Text: Peter Johansson
Editing: Christer Lundstedt
Photos: Christer Lundstedt, Peter Johansson
Videos: Christer Lundstedt
Thursday 6th of July
09.11 Today's first note is made here in the room at Hotel La Estación (https://www.hotellaestacion.mx) in San Miguel de Allende. A bedside breakfast can sometimes, as now, provide more stability than a hotel breakfast. Our experience is that hotels offer worse and worse breakfast to their guests, especially after the pandemic. Sometimes there is no breakfast at all and sometimes there is very little choice.
10.10 We are, as it were, enclosed, shut out from the real world in a hotel room. It doesn't get any better when we started checking which of our year 9 students who got into various high schools. Information about it has been released in the local newspapers back home. It's time for us to be released into Mexican everyday life again. We have a beautiful city to see and experience today.
10.33 It is approximately 1,5 kilometers from our hotel to the square in the city center. The sun is hot but we are ready. It's time to start walking.
10.40 During the walk along the street Canal, the views have changed from boring and dense traffic to quieter neighborhoods with fewer cars. There are beautiful old colourful houses on the side of the narrow street.
10.47 We have stopped at the yellow church Templo de la Purísima Concepción to take photos. A short distance away is a sculpture of a bull outside the Centro Cultural Ignacio Ramírez.
11.03 Tradition-bound as we are, we enjoy eleven o´clock coffee at Starbucks Coffee, which is located in another beautiful yellow building near the city's main square. It's good to replenish energy before we explore the city more.
11.57 The coffee is finished and we have walked to the nearby Jardín Allende square, which can be considered the heart of the city. The bells in the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel church are tolling. Is my watch running behind, too slow? It's not quite 12.00 yet.
12.05 It was lovely to sit among all the beauty in the square, but the sun is shining and there is more to see in this city. We are now behind the church and have stopped temporarily along the street Cuadrante. It's a lovely setting here with colourful houses and cobbled streets. It is very reminiscent of some cities we visited in Central America.
13.26 We have found a few more options and will now investigate these. Hope it will be a success.
17.58 We are currently thinking about upcoming meals. Do we need to eat anything more today? Also, where do we buy breakfast for tomorrow? Will it be at OXXO or do we buy it down in the restaurant? Breakfast is not included here, but you can always eat it and pay.
Friday 7th of July
Morning in the room at Hotel La Estación.
Christer walks towards the center.
Calle Benificiencia, San Miguel de Allende.
The street Quebrada passes above Canal.
Templo de la Purísima Concepción.
Starbucks Coffee - the first stop of the morning.
Jardín Allende, the heart of the city.
Portal de Guadalupe, one of the streets around the square.
Christer in San Miguel de Allende.
Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel.
The church bells are controlled by muscle power.
Calle Aldama, San Miguel de Allende.
Peter takes a break in San Miguel de Allende.
Calle Juárez meets Calle San Francisco.
Outside the Templo de San Francisco de Asís.
Templo de San Francisco de Asís - inside.
Templo de Nuestra Señora de La Salud.
Templo del Oratorio de San Felipe Neri.
Tall people in San Miguel de Allende.
Peter is waiting for today's lunch.
Christer at La Cocina - Café del Viajero.
Peter leaves the restaurant.
09.01 Today, when there is no rush to get up or leave, we woke up without a wake-up call. It is not often that it is possible to do so. The bus we're going on doesn't leave until noon so we can make the most of the time in the room.
09.35 Freshly showered and rested, we will soon have a little more preparation time here in room 128. 09.53 Now there must be enough time in the room for a while. We will get out of the room and down towards the breakfast at Café Central. 09.58 We are now sitting at the table at Café Central, the hotel's own restaurant section. Time to order. 10.32 Since we skipped a proper dinner yesterday, we thought we could treat ourselves to a solid two-course breakfast this morning. We are going to eat fruit salad with yogurt first and were served a salad with mango, two types of melon, granola and to this some yogurt. Then followed coffee and three quesadillas with ham. All through it was good and filling, a good start to the day's activities. 11.18 Now that the taxi ticket that we will show in the next city Santiago de Querétaro is written, we should mostly wait for the check-out from here. 11.46 We have checked out of Hotel La Estación and went to the nearby bus station.
