Thoughts From And For The Curious Minds

After walking close to 100 miles over the past 2 weeks, Ok, ok I may have slightly exaggerated! Señor Google says we have walked close to 75 miles, but when you account for all the wrong turns, short cuts and back tracking to cross streets, it sure has felt like 100 miles! Needless to say we have seen a lot of the city. The following are thoughts from and for the curious minds........

As said earlier, the altitude and hills were a real challenge our first week. Now with that behind us, we are off and running! The mornings and evenings have a chill in the air. Morning temperatures average between 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit, with the days warming up to around 80-85 degrees, followed by cooler evenings that have us reaching for a sweater or jacket when we venture out. Gloves are optional, but have become my new best friend. I definitely acclimated to my life in the Yucatan. This former Wisconsin girl would have worn shorts and a t shirt in weather of 45-50 degrees! The climate is much dryer, my skin is flaking and my hands are chapped, but on the flip side, my wild mop of hair is under control and looking pretty good these days!

This beautiful city is a bit smaller than Merida, but I find it has more of a big city personality. Unlike the warmth you find in the people of Yucatan, a simple greeting or acknowledgment in the passing of a stranger on the street is rarely heard here. Just like a big city, everyone is busy and in a hurry. The urban sprawl is divided into 5 sections: 1) Commercial, 2) Industrial, 3) Technological,  4) Agriculture and 5) Historical Centro. Once you depart from the cobblestone streets of Centro, you are in suburbia, you immediately notice an increase in traffic, larger paved roads and multiple highways. Overall the city is very pedestrian friendly. Bus drivers and vehicles actually stop to allow the pedestrian to cross the street.  Unlike the Yucatan, where driving is a sport, here it is more organized and played by the rules! You can managed without a vehicle, and many do, but as we all know having your own car simplifies travel. Parking is at a premium in Centro. Homeowners need to keep a vigilant eye on their driveways because you will get parked in. It is not uncommon to see orange cones, 2 chairs with a rope attached or large rocks holding sentry to private carports or garage entries!

In 1996 Querétaro was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. With standards in place to maintain this rating, the city is strictly regulated. These regulations are taken seriously with a keen eye to cleanliness. Garbage is placed in provided bins, it is not dropped in the street to blow in the wind. Residential garbage is picked up daily with the exception of Sunday. The city workers work around the clock. Weekly, in Centro, industrial water trucks with fire truck size hoses wash down the sidewalks and streets. These services add up in costs and I think it is safe to assume that property taxes are probably higher.

The water bill arrived this past week and our crazy landlord has been delinquent on past payments! We were able to decipher the bill and learned that the monthly cost of water is twice the amount of what is charged in Merida. Gas, for home or business use, in Centro, is piped in natural gas, no rooftop stationary tanks or worries of running out. We are looking forward to the arrival of the gas  and electric bills for further comparison. I find grocery prices at the Market and Supermarkets to be the same as in Merida, with the exception of fresh bakery being lower in cost here. Eating out can be as economical or expensive as you wish. There are hundreds of options for every wallet, from regional to international foods. With so many young professionals, variety and quality are in demand. Boutique retailers, shopping malls, home goods, gourmet restaurants and coffee houses are highly competitive businesses.

Our needs so far have been met within Centro and the Commercial area of town. Centro is where I would want to live. Everything El Señor and I need and enjoy having close by is here. Even thinking ahead to aging legs and knees, Centro remains walkable. The Commercial area provides us with all the goods and services that make life easier, maybe not necessary, but a comfort zone within a life outside of our culture. This is where you will find the private hospitals, large shopping malls, Costco, Home Depot and many other big box stores.

With still a month of exploring ahead of us, everything said is subject to change.........

Hope you have enjoyed,
La Señora

The Aqueduct of Querétaro

The Aqueduct of Querétaro is an impressive city site.

The aqueduct was built by the Marqués Del Villa Del Aguila between 1726 and 1738 and consists of 75 arches, spanning approximately 4,199 feet with an average height of 75 feet.

The legend of why the aqueduct was built is a love story. The Marqués, the richest man in Querétaro, met a nun named Clarissa from the Santa Clara Convent. It was love at first sight for the Marqués and Clarissa, though a love that could not be. Clarissa, being a nun, already married to the church, would not break her vow to the Lord to be with the Marqués.

