Winding Down and Gearing Up!

I spent last week trying to recover from my vacation by sleeping round the clock. I don't know what it is about travel that is so exhilarating and so tiring at the same time. I had Sophie the day after I came home, spent three 8 hour days at Jill's trying to sell some of my mom's things, and then another day of Luke and Sophie at my house. That pretty much butted me right up to holiday preparation. After a wonderful Thanksgiving feast at my dad and Twylla's with the family, we went over the Black Friday ads with a fine tooth comb. That was followed by a night online trying to see which items were real deals and not hype, so I wouldn't waste time chasing down something that could be bought later. On Friday I started shopping after dropping Bob at the Xcel to bellring, having just a few minutes before I had to meet Jill, Kim, Sharon and Nancy for our traditional Black Friday lunch at Olive Garden. After lunch I continued shopping before calling it a night just as it was getting dark. On Sunday I repeated the process. And Monday. (This is the part where I'm supposed to say I am done shopping, but I'd be lying.) But here's the coolest thing about it: When I was shopping yesterday, I threw all my bags onto the floor in the back seat of my car. When I went to carry them into the house, I found a lone shiny dime under the bags. Even though my mom is no longer shopping with me, she is still enjoying it with me. I miss you Mom!

MEXICAN KILLER BEES

We've been busy exploring Guanajauto on our own, exploring the little alleys and parks that dominate the city. On Sunday, Emily, Diane and I went on a tour to Delores Hidalgo and San Miguel. (Both towns are charming and have a lot of beautiful old buildings and parks, but I like Guanajuato the best.)We went through museums and churches that had a part in the Revolution, and did some odd "tour bus things" like a stop in a cemetery to see the grave of a "famous Mexican singer" whom we never heard of and didn't give a rip about, and a stop at a store to buy pottery. We ate at a restaurant that would've been okay, but as soon as we got our food, our table was swarming with bees. Emily is deathly afraid of bees. After trying without success to gently shoo them away, she was becoming more and more unglued. She was leaping up from the table and swinging her arms around wildly like an ape while making Tourette's type noises. Finally she jumped up, hooted and ran from the table, tripping on the uneven floors and falling on her face. Diane and I were laughing hysterically at the table and everyone in the whole place was staring. It was the best! She had been admonishing me the whole time down here to not talk too loud, quit mispronouncing my Spanish, don't dress like an American, etc.etc. and she created the biggest scene EVER! I swear it might be the highlight of my trip.

Cristo Rey

We took another Spanish only tour to Cristo Rey (Christ the King). It is a huge statue of Jesus in the geographic center of the country. It's elevation is 7000 ft and the road to it is paved with rocks and very steep and winding. The view from the top is wonderful. The monument is about 65 feet tall and at the summit of Mt. Cerro de Cubilete. The interior of the church at the base is full of beautiful mosaics and ornate copper relief. The entire chapel ceiling is encircled by a bronze crown of thorns. (No pictures were allowed inside.) Also today we saw a couple of things happen that we can only guess at. First, at lunch with Emily sitting in the plaza, we saw 4 young boys being chased by an old man with a cane. He cornered one of the boys in the outdoor cafe where we were sitting, and was screaming at him. The kids had been taunting him and he had given chase. (He was known to Emily as the crazy old man.) The young kid was crying and the man threatened that if he ever saw him again he was going to get him. The second occurred as we entered the plaza after our tour. We aren't quite sure what it was because even the Mexicans we asked gave differing explanations. A band was playing traditional music. Dozens of young adults were roped together, some dressed like miners, some boys dressed like girls in short skirts or wedding dresses, and they were dancing together. A Corona truck came by and handed out free beer. They started by us, finished their performance, then moved a block down the street and started again. It looked like alot of fun if you were young.

