Puebla, Veracruz... and back to Mexico City!

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The beautiful colonial city of Puebla lies 2 hours east of Mexico City. Scott and I spent a couple of days exploring the city's many charms, which include well−preserved colonial buildings, churches, and a lively plaza, as well as a selection of museums. The main cathedral is stunning. So stunning, in fact, that it was selected to feature on Mexico's 500 peso bill. Perhaps even more spectacular, however, is the Templo de Santo Domingo, and its Capilla del Rosario (Rosario Chapel), which is exquisitely and elaborately decorated in gold in Mexican Baroque style . The house of the Serdán family, who conspired against then President and dictator, Porfirio Díaz, has been converted into a museum which is open to the public. The downstairs contains furniture and memorabilia, while the upstairs maps out the family's important involvement in the Mexican Revolution. Unfortunately for us, the information was all in Spanish, so we got less out of it then we would have liked. But one thing which certainly got through was the bullet−ridden living room upstairs, with a smashed mirror and chairs to complete the scene.

But my favourite place in Puebla, and actually, probably one of my favourite places from the whole trip, was the Barrio del Artista. Set along a wide cobblestoned street, with sculptures and trees intermingled with artist's paintings for sale, with galleries and bohemian cafes on each side, the 'Barrio' is a popular spot for artists and creative types of all ages. In one section a table and chairs had been set up for an art class, and were occupied by a group of about 8 children, who were presided over by a young art teacher. In the centre of the area sat a man and a woman, sat posed serenely for a life drawing class. Canvasses had been set up in a circle around the pair, and artists stood and sat, all painting away, seemingly oblivious to the interested onlookers who were strolling by and taking in the scene. Scott and I drifted around the barrio for a long time, checking out the paintings which were in progress, as well as some of the fantastic art for sale in the many commercial galleries. In one of the buildings, a free exhibition was being displayed, which showcased some excellent work by various local artists, and also contained a nice little Day of the Dead ofrenda. Further on from the Artist Quarter was one of a number of great little markets in the city. Perhaps the most interesting of all the markets, however, was the large antiques market which we discovered, where vendors were selling a huge selection of products, from watches to vintage Coca Cola collectables and memorabilia, as well as old books and vinyl records.

Aside from the incredible markets and art scene in Puebla, the city is also notable for its famous culinary dish, the Mole Poblano. The dish consists of chicken which is doused in a thick sauce made from a delicious mix of chillies, chocolate and other spices. The meal was tasty for sure, but what detracted from it somewhat was that I was in the middle of a horrendous bout of illness which had progressed since we left Mexico City. With a cold, a thumping headache, and ebbing levels of coherency, the conversation with the waitress, who didn't seem able to understand a word that either of us said, was very trying indeed! But that said, the meal was still definitely worth it. What proved more stressful, in fact, was the 4−hour bus journey the following day from Puebla to our next destination, Veracruz. It probably goes without saying, but travelling when horribly ill in a foreign country is not a fun experience. Nonetheless, we made it to Veracruz, an important port city on the Gulf of Mexico, and got settled into our little hotel (Hotel Nautico Inn) quite happily. (The city isn't a particularly popular or well−known spot for foreign travellers, so, as far as we were able to tell, there are no hostels in the city. But the hotel was reasonably cheap, and the staff were very friendly). After finding a pharmacy where I bought some powerful cold medicine, which helped me finally get a decent night's sleep, I woke the next day feeling marginally better.

We only spent a couple of days in Veracruz, but despite a slower pace which we set thanks to my very inconveniently−timed illness, we still managed to see some great sights, and get a feel of the city, which, with a notable lack of foreign tourists, and its slightly gritty and brusque feel, seemed like a more genuine and authentic Mexican city. The beach is not the picture−perfect beach which you might expect from some of Mexico's better−known tourist hangouts, but the sea was still perfectly good for paddling, and although the attention we got from vendors and waiters who were desperately vying for our custom grew quite tiresome, the walk along the sea was still very pleasant. In fact, as I'm not much of a beach person, and certainly not one to lie for hours on a beach sunbathing, I actually really liked the rugged and unpolished feel of the less−than−beautiful beach. Located near to one of the beaches (called Playa del Horno), is Veracruz's awesome aquarium, which holds sharks, turtles, otters and rays, along with a huge collection of fish which are native to the Gulf Coast. I should admit here that I have a teenie tiny (gigantic) fear of sharks. But I decided that a visit to the aquarium and its many sharks would be a good way of trying to confront my fear. It was difficult not to run away screaming with my hands over my eyes, but after a while spent watching the sharks swim lazily by, in the huge tank above, behind, and in front of us, it became marginally more bearable. The aquarium also runs a dolphin show which was fun to watch, although it is difficult to know how well the dolphins are treated. They certainly seemed happy, but that is probably just because one of the many wonderful things about dolphins is that they always look like they're smiling! The walk along Veracruz's lively harbour in the evening was brilliant: the boats were lit up and the promenade was full of couples idly walking by hand−in−hand admidst lines of street vendors and playing children. Across from the harbour was a great little restaurant which had a menu that contained, amongst traditional Mexican fare and international cuisine - get this - a bowl of steamed broccoli. This might not sound that exciting, but as I believe I mentioned in my last post, it is not that common to find vegetables like broccoli on a menu whilst travelling, and so we took the opportunity and shared a bowl along with our meal.