Breakfast starts with fruit and yogurt.
Phase two of breakfast consists of quesadillas.
One last look at San Miguel de Allende before departure.
Peter at the bus station in San Miguel de Allende.
Our bus from ETN arrives.
View towards Alameda Hidalgo Park in Querétaro.
12.26 After a bit of a wait, we now see the blue bus from ETN drive up and park at our stop at the bus station.
12.41 If you travel like us with the bus company ETN (https://etn.com.mx), you have good legroom and sit very comfortably. This may well be followed by other companies. However, today's journey will be quite short, so it is important to enjoy the comfort during the minutes we are on board. ETN is short for Enlaces Terrestres Nacionales and offers the best buses here in Mexico. 12.58 We are still in the state of Guanajuato, but when we get off the bus we have changed to the state of Querétaro and the capital, Santiago de Querétaro, which is usually just called Querétaro. We have listened to the internet so we know how to pronounce the name of the place correctly. 13.28 The surroundings become increasingly green during our journey. We travel south towards Celaya and then continue due east towards Querétaro. Celaya is sometimes claimed to be Mexico's most dangerous city based on homicide and other statistics. As usual, there are two views on the matter. Some say the city is incredibly dangerous to visit. Others claim that it is no more dangerous than e.g. cities in the United States. In any case, we won't stop there. 14.45 Once at the bus terminal in Querétaro, Christer received a note that you must have in order to take a taxi. We are currently waiting for a taxi to take us to the center and our hotel. Look, now one is coming! The sticker itself is part of a system that will make it safe to take a taxi. All trips are recorded. 14.55 Immediately after we left the bus terminal, we saw the Estadio Corregidora, a large football arena which, among other things, was used at the football World Cup in 1986. Four World Cup matches were played here, for example the finalists West Germany's three group stage matches and Denmark's 1-5 loss to Spain in the round of 16. 15.17 After a taxi trip in heavy traffic and with a shortcut across a car park at a shopping mall, we were dropped off in the center of the city at the Hotel Real Alameda de Querétaro (https://hotelrealalameda.mx). Here we stay in room 503, which has a balcony, among other things. Outside we have a view towards the large Alameda Hidalgo park. 15.52 We want to eat something and we want to see the city. What do we do first? Where do we eat? Here at the hotel or somewhere else? The only menu we have seen is a QR code that was displayed at the reception desk.
The room at Hotel Real Alameda.
Pasta dinner after arrival in Querétaro.
Plaza de Armas, Querétaro.
Globes with messages on Andador 5 de Mayo.
El Danzante Conchero Chichimeca in front of Templo de San Francisco de Asís.
Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez (La Corregidora) stands at Jardín Zenea.
16.12 It didn't work to read the QR code, but there will be a meal in the hotel's restaurant anyway. We have ordered pasta and juice from an older waiter. Now another waiter came and wanted us to order from him too. One order per dinner is sufficient.
16.23 We got simple but good pasta dishes with drink and tip for 123 Swedish kronor. Now we are ready to see the city. Querétaro is one of those cities where we only stay one night so it's important to be efficient. 17.13 Say you, say me with Lionel Richie is played while Christer makes a video and people move around in the Plaza de Armas square. Querétaro is claimed to be one of the country's fastest growing cities. The city with 1,413,474 inhabitants is located at an altitude of 1,800 meters above sea level. Many institutions moved here after the great earthquake in Mexico City in 1985. This is because Querétaro is considered to be just outside the risk zone of seismic activity. 17.26 A heroine from the freedom struggle stands a statue in the Jardín Zenea square, a square littered with restaurant hoppers. They do their utmost to attract, capture customers. The statue or monument is called the Monumento a la Corregidora. The woman in the monument is Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez, a mayor who started the independence movement. 17.35 Our walk through Querétaro continues. Since the last time, we have been walking on Calle Francisco Madero until Jardín Guerrero and the Parroquia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús church. We have some sights that we are trying to graze on now during the afternoon. 17.46 The sky darkens above us where we sit on a bench in front of the cathedral Catedral de Querétaro - San Felipe Neri. Is rain coming? Can we get home before the rain starts?
