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| Xalapa, La Ciudad de las Flores |
After four days in Boca del Rio we were scheduled to move into the Hotel Gran Diligencias in Veracruz. Here many of the 300 wedding guests would be staying, including Phil, Fernanda and the children, who had not yet joined us from Canada. Prior to arriving in Mexico we had promised our friend Rafa in Montreal that we would contact his parents while in Veracruz and perhaps meet up with them. We called up Victor, his father, and set up a meeting. And as it turned out at 0630 that morning we changed hotels we found ourselves just barely having time to drop of our luggage in the lobby, grab a taxi to the bus station and board the next available bus to Xalapa, City of Flowers, just over 100 km to the west, where they had their home.
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| Victor and Marie, market, Xalapa |
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| Market, Xalapa |
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| The San Francisco of Mexico! |
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| Policia Estatal Xalapa |
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| Fungi, market, Xalapa |
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