Santa Clara Church and Convent

Instead, she asked the Marqués to show his love for her by building a home where they could live in spirit. The Marqués built the most beautiful house in the city, across the street from the Santa Clara Church and Convent, using the finest materials throughout Mexico and the world. The building of the aqueduct made it possible for this house to be the first in the city to have running water! The Marqués went on to share the water publicly, by building 12 fountains around the city, giving the local people access to clean drinking water. Today the aqueduct continues to bring water to the many fountains throughout the city and the "house of love" is home to the majestic Hotel La Casa De La Marquesa.

Hotel La Casa De La Marquesa

Hotel Entry

                                     
Hope you have enjoyed,
La Señora

"Q" is for Querétaro

We have rented a very funky casita (apartment) in downtown with an eclectic floor plan of many ups and downs! What we may find disappointing in the casita, we struck gold on the location. We are just footsteps from hundreds of shops, restaurants featuring international and regional foods, plaza cafes, coffee houses, parks and a large outdoor market filled with fresh fruits, vegetables and more.

We have taken our first week to settle in, get our directional bearings and adjust from living at approximately 3 feet above sea level in the Yucatán, to an elevation increase of 5,967 feet! The landscape is hilly and with our feet being our main source of transportation, come the end of the day, we find ourselves exhausted.

Historical Centró (downtown) is clean, charming, loaded with history and pedestrian friendly. The city regulates the locations for street vendors, noise levels, no blaring music from shop keepers or restaurants, no honking horns and best of all, no city buses allowed! The streets intertwine with callejons (alleyways) and closed streets to vehicle traffic allowing pedestrians to stroll safely at their own pace. Please enjoy the following photos as I take you for a walk through our neighborhood.

This is certainly the "honeymoon" stage of our travels, but love is in the air..........

Thank you for following along and please share with friends.
La Señora

On The Move

Everywhere you look some place in the world is experiencing extreme weather conditions. The climate is changing. For the past 2 years the Yucatán has been getting hotter earlier, than what was considered normal, and lasting longer as well. Last year, summer arrived in March and stayed through December! Many days the humidity and temperature are equal, but we do have times when the humidity exceeds the temperature and when this happens, baby it is hot outside!

So the Señor and I are on the move and in search of a better climate! We really enjoy living in Mexico and have decided to explore an area more inland called Querétaro. Querétaro is a mountainous area northwest of Mexico City. For the next couple of months we will reside in Querétaro and decide if this city or somewhere in the surrounding area will be our new home.

Please join me on my travels.  I will be sharing my experiences, photos and observations.......

Hope you have enjoyed,
La Señora

Life Got Busy

Lately I have been thinking about my blog and the need I feel to write again. It was not until I sat down to review and update the blog profile, that I realized almost 3 years have passed since my last post! All I can say is "Life Got Busy"........

We have had family illnesses. At some point our family promise to never grow old was fractured. I know this is the natural progression of life, but it is unfortunate the amount of illness that is associated with it. I feel like the faucet of life has started that annoying drip and no matter how hard you try, you cannot make it go away or stop completely.

Last year, the window of opportunity opened allowing Americans to travel to Cuba. Wanting to experience Cuba before the mass tourism boom we booked a flight! We visited the city of Havana and the country side of Trinidad. Each location unique and exciting in it's own way. What intrigued me most about Havana is the Ernest Hemingway connection. "Papa", is one of my favorite authors and Havana was his playground!

The restaurant bar known as La Bodeguita del Medio is home to the cocktail called "Mojito". One of La Bodeguita's celebrity patrons was Ernest Hemingway. Inscriptions of famous and not so famous patrons cover the walls of the restaurant inside and out. I too left my mark in Cuba.
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Trinidad, where the people are as beautiful as the views! We embraced the slower pace of life and wished we had allowed more time to enjoy all that this countryside has to offer.

This past August, we were fortunate to attend the wedding of our nephew Levi and his sweet bride Lindsey! The trip home to Wisconsin united us with family and friends and inspired us to unite with even more family in Colorado, Arizona and California. Time spent with family is a precious gift we give ourselves and the sweetest time of all!

After living at the beach for 7 years, the Senor and I decided we wanted to make a change. We put our house up for sale and are happy to say it sold! We are currently living in the city of Merida and have settled into a comfortable little rental house.

Currently we are plotting our next adventure..........

Hope you have enjoyed!
La Senora