honor him.


This would be the perfect place to stay as it is a cool castle with a swimming pool, gardens and a playground. We ate lunch here and it was very good and not expensive.


Lastly, we also checked out the Don Quixote museum which has two floors of art related to the famous Man of La Mancha. In case you are wondering, Cervantes was a Spaniard who wrote this tale, set in Spain, back in the 1600s. Someone here in Mexico began collecting stuff related to it and it ended up becoming a museum. Hmmm.


Here is my fav piece in the museum. Love it.


Having spent a little over three weeks, I am sadly leaving the beautiful and mysterious country of Mexico. I truly think it is one of the most wonderful places in the world. The natural beauty, the culture, the people, the way of life, they have so much to offer. I know there are problems here, but there's a lot to love. Hasta luego, amigos.

Location:Guanajuato, Mexico

Cool stuff

We walked down the hill today, rather than taking the funicular. Wow! It was a lot of stairs but we made it. This was just the last few steps below. I liked the coffee shop on the bridge over the street.


On the way we got to venture through some small winding streets. Loved this door with the calla lillies!





Above is the Teatro Juarez and the San Diego church on right. People sat on the steps of the theater watching street performances and laughing their heads off. They were having so much fun.


This shot just goes to show kids are the same everywhere. Eating ice cream and checking their cell phones.


We took a tourist trolley to see the town. It was all in Spanish but I understood some of it. I found I could either concentrate on the guide and what he was saying and understand about 50%, or I could look out the window at what was going by and just barely get what he was talking about. Could not do both!


This little neighborhood held a candy store where we stopped.



Candied fruit





Then we toured one of the older parts of town. You can see the European influence in some of the homes. Due to very productive silver mines, Guanajuato was a very wealthy city in the colonial days.





Next we visited this church just as Sunday mass was letting out.


The nuns were selling cookies so of course we bought some, and some buñuelos, and some kind of flan cheesecake. Sorry, it was for the church so we just had to.


Also of interest was the lady with the basket of dolls. I had heard that this was the weekend of the Virgen de Candelaria, which is a festival that commemorates the day baby Jesus was presented to the synagogue . So, the idea is that you bring dolls to church to represent wishes or prayers you have for someone. I think it's like if you want your son to grow up to be a doctor you bring a doll dressed as a doctor. I think this lady wants one of her kids to be the pope. Side note: not surprisingly this holy day coincides with a day the indigenous people celebrated to mark the position of the sun in reference to planting something or other. Gosh, I did not pay good enough attention during that lecture I attended.


Next we walked to the famous steps of the university which was closed due to it being Sunday. I was disappointed not to see inside, however, at least I did not have to climb all those stairs!


So we had a coffee at the shop next door where there was the most guapo (handsome) barista in town. My blurry photo does not do him justice. Gorgeous eyes and a megawatt smile. So cute and friendly.


Everywhere we went people were super kind to us. There are not many gringos here and few people who speak English , so I really appreciated their patience in giving us directions on the street and trying to help us. Plus, I think they have a soft spot for old ladies here. All the mobs of teens were so considerate to us. Maybe they were just in a good mood because there was no school on Monday. Three day weekend! Yippee!

Location:Guanajuato, Mexico

The hill town

Guanajuato! A city founded back in the 1500's full of art and culture.


For the last few days of my excellent adventure in Mexico I am traveling via bus from San Miguel to the nearby town of Guanajuato.
For about $20 used we got a very nice bus and a sandwich, chips and a drink to eat on the way. It was very roomy with a two seat/ one seat configuration. Seat back entertainment provided and every seat had a cup holder. It was great watching the countryside go by. I was actually sad when it was over. Sorry I did not get a better pic.


This view of the colorful city was taken from the roof top terrace of the house we rented. Gorgeous, huh?


Below is the center of the old town. We visited all those churches and spent a lot of time in that green v shaped garden in the lower right, the Jardin de Union.


To get down there we rode a funicular near our house up on the hill. Pretty steep ride but it beats climbing up or down.


Near the top of the funicular is the huge statue of Pipila, a folk hero of the Mexican revolution.


He looks down on the city below.



Guanajuato is famous for its underground streets. Three hundred years ago the city suffered a terrible flood so they carved out these subterranean tunnels to divert the flood waters. Later, when some dams were built to divert the water, they turned them into underground streets. They are long too! And narrow!





Here is a blurry picture of what happened when a pick up broke down under there. People got out and pushed him out of the way. I was scared we would be stuck down there forever!



The first place we went was the Jardin de Union, the hub of all the activity in Guanajuato. Lots and lots of people, especially the young folks, of which there are many because this is a university town. The garden is green and leafy and surrounded with a shaded marble walkway lined with benches.










At night fall the area really revs up with throngs of people and lots of street performers.









We had a great dinner on the second floor balcony of the building with the blue lights overlooking all the action.


First I had a michelada which is like a Bloody Mary except with beer instead of liquor. It was delish!


I followed up with a delicious steak and shrimp entree. Yum.


We wandered down the street to the next plaza, then called it a night!

Location:Guanajuato