Felinni does San Miguel

Larry & Sue in front of city Christmas tree

Procession

We are told that San Miguel is a city of some 80,000 people; that's hard to believe.


We have not explored even a small fraction of the city, but in many ways for us, it seems like a small village.

Bike racers

We are a block from the main square (Jardin) and walk to the market, supermarket, public library, restaurants, and even a French-style bakery in less than 10 minutes.


When there is something happening in the Jardin, and there always seems that there is something, often involving music and dance, we can easily stroll there in two minutes or less; and if we are bored, too cold or too warm--we can go back to our place just as easily. What an easy life!

Just last night, around 10:00 p.m., we heard music and laughter in the street.  Stepping out our door, we were delighted to see Tuna Real, a band of strolling musicians, leading a group of fifty or so celebrants--all singing along with the band. We followed them to the Jardin--wishing we understood the Spanish language songs, but enjoying it tremendously anyway. Tuna seems to be the name for a type of band featuring mandolins and guitars.  They are often dressed in "renaissance style costumes" and entertain with beautifully executed traditional songs and dance.  Tuna Real is one of our favorites.

Dance demonstrations

This past weekend there was a three day music festival, a street theater production, a dance demonstration, the finale of a 1000 person bike race, a native Indian religious procession, and, of course, throngs of tourists who in turn attract street vendors and local artisans hawking their wares--much of it occurring simultaneously. The city also decided to finalize its Christmas decorating and to light the official city tree on Friday evening.

Street theater performers

Bob said it made him feel like he had stepped into a Felinni movie--and we all agreed!

Balloon vendor

One of our favorite recent activities has been the three day Festival de la Sierra.  While we did not appreciate every act, there was so much to listen and dance to.


In this video, you can see the fun of watching the "mojigangas" or large puppets dance to the music of the band and entertain the crowd.  Earlier we had thought the puppets  were called catrinas--but we have since learned that catrinas are the beautifully dressed female skeletons that you see on Day of the Dead celebrations.

Unfortunately, our time here in San Miguel has come to an end. San Miguel is such a great city, all four of us are sad about having to leave it. 

Return to El Charco

A collage of our experience in El Charco

El Charco Ingenio

This week we paid a return visit to one of our favorite places in San Miguel de Allende, El Charco Ingenio-- the Botanical Garden.

What a wonderful place! Our guide on a recent tour, Lorie Topinka, told us that the garden is only about twenty years old: very young for a botanical garden.

Despite that, the garden has grown and matured to become a remarkably beautiful and unique place, with hundreds of varieties of cacti, dessert plants such as mesquit and acacia, and wild flowers galore.



Centered around a hundred year old reservoir, the garden and preserve provides a habitat for many migratory waterfowl. It also includes a very, very deep, vertigo inducing gorge.

San Miguel is semi-arid and averages about 22 inches of rain annually, mostly during the period from June to October.  This year has been unusually wet, with the rainy season extending into November.

Thus the garden is a lot greener than usual, and some of the cacti and annuals are actually re-flowering. With Lorie as our guide, we explored parts of the garden we had not seen before and thoroughly enjoyed our two hour walk. Joining us for the walk were Mart & Bob Larson & their long time friend, Carol Reedy, who lives in Mexico City but came for a visit this week.

Celebrating Thanksgiving, a Birthday & our 43rd Anniversary

Larry, Sue, Carol, Bob & Mart at the Rosewood

This year, Thanksgiving coincided with our 43rd Wedding Anniversary. It was also Carol's birthday.  With no functioning oven, it was impossible to attempt to cook a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, even if we had known how to find a turkey here in Mexico.

Still, we had a wonderfully celebratory day.  After our inspiring tour and walk in El Charco, we all came back to our house, rested, cleaned up and then headed out to the Rosewood Hotel--possibly the nicest hotel in San Miguel--for cocktails and sunset viewing.

Sunset at the Rosewood

 It was a mild evening, with just enough clouds to make the sunset interesting.  We talked and lingered for a couple of hours.  After awhile, Sue and I decided to order a round of Cuarenta y Tres (43) on the rocks for everyone, explaining how we had been introduced to this delicious banana liquor when we were young newlyweds in Spain in 1975.  It seemed only natural to celebrate our 43rd anniversary by introducing our friends to this tasty liquor.

View of SM from the Rosewood Terrace

Finishing our time at the Rosewood, Carol wanted to treat us all to dinner at one of her favorite San Miguel eateries, La Fenicia--a Lebanese restaurant.

Perhaps because it was Thanksgiving, we were the only clients in the restaurant--so we felt free to talk and laugh as loud as we wanted.  The food was wonderful, rivaling any Lebanese restaurants we have been to in the States or elsewhere.

 

 

Toy Museum

Pancho Villa & other revolutionarios are heros

Friday morning, we said goodbye to Carol, but we are looking forward to seeing her when we are in Mexico City the week of December 8th--she has promised to be our own private tour guide to the city she loves the best.

In the afternoon, we decided to visit the Toy Museum, or the Museo la Esquina, based on recommendations from some friends we have met here in San Miguel.

Tiny circus

We were so very glad we did.  It is located in a 300 hundred year old house, that has been beautifully restored and renovated to accommodate the extraordinary collection of Mexican handmade toys, the fruit of fifty years of collecting by a local teacher, Angelica Tijerina.

Caballeros that move with a clip-clop sound

In room after room, we marveled at the amazing craftsmanship and creativity the toy makers showed both in design and in the materials they used to make the toys.  Some were made of clay, others of straw, tin, fabric, or wood and most were intricately put together, often painted in a kind of pointillist manner.  Also, we thought about the incredible patience and love it took to make each one.

Lots of Frida dolls

With Mexico's growing prosperity and the availability of cheap imports from China and elsewhere, many of these toys are no longer made (we see a lot of cheap, plastic toys in the tiendas).  The knowledge, skill and patience to make them is probably a thing of the past.  We hope not--perhaps people in the countryside retain the skills and desire.


We took some photos of the house and toys--but as is so often the case, they really don't do justice to the reality.

Every day there seems to be something new and wonderful to discover and experience here in San Miguel--there's not enough time or energy to see and do everything!