Mexican Revolution Day

Who doesn't love a parade?  Especially, if your child is one of the 1,000+ participants?  That might just be the secret to San Miguel de Allende's well-attended annual Mexican Revolution Day parade.  Invite every kid from every nearby school to participate, and they'll be sure to bring their parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins, and neighbors to come watch!  When this many start gathering along the streets of centro, all the gringo tourists in town will surely come watch the parade too....and that's exactly what Hans, Ursula, and I did!

Overnight Trips to Guanajuato & Zacatecas

We had originally planned to only spend a few weeks in San Miguel and then move RVs over to Guanajuato, but when Ursula needed to fly to Germany for a few weeks to assist her mom, we decided to take advantage of Hotel San Ramon's excellent monthly rates, keep our RVs parked in San Miguel, and just take overnight trips with the Tracker to visit other nearby cities.

When Ursula's return flight from Germany was scheduled to land at the León airport at midnight, Guanajuato became our first overnight trip away from the RVs.

Scooting around San Miguel

Normally, when caravanning with Hans and Ursula, we use the Tracker for our local transportation.  It's great to transport the 3 of us, and/or haul groceries and big jugs of drinking water from the store.  But parking in downtown San Miguel can be a hassle-- street parking is nearly impossible to find, and some of the paid lots close as early as 7:00pm.

When Ursula headed to Germany for a few weeks to care for her mom, Hans suggested it was finally time for me to learn to ride on their scooter.  Motorcycles are ideal for navigating the clogged streets of San Miguel, and much easier to park as well.

First things first, I needed to have appropriate scooter apparel-- sturdy shoes, long pants, and a jacket.  Hans supplied the motorcycle helmet.  He rolled their yellow Honda 250cc scooter out to prepare for my maiden voyage, and I, of course, had to ham it up for the camera!

Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos)

Ever since coming to Mexico for the first time in 2013, there has been one cultural celebration I've yearned to see-- Day of the Dead.  At it's core, it is a time when Mexican families honor and celebrate the lives of their deceased loved ones-- a Mexican "Memorial Day" if you will.  But this being Mexico, they celebrate with MUCH more color, vibrancy, and meaning than we do in the U.S.

Sensuous San Miguel de Allende

This was Hans and Ursula's first visit to San Miguel de Allende, so we wasted no time in getting out on our first morning to go see the town.

Off to Mexico via Colorado & Texas

On the morning I was to leave Bryce at the end of September, I did my usual inspection of the RV to make sure it was road-worthy after being parked for a few months.  Engine fluid levels good? check!  Tire pressure good? check!  No critter nests or chewed wires anywhere? check!  Under-chassis looks normal? uh, not quite!  Why is half of my transmission pan wet with drippy transmission fluid?  YIKES!

Final Days in San Miguel

One of the tourist books I had on Mexico commented that while the selection of pottery in San Miguel would be great, the prices and selection would be even better in Dolores Hidalgo (where there are quite a few pottery makers).  Since it was less than an hour’s drive, it sounded like a great little day trip, and it was!

While Guanajuato and San Miguel were both significant in Mexican Independence movement, the smaller town of Dolores halfway between them was where it all started.  On September 15, 1810, the three leaders of the Independence (Hidalgo, Allende, and Aldamo) learned that Spanish authorities had discovered their plot to launch a revolt later that month.  Father Miguel Hidalgo as the local parish priest, convinced his compatriots that the time to start the revolution was now.  Early on the morning of September 16th, Hidalgo rang the church bell to gather his congregation and provoked them to join the revolt with his impassioned “Grito de Dolores” (Cry of Dolores).  Today, it is customary for Mexico’s President to begin the Independence Day celebration the evening before by reciting that same Grito.

As San Miguel had done for its most famous citizen, Allende, the town of Dolores renamed itself Dolores Hidalgo to honor its famous priest.  A large bronze statue of Father Hidalgo is now the centerpiece of the town’s square and provides a perfect focal point for the parish church behind it.

A number of arched walkways grace the buildings surrounding the square. I just love to photograph arches!

Unfortunately, the rest of the town is not nearly as photogenic as Guanajuato or San Miguel.  Dolores Hidalgo is a working town, and pottery/ceramics are their main trade—dozens of shops line the streets selling all kinds of Talavera pottery.

I happened to mention my planned trip to Barbara from BabsBlog (who has lived in San Miguel a number of years and is quite familiar with the area) and she highly suggested I drive a bit further to the little town of Santa Rosa if I wanted some even better stuff, so I took her advice and programmed the GPS to take me over the very curvy mountain road to get there!

No photography is allowed inside Mayólica Santa Rosa but their website link (and this quicky photo below) give a good idea of what you can find there.  Absolutely fabulous stuff that is all hand-crafted right there in the small town.  Thanks again, Barbara, for recommending a stop here!

With the Tracker now loaded up with ceramic souvenirs for the family, I made my way back to Hotel San Ramon to begin getting my rig cleaned and packed for the long journey back to the U.S.

One of the park “regulars” made a trip into town one day to pick up his friend, Jaime, who specializes in Auto and RV washing.  Jaime did a fantastic job shining up the Winnie and only wanted to charge me 250 pesos (US$ 19).  So I gave him a substantial tip to let my conscious rest a little easier.  Sure wish RV washes in the US were this good!

