November 5, Saturday A day in Guanajuato
We all meet downstairs for breakfast at the hotel. There is a large group of French tourists
there so table choice was limited. The
buffet had all the expected items but not much more. After breakfast we set out for a walking tour
of the main points in the center of town.
Juan planned a route with as few steps and up and down as possible.
We went to the Granary which is where the Spanish loyalist had
their food supplies and barricaded themselves when the people fighting for
independence and led by Hidalgo, came to
the city. It looked like it was working
until a miner, Pipila, tied a large rock on his back to protect himself from
the stones and gun fire as he crawled to the wooden doors of the granary to burn them down. It worked
and Pipila became an instant hero. His
statue overlooks the city. Later four
leaders, Hidalgo being one of them were killed.
Their heads were brought back and were hung on the corners of the granary.
Guanajuato is full of small parks/plazas tucked into little
corners. We walk through a couple of the
parks, stop to admire the University of Guanajuato. They have a large “U” “G” by the
stairway. We decided it really needed to
be UGA. Michelle made a great “A”.
We continue to the boyhood home of Diego Rivera, now a
museum. The lower level is rooms with
furniture of the period. In the stairwell
was a large offrenda. Upstairs was a
nice collection of Rivera’s work through the years. It was impressive to see how many styles of
painting he did. Certainly the large
murals are what he is famous for but he was quite competent in many areas.
We walked a few blocks, through a few more plazas to the
triangular main plaza which is shaded with large trees. The opera house is the most impressive
building on the plaza. This is where we
take a funicular up to the cliff overlooking the city. There is still climbing up about 100 steps to
the overlook once one gets off the funicular.
We all made it to the top! The view is really nice!
We eat lunch at a restaurant with outdoor seating in the park. Apparently it is wedding day as we say
several groups of people who appeared to be going to receptions. We saw one bride walking down the steep cobblestone
street to the church in her high heels. The wedding party was helping her. YIKES!
After lunch Juan continues the walking tour. This included the street that is so narrow
that couples can lean out the window on one side and kiss their lover on the
other side. Of course some more churches. The city market ended the tour.
We planned to order from UberEats and eat it up on the roof top. I messed up and didn’t complete the
order. We waited and waited for it to
come before realizing it was not going to come.
UGH! Juan walked us to a
restaurant he knew, “Bohemian” that was a few blocks away. We enjoyed sitting outside in one of the
little plazas and were serenaded by a group of wandering singers.
From the hotel rooftop terrace.
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