The rain clouds gather over Querétaro.
Parroquia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesus.
You can play the piano on Calle Francisco Madero.
Catedral de Querétaro - San Felipe Neri.
Templo de Santa Rosa de Viterbo, Querétaro.
All the impressions overflow.
17.53 We have turned into the street Calle Ezequiel Montes on our way to the next attraction. At the Farmacias Similares pharmacy, we met Dr. Simi, a figure that can be seen in Mexico at this pharmacy chain. It's someone stuck in a costume that represents a big moustached white-haired old man in a white coat.
18.00 Between us and the beautiful church Templo de Santa Rosa de Viterbo there are pigeons. Behind us, a fountain plays. The square we are on is called Plaza Mariano de las Casas. Built in the 18th century in the 18th century Baroque style, the church contains the first bell made in the American continent. 18.34 The rain is creeping closer but so far the drops have not started to fall. Our strong thirst for coffee has made us look for a coffee chain open in the evening. We are now with The Italian Coffee Company (https://www.italiancoffee.com). It will be the first visit to a branch in that chain. 19.23 After coffee, an OXXO hunt began. The first two we found were closed but the third closest to the hotel let us in and we could shop what we needed. 21.37 We are back in our comfortable room and have watched the evening's Current Affairs program from SVT via Christer's mobile phone. Among other things, they have told about high water temperatures in the Baltic Sea and Western companies that are active in Russia. 22.56 Out on the balcony with rain in the air, we drank evening beer/balcony beer. Last night it was Dos Equis and Indio, no taste enhancers exactly. In any case, it's nice to drink something alcoholic when we have a balcony. Sometimes it's been beer and sometimes it's been wine during our travels. We are glad we got to see the city before the rain drenched it and lowered the temperature. Now the first travel journal is full. Time for a change. 23.20 We have left the balcony and the rain to get ready for the night. Tomorrow is a weekend and a new bus trip.
We have found the hotel again.
Plaza de la Familia, Querétaro.
Christer visits The Italian Coffee Company.
Despite the rain, you have to enjoy the balcony when there is one.
Saturday 8th of July
08.00 Sometimes we are up earlier than usual. Today a hotel breakfast awaits and I have just started to write these notes in a new unwritten journal.
08.58 We are back in the room after a good hotel breakfast here at the Hotel Real Alameda. However, we lack toppings for the bread. 09.49 We have been to the reception and checked out. We asked the woman at the reception to arrange a taxi and now we are sitting on a sofa waiting for our ordered transport. 09.56 We have moved from indoors to outdoors to be in strike mode when the taxi arrives. 10.03 Our wait is over. A taxi has appeared. There are still puddles left after yesterday's rain. 10.17 For 22,45 Mexican pesos you get a liter of diesel. It will be something like 14,17 Swedish kronor. It is one of many observations during the taxi trip out to Terminal de Autobuses Querétaro. We are sitting in this now in the bus company Primera Plus' own waiting room inside the bus station. 10.48 The man who tags and loads the luggage into the bus defined our backpacks as small bags. We're guessing it's compared to the big rolling bags that some people carry around. 10.59 The bus backed out from platform 11 with one luggage hatch open. The driver got out and closed it. It would be stupid to drive with the hatch open. Today's bus trip will take us to Morelia in the state of Michoacán. If all goes well, we should be there in about three hours from now. 11.54 The surrounding landscape is becoming increasingly fertile and greener. It is also quite flat. The only height difference to speak of is visible on the horizon. 12.09 After passing Celaya and traveling along road 45, we have now turned left and continued south on road 43D. We have made a stop at a road toll, Caseta Entronque Valtierrilla. The cost of a bus seems to be 160 pesos, but I may have read it wrong.