I ended up extending my stay a few more days at Hotel San Ramon to soak up a few more pleasant 80-degree sunny days and enjoy more happy hours with the neighbors.  While the terrace sites were very close together, the neighbors were friendly and the grounds were peaceful to walk around.

Millie enjoyed walking the long cobblestone driveway and stairs up to the grassy terrace, but she was sad to see the pool drained of water!  It turns out that the pool is filled with water from a natural hot spring every weekend.  We will need to plan our visit better next time!

One evening, some of the RVers invited their friends in town who run a cheese shop to come bring us a sampling of their products with some wine.  I skipped the cheese, but enjoyed the wine with my festive new friends!

My next door neighbor from Maine, Ruth, decided one day that the shady grass in front of our rigs would make a perfect spot for happy hour, so she gathered some tables and chairs, put up a sign, and indeed, at 5:00pm all the other RVers came out to socialize!

Ruth’s dog, Shorty, is a rescue mutt from San Miguel, and liked to serve as our happy hour mascot and guard dog.  What a cutie!

On my last evening in San Miguel, Millie and I drove back up to the overlook for a final shot of the city at dusk.  What a relaxing and enjoyable first visit this had been…San Miguel -- I’ll be back!

 

 

 

Meals, Mercados & Music in San Miguel

When I arrived to San Miguel de Allende, my friend Suzanne had sent me a wonderful, detailed email called "Eating San Miguel" listing all of the restaurant recommendations from her numerous visits.  I was never able to get to them all…but I sure had a great time trying!

The first restaurant, La Palapa, felt a bit like returning to the beach, as it was an outdoor place specializing in fish tacos.  I arrived late in the afternoon to eat a late lunch/early dinner and had the place to myself. 
























The owner quickly delivered my order of 2 fish tacos, a shrimp taco, and a nice cold cerveza (beer), and even though it did not come with the piles of lettuce and tomato that we are accustomed to in the States, there was a delicious green (verde) sauce as well as fresh pico de gallo that complimented the fish quite nicely.



After lunch, I strolled around the tranquil and shaded Parque Benito Juarez to finish off a lovely afternoon.



My next culinary outing was to Suzanne's favorite San Miguel restaurant called La Posadita, on a rooftop next to the Parroquia just down the street from the Jardin.  I went for an early dinner and got a prime table that had views of both the Parroquia and the hillside south of the city.  What a treat!




A couple of guitarists sang and played making the dining experience even more perfect.

 

Suzanne said that her family always comes to this restaurant for the margaritas and the authentic Mexican chicken pozole.  Since the menu didn’t have any more appealing vegetarian or vegan options, I decided to take a dietary time-out and follow her recommendations.  The pozole was served with spices on the side so you could season it to your preferred “heat”.  I went a bit overboard and needed a few extra glasses of water to keep my tongue from burning off, but otherwise, I really enjoyed trying out this favorite Mexican dish.

 

 

I liked the next recommended San Miguel restaurant so much that I ended up eating there a couple of times!  It was another "lunch only" place called Sabores y Salsas.  This small, casual place is run by an accomplished chef named Maria and is only open five days a week from 1:00 to 6:00pm   For only 120 pesos (USD$ 9.25), you get an outstanding 4-course meal consisting of a salad, soup, entre’, desert, and a large pitcher of freshly brewed lemongrass tea.  The menu changes daily and only offers a choice of one meat or one vegetarian entre’, but this allows Maria to serve only the freshest, best ingredients and surprise your taste buds with something you’ve likely never eaten before!

 

So, while the ambiance and décor of Sabores y Salsas (Tastes and Sauces) might be a bit underwhelming, the food more than makes up for it!

 

 

I had to make up for all these delicious (and fattening) meals with a hefty dose of walking.  Fortunately, the hilly streets of San Miguel make that a pleasure (and quite a work-out!).

 

One afternoon, I also strolled over to the mercados (markets) featuring everything from fresh flowers and produce, to ceramics, shoes, boots, and more.  San Miguel has even bigger markets on the outskirts of town a few times a week, but I decided to pass on those (as my RV is already quite overflowing with stuff).  A great place to photograph and “window-shop” though!

 

After attending Mazatlan’s gorgeous Teatro Angela Peralta back in January, when I saw that San Miguel also had a theatre of the same name and happened to have an interesting flamenco guitar concert on the Friday night I was there, I just had to go check it out!

 

San Miguel’s Teatro is much smaller and less ornate than Mazatlan’s, but still features a nice mural in the lobby and multiple horseshoe-shaped balconies.

The concert I attended was by Mexican flamenco guitarist Juan Rosas Ávila (far right in the photo above) along with accompanying musicians playing guitar and cajón (the box shaped instrument on the far left), as well as two women providing rhythmic hand-clapping and foot tapping.

Coincidentally, news of the sudden death of Paco de Lucía (a very popular and beloved Spanish flamenco guitarist and composer), had just been announced a few days before this concert, so the programme was quickly updated to include a number of Lucía’s works (including this encore piece that I captured on video).  What a memorable evening and quite a moving tribute!