We left the next day to spend a couple more days in Mexico City before Scott's flight back home. We arrived there in the evening and decided to treat ourselves to a fancy restaurant meal. We opted to go to the nearby bar/restaurant called La Ópera, which was originally opened at the end of the 19th Century, and supposedly still has the bullet-hole from the gun which Francisco "Pancho" Villa, a revolutionary leader, once shot to calm a crowd. The food and juice cocktails were delicious, and the ambience and style of the place, with its high ceilings and dark oak booths, were fantastic. With just one full day left before Scott flew home, we spent the morning at the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Palace) and the rest of the afternoon roaming around two very nice districts which sit in the western part of the city. I'll have to go on a little tangent here as the Fine Arts Palace visit gives me an excuse to talk more about the art we saw in Mexico. Mexico has produced some incredible artists, one of the best-known of whom is Diego Rivera, the husband of Frida Kahlo. It seems, to an outsider like me at least, like art and culture are purposely cultivated and encouraged by the bigwigs in Mexico, and many government buildings have been adorned by huge murals that depict Mexico's rich history and the characters who have helped to shape the country. Of particular note are the Secretariat of Public Education and the National Palace buildings, which both contain some incredible murals by Diego Rivera, among others. Never before have I seen so many murals as I have in Mexico, but if I was rich I would certainly pay good money to have murals painted on a building that I owned, especially if they could be of the high quality that the ones in Mexico City are! The eras which the murals cover can be almost overwhelming; with such a colourful and dramatic history there is a lot which can (and often is) incorporated into murals. The Fine Arts Palace is also notable, not only for its incredible murals, but also for its comprehensive exhibition of Brian Nissen's works. Unfortunately when Scott and I went, the other rooms were closed, but regardless we enjoyed the huge murals which adorn the walls around the second floor, and the Nissen exhibition, which chronicled his work over around a 20-year period. What was most incredible however, was the building itself, which was first designed in the early 1900s, but not completed until 1934. (I have no real knowledge of architecture, but for those of you that do, apparently the exterior is called 'Art Nouveau' and 'Neoclassical' whilst the inside is 'Art Deco'😉.

After visiting the Palace, we took the metro and spent a lot of time wandering leisurely through the Roma and Condesa districts of Mexico City, which are known as being popular haunts for bohemians and artists. As soon as we arrived, and started to stroll through the plazas and parks, we could see why. No two buildings are the same, but each is lovely in its own way, whether it is a Moorish-inspired building which now houses a fancy restaurant, or a dark and sombre-looking building that is used for offices. On our walk back to the metro station, our attention was drawn to a tiny little open−doored shop with the enticing name 'Bite Me'. It turned out to be a cupcake shop, where you could choose the flavour of your sponge, filling and topping. Naturally, we were overjoyed by the thought of a tailor−made cupcake, and it didn't take much convincing from the very amiable lady who owns the shop for me to buy us one each (insisting to Scott that it could be his belated birthday cake). The owner told us that she had only recently opened the shop, but was hoping to expand and open up more places in the future. In the hopes of being able to buy the delicious cupcakes again in the near future, we suggested that she look into opening a new place in London, so fingers crossed we'll see a 'Bite Me' being opened there soon! (Alternatively, if anyone reading this is currently in, or planning a trip to, Mexico City, then you can find the shop at number 92 on the street called San Luis Potosi). After getting a drink up at the roof-top bar at the hostel to enjoy the stunning view of the Zocalo once again, we spent much of our last evening searching in vain for a live jazz club that my Lonely Planet guide recommended, which, it transpired to our great disappointment, no longer exists! Instead we found an almost−empty bar which, rather than elegant and laid−back jazz, was busting out some epic old−school dance music. Not what we'd had in mind, but it was pretty damn good, I am not going to lie. The following morning we parted ways: Scott for the airport and home, and me for the bus station, and the city of Guanajuato.

Thanks for reading, and speak to you again soon!

Laura x

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Photos

One of my Favourite Pictures
At the exhibition in the Artist District

Scott and a Shark!
At the Veracruz Aquarium

One of Diego Rivera's Murals
Featuring Frida Kahlo in the centre

One of my Favourite Buildings
In the Roma area of Mexico City

View of the Zocalo
From the roof terrace at our hostel

Comments

[Mum]

Thinking of you yesterday when I came across a documentary about The Blue House so I just had to watch it ! Lots of info about Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera and lots of their art work including many of his murals.It was similar to the film but with real-life footage. Forgot to ask if you have been to visit the house ? Love you lots xxxxxxxxxxxxx