The breakfast selection this morning.
Peter is having breakfast at the Hotel Real Alameda.
Waiting at Terminal de Autobuses Querétaro.
Road tolls are common in Mexico.
We look out from our room at Vista Express.
Room 102 at Vista Express Morelia.
13.05 The sandwiches bought yesterday and brought today are consumed here in the bus. We have crossed a state border (Guanajuato to Michoacán) and are continuing near what may be a dried up lake south of the town of Cuitzeo del Porvenir. All we see is the dry lake bed. On the map there was a large lake exposed here and we sat ready to photograph but no water can be seen.
13.35 On the way into today's final destination, Morelia, we pass a traffic accident. 13.47 We left the bus station Terminal de Autobuses Morelia and entered a taxi that drove up to us. Apparently we have to arrange a ticket before we can go. The driver asked to see our ticket, but we didn't have one. Christer is arranging this while I wait in the taxi and write this. 13.50 The ticket queue was long, the driver's patience short and I left the taxi with our luggage to join Christer who was queuing. 13.55 A note with address information for our hotel was shown and banknotes were handed over in a small cash register. Now we are with a new note in a new taxi. This is a smooth system but it is impossible to know how it works unless you have been here before. 14.13 It was a long taxi journey through the northern parts of Morelia. Carlos Torres Piña's face and name appeared on a large poster on the way here. He is a local politician. Here and here is the hotel Vista Express Morelia (https://www.vistahoteles.com/vista-morelia/). Room 102 has no AC but a ceiling fan. The fan also includes lighting. There are shoe prints on our floor's carpet. 14.36 We have made ourselves at home here at the beautiful but slightly worn hotel Vista Express. The city of Morelia with 597,511 inhabitants takes its name from José María Morelos, hero of the Mexican War of Independence. Before, the city was called Valladolid.
The beautiful interior of our hotel.
Vista Express Morelia, our home for two nights.
Parroquia de San José, Morelia.
Fika Coffee Shop, Morelia.
Peter visits Fika Coffee Shop.
The pasta plate suddenly looks abnormally large.
16.13 After a bit of thinking, we've got the shape of how we're going to use the rest of the day, at least in our minds. Then our thoughts must match the thoughts of reality.
16.58 A walk in the neighborhood took us past a square (Jardín San José) and the church Parroquia de San José. We continued a little further past Plaza de Carmen and are now at Fika Coffee Shop. Last year we visited Fika in Limerick, Ireland and in December we saw a cafe called Fika in Toulouse, France. It is apparently popular to be called Fika. Fika is a Swedish word that is hard to translate. It is more a less a light meal when you have a coffee or tea with some cookies or a sandwich. 18.00 Here at the small-scale Fika, we will not have coffee. We are going to eat food. It was delicious. We drank and ate juice, Pasta Alfredo and a large coffee each for under SEK 100 per person. On the way home, we didn't shop at OXXO. Surprise! 19.33 After washing my shirt and shorts, I will now enjoy my purchased Mentos and drink Mirinda. 20.10 We watch TV. It's time for the quarter-finals of the North American Gold Cup football (soccer) tournament, Mexico is playing Costa Rica. 20.40 There are chances and attempts from both teams but there are no goals. 21.02 Fireworks can be heard and seen from outside. It's not as clattering in the match. It's a break.
Calle Ignacio Zaragoza, Morelia.
These vehicles transport tourists around the city.
Plaza del Carmen, Morelia.
Evening in Morelia.
