Guanajuato & San Miguel de Allende

In early July we road tripped to Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende.

Guanajuato is about four hours drive from us (North West of Mexico City). The city is located in a valley. Many of the city's roads are partially or fully underground. This made finding our hotel a little tricky. After the first lap past the hotel we stopped to ask directions to one of the parking lots the hotel had recommended. The man we asked offered to ride with us to the free parking (for a small fee, of course!). We took him up of the offer as it was raining like crazy and the boys were done with being in the car.

Did I mention that it was raining when we arrived in the city and that the city is in a valley.  The rain was gushing down the alleys and in places pouring into these tunnels that we were driving through.  It was like driving in and out of these huge waterfalls.  It might have been fun if we hadn't been so busy trying to work out how to get to our hotel.

The historic center of the city has lots of plazas and churches. There is also a cable car that you can ride up the valley to get a great view of the city. The city started as a mining town.

Guanajuato
~The view from the top of the cable car.


~The view from our hotel

~One of many interesting doors.


~Looking down on one of the streets.  Also check out some of the structures hanging of the side of the buildings??

~Our little map reader.

~Temple of the Company of Jesus or Oratorio de San Felipe



~One of the statues outside the Juarez theatre.

~The Juarez Theatre



After a night in Guanajuato we heading to San Miguel de Allende.  SMA was much easier to navigate although we did end up taking the scenic route from Guanajuato to SMA (darn GPS!).

SMA was the first municipality declared independent of Spanish rule during the Mexican War of Independence.  After the war the town's Baroque and Neoclassical colonial structures were "discovered" by foreign artists who moved in.  Many US soldiers ended up in SMA after the second World War and since then the town has attracted a large number of foreign retirees.

There are lots of great restaurants and stores in SMA...but they are not cheap.

~An old pump.

 
~

~Another interesting doorway.

~La Parroquia de San Miguel


~The entertainment.

~Lots of small streets with papel picado.

~The entrance to The Restaurant.  http://therestaurantsanmiguel.com/about-us/  We ate here and I totally would have gone back if we had had more meals to eat...  The highlight for me was the tandoori chicken tacos with cucumber, mint and a tahini-yogurt sauce.  There was a store on one side of the restaurant that had lots of amazing things (but the prices were equally amazing).

~Cactus growing where it can.

~In the square with Carter (after he bit me with his newly erupted teeth).

~In the courtyard of our hotel.  The hotel fit our needs (I wouldn't rave about it).  Our feelings may have been swayed somewhat by the flood of water on the floor (due to heavy rain in the afternoon and evening).  Luckily I didn't slip in it in the dark and our stuff didn't get wet.

~Windows and doors.... I got an afternoon to walk around by myself while the boys were napping.  I covered a lot of ground and saw a lot of doors and windows.

~Looking down toward the center of the city.


~Dogs on guard.