A Day of Mines, Churches, Mummies and Gift Shops

Emily had a full afternoon and evening, so Diane and I booked a 4 hour tour. It was completely in Spanish so we stopped by Stacey's restaurant and she walked us to the kiosk to ask the guide not to leave us somewhere if we didn't understand instructions. We rode around town while the guide probably gave insightful commentary that we didn't understand, but at least we got to see other parts of the city. Our first stop was at the San Ramon silver mine atop the hills overlooking the city. It was in operation for more than 450 years, and part of a group of mines that produced up to 30% of the world's silver. We went down into the mine 60 meters, but the steps were very uneven and steep so we turned back around before the rest of the group. For some inexplicable reason, they had a cave barricaded with bars and filled with "treasure" that included a dog skeleton! After the required tour through the gift shop, we rode to the Templo de san Cayetano (est. 1775), which was built by the owner of the Valenciana mine either A. because he promised the Saint he would if he made him rich or B. to atone for his sins. I'd guess he was rich with sin because it has 3 gold alters and 3 huge paintings.Next stop was a torture museum, a homage of ways the Spanish tortured and killed the Mexicans. I declined. The mummy museum was probably just as gruesome, but you can't be a tourist in Guanajuato and not go. Apparently the soil is such that it mummifies bodies after burial, and this was discovered either A. when the relatives could not pay the upkeep on the cemetery plot, or B. when they needed more room in the cemetery. Either way there were many mummies displayed including a pregnant woman and fetus and a group of infants. OK then. After walking through the gift shop we wound our way down through narrow streets to El Pipila, the monument to a revolutionary hero who burnt the Alhondiga down and defeated the Spaniards ( for a brief time) on the way to Independence. The views were incredible and we had the place to ourselves this time. We went back to Centro through the 25? kilometers of tunnels under the city. We found Emily and her new friends and went to supper with them. Emily stayed for salsa, but we grabbed our own cab for the first time (with a note from Emily)and had the guard next door walk us up the hill to the apartment. I had trouble with the keys but succeeded in getting the door open. (It is not as easy as you think especially with 3 keys to choose for 2 locks in the pitch black and weak from lack of oxygen by having to walk the entire way keeping up with the guard without our usual stop for a minute at the bottom of the steps.) We lit the water heater for our showers and fell into our usual evening routine. We are becoming big girls.

On Our Own

Today we met Emily's friend Stacey for lunch at the "Bridge Cafe."(Santo Cafe) After lunch we booked a tour for Tuesday and wandered around with Emily until it was time for her to teach. Diane and I are getting more confident of our abilities to find our way around which is a good thing because NO ONE speaks English. We walked all the way to the Alhondiga stopping in shops along the way to look for a little something-something for the little ones at home. We bought a refresco and drank it in the shade of one of the many charming plazas in the city. We went inside the Basilica and admired all the gold and the crystal chandeliers. As we slowly made or way home we stopped for rolls, ice cream for tomorrows snack, and household necessities. Diane made us fried potatoes and onions for supper and we followed up with some Phase Ten. (For those of you keeping track I won 5 out of 6 games.) We had trouble with the complexities of using 2 keys at once to let ourselves into Emily's duplex, but luckily Bob was home upstairs and helped us get in. We practiced, so we might be able to let ourselves in tomorrow. (Bob was very amused when he caught us practicing because he thought we locked ourselves out AGAIN!) Even WE are not quite that inept...

Bearded Ladies and Skeletons

We seem to be on a schedule. Wake up. Wait for Emily to get up. Walk to town and eat. Walk. Walk. Walk. Eat. Walk home. sit. Today we stopped to pet puppies at the mercado. We ate a late lunch (very good thin crust pizza) at a 337 year old restaurant. The crowds were even larger than yesterday - if there are 60,000 people who live here then every single one of them was in the Centro. I figured out what the Cervantino Festival is all about. It's basically "Fly Your Freak Flag" Festival. I saw people painted as skeletons, cats, and bearded ladies. I saw Chewbacca wearing cut off jeans, Edward Scissorhands, Storm Troopers, stilt walkers and everything else under the sun. Even otherwise normal looking people had bunny ears or jeweled masks. The plazas were full of bands, performance artists, dancers, and even mimes. Emily wouldn't let us stop by the mimes because she said they make fun of tourists. We went to a couple of 300-450 year old churches and walked to the Alhondiga, a Spanish fortress that was where the Mexican Revolution for Independence started. Right now it's set up for a huge salsa concert tonight that Emily and her friends are going to. We stopped for cheesecake and an al fresco concert by a blind singer and blind guitarist, and also a traditional band that played Mexican Folk music. Think Ooom Pah Pah. We walked home arriving just before dark , and are looking forward to a little game time or reading before bed.

Homemade Butter and Other Good Eats

We are becoming accustomed to Guanajuato lifestyle. We walked to the Centro again Saturday. We ate at the Bridge Cafe- it is really situated on a bridge overlooking the street below. We had a great view of the throngs of people in town to attend the Cervantino Festival. It also was chilly catching the breeze up in the air and sitting in the shade between the buildings. After lunch we went to the main Plaza and sat in the sun on a bench to warm up. As we set off to explore we came apon a band marching to the steps of the Bascillica, so we followed them. At the church they put on a concert joining the band that was already on the roof, and the bellringer in the tower. The band on the steps was composed of men with drums and trumpets, and some were joined by boys as young as 3. Those kids also played the instruments and wore tiny little matching uniforms. We walked through the rest of the plazas with their fountains and trees and benches to the Alley of the Kiss. The passage is so narrow that you can kiss from opposing balconies. It was mosh pit crowded so we decided to come back after the festival crowds leave. Emily showed us the University where she teaches and we wound our way back through town stopping at the markets for vegetables for salsa and fruit for breakfast. In the evening Gerado came over for supper. He didn't speak English and we don't speak Spanish, so Emily translated the rules of the card game War, and I played cards with him while Emily cooked. I won all 3 games, so I tried to take his watch, but he wouldn't give it to me. (There is one clock in the house that even after we bought a new battery for it still doesn't work, and Diane's watch quit. We never know what time it is...) Emily made salsa and quesedillas for us and surprisingly it was quite good. She also made her own butter. Well actually Gerardo did the work. She bought a pint of heavy whipping cream, poured it into a jar and had him shake it until it turned solid. She then strained it and we ate it on crackers and bread. It was really good. (The butter you can buy down here doesn't really taste like butter, more like margarine. ) Emily went out salsa dancing and Diane and I played Yahtzee and Phase Ten until bedtime.

40 Flippin' Steps

We arrived after 2 uneventful flights and a free pass through customs. We got a taxi right away, but even with directions he had a hard time finding Emily's house. He stopped 3-4 times to ask, and finally when we figured we were in the right area, we just got out and walked while looking for her. We finally spotted the guard shack she talked about and he was expecting us. She came out just as we were calling her on the phone. Emily's house is up not one, but two steep hills, AND 40 flippin' steps. Once we caught our breath and unpacked, we walked downtown. We had a great dinner of fajita meat and cactus at Emily's friend Stacey's restaurant. Afterward we looked around the Centro and waited for her salsa lessons to start. I now know the soundtrack of my nightmares down here, and it goes like this: "Uno, Dos,Tres..., Cinqo,Seis,Siete...." over and over and over and over. Well, you get the picture. At one point both instructors were counting in Spanish and the song they were playing on the sound system was counting in English, all in different rhythms! We took a taxi home through a maze of tunnel caves under the city. It was really cool but somewhat claustrophobic. Emily left us two old ladies to go back to salsa, and we went to bed. Today we walked downtown again and had lunch at another place (Truco 7). I had a potato, carrot and cheese enchilada ( Enchiladas Mineras - named for the miners traditional lunches.) that was very good. We stopped after lunch for ice cream from a street vendor that was also very good. Emily and I had a butter pecan flavor called Mantecado, and Diane opted for Beso de Angel that was cherry flavor. We walked that off after taking the funicular to El Pipila, a statue and plaza that overlook the city. It really is breathtaking. And speaking of breathtaking, we walked home down a street so steep it is only fit for donkeys, and then up Emily's two steep hills AND 40 flippin' steps.

Things That Go Bump in the Night

The Murray's came over with pumpkin shaped pizza before they got dressed for the night. I was chatting with Aunty Emily online,and we went to video so she could see the kids in their finery. Patrick and I went Trick -or-Treating with the little goblins. All was well in Sophie's world until we went to a "haunted' house, complete with live actors and a fog machine. "Uppy me daddy," the princess witch cried. "I want to go home." Sophie and Patrick headed home. The fire chief and I toughed it out for another 45 minutes or more. He used his very best manners and belted out "Have a Happy Halloween" on his way back from each door. He started to get nervous that I couldn't find my way home in the dark, and his bag was so heavy he was dragging it up and down steps, so we headed home too. First order of business at home was sorting and counting his loot. What a haul! What a night!