An unexpected visitor entered the room.
21.21 Mexico just scored from the penalty spot in the match that is being played on our TV. The fireworks we hear and see are from Encendido de Catedral. It's an event that is apparently held every Saturday here in Morelia. Then the cathedral offers a light, sound and fireworks show.
21.56 Mexico scores 2-0 in the Gold Cup match while we read about the country's history in our guidebook from Lonely Planet. A lot has happened in this country's fascinating history. 22.04 Mexico won the match against Costa Rica and is now in the semi-finals. 23.05 Saturday is coming to an end and we have a rough idea of what we will have time to see tomorrow Sunday when we use the day to experience Morelia.
Sunday 9th of July
08.54 We have slept well in our room at Vista Express Morelia. Down on the street outside our window, the cars calmly pass by. Today awaits a full day here in Morelia, a city that we think might be worth the slightly longer bus journey here yesterday.
09.31 We ate our breakfasts downstairs. Sure, it was a buffet and it was good, but the coffee was weak and I miss, as I mentioned at previous breakfast meals, the toppings. 10.21 It's getting to be time for us to become more familiar with yet another Mexican city. Soon we leave the hotel for a few hours. 10.44 When we arrived at the city's main street, Avenida Francisco I. Madero, we discovered that something was missing, the cars. It turned out that the main avenue and some other streets are closed to all vehicular traffic every Sunday between 08:00 and 13:00. The street is instead filled with cyclists, joggers, roller skaters and people on various other non-motorized means of transport. 10.51 We have arrived at Plaza Valladolid and here we have stopped to photograph the square itself but also the church Templo de San Francisco de Asís, Morelia's oldest building. 11.04 In front of a fountain and at the cathedral (Catedral de Morelia) we make our first small city stop. Saxophone playing can be heard some distance away. Think, once I actually tried to learn to play the saxophone! We are at Plaza Melchor Ocampo. Incidentally, he is standing in the fountain. Well, not Melchor himself, of course, but a statue of him. Melchor Ocampo was a lawyer, scientist and politician during the 19th century. The state of Michoacán where we are now came after his death to be named Michoacán de Ocampo in his honor.
A breakfast guest at Hotel Vista Express Morelia.
On Sundays, downtown Morelia is free from cars.
Templo de San Francisco de Asís, Morelia.
Peter on Plaza Valladolid.
Catedral de Morelia seen from Plaza Melchor Ocampo.
Plaza Melchor Ocampo, Morelia.
11.19 At the large square Plaza de Armas (also known as Plaza de los Mártires) on the other side of the cathedral, we have seen the name of the city in capital letters. We also looked for our new favorite, The Italian Coffee Company, but they only offered a counter attached to a restaurant and hotel and no private seating. We can drink coffee elsewhere.
11.24 We left the square in search of coffee and have now reached the small park Jardín de las Rosas. Artists have placed their paintings here and there are more restaurants than cafes here in the immediate area. In the park there is also a statue of the writer we saw so much of in Guanajuato, namely Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra. 11.37 When we slowly began to give up our hunt for coffee, Lilian's Coffee (http://lilianscoffees.com) suddenly appeared. Here we have ordered crepes and coffee. It feels good. It's busier then with the flies that crawl on me. Loud music is played here in the venue and the staff are enthusiastic and have a low average age. 12.06 We were served and ate large and well-filled crêpes and each had a hearty cup of coffee. As soon as we have paid, we return out. The central parts are still closed to cars. People cycle, walk, skateboard and other things. We'll see if the cars are back or not in an hour or so? 12.18 The sun is shining and the water in the fountain is rippling. Some sing and some play the piano. We are at the Plaza de Armas and enjoying a nice atmosphere this Sunday when many people have the weekend off and take the opportunity to enjoy life. 12.36 There are an insane amount of people moving on the city's pavements and it takes time to move. In the scorching sun, we took a longer walk to Parque Capuchinas to see a little more of the city. However, we have mostly seen people, not so many more exciting sights.
The beautiful cathedral of Morelia.
Here you can borrow bicycles.
The name of the city on the Plaza de Armas.
Jardín de las Rosas, Morelia.
Peter at Lilian's Coffee.
Plaza de Armas, Morelia.
13.06 We are back at home in our newly cleaned room. Unfortunately, the towels seem removed. Hope we get new ones eventually.
14.12 After cooling down and catching our breath, we will now continue to see more parts of the home town. 14.16 We chose to take the home street Calle Aquiles Serdán in the other direction. We followed a wall to the Plaza Villalongin park. 14.26 We are not sitting in the shade but rather on a bench in front of the new Morelia letters. Behind us we have a fountain (Fuente de las Tarascas) and the city's aqueduct, Acueducto de Morelia. It was built in 1785 and brought water to the city during several years of drought. 14.36 We have found shade on a long stone bench, a stone bench that a small guy comes and walks on. Now he was lifted down but he continues to walk. The pedestrian street we walk along is called Calzada Fray Antonio de San Miguel. It is surrounded by trees and provides nice shade. Morelia's residents stroll here and street vendors sell a little of each. 14.57 The smoke from the cigarette that the man a little distance away is smoking finds its way to us. A man selling ice cream passes us and Christer makes a film. We are in the square Plaza Morelos. A little further away is the statue of the city's great man, the priest and freedom fighter José María Morelos y Pavón.
Christer in Morelia.
Calle Aquiles Serdán, Morelia.
Plaza Villalongin, Morelia.
Morelia letters also in this park.
Acueducto de Morelia.
Calzada Fray Antonio de San Miguel, Morelia.
15.10 We end the visit to Plaza Morelos by looking at and photographing the church Santuario de Guadalupe.
15.15 We take the same route back home. So we walk along Calzada Fray Antonio de San Miguel. Before we return to the hotel we need to buy drinks somewhere. 15.38 After a stop at a small OXXO store at Plan de Ayala, we are now back in the room. In addition to OXXO offering the goods we often need, visits there are a welcome break with cool, pleasant air. It got really hot out in town so it will be nice to spend some time indoors in the room now. 17.35 It is calm and quiet here in the hotel. It's cloudy out there and Jamaica is in the semi-finals of the Gold Cup. They beat Guatemala 1-0. 18.54 We can't stay in this room much longer. Hunger creeps in and a mysterious smell from outside penetrates.
Plaza Morelos, Morelia.
Sanctuary of Guadalupe, Morelia.
Creative use of the city's name.
Inside Restaurante Carácuaro.
We suspect that this is spicy.
Tonight's dinner is a treat.
19.10 We had a few different options for tonight's dinner but we chose a nearby solution, a restaurant just a crossroad from our hotel. We have sat down at Restaurante Carácuaro, which can offer genuine Mexican food. Here we got our menus and chips with dip. The waitress put us in a separate room where there are also toys. Should we play or do they just want to hide us from the other guests?
19.16 We have received some containers with mixtures that look extremely spicy and they certainly are. 19.28 Now the main courses have arrived. It looks very tasty with interesting ingredients. 20.42 After the good and varied food, some other goodies were purchased for the evening at a larger OXXO store on Avenida Francisco I. Madero. Now we are in the room experiencing nostalgia. We watch music videos shown on the channel MTV 80´s. 21.56 Outside it's raining, thunder, lightning and even more rain. Inside, Michael Jackson performs his music on the aforementioned TV channel. 22.52 The weekend and the week are coming to an end, and so is the stay here in Morelia. Tomorrow awaits new experiences and a new city.
You can see 62 photos from July 6 in this photoalbum.
You can see 59 photos from July 7 in this photoalbum.
You can see 33 photos from July 8 in this photoalbum.
You can see 62 photos from July 9 in this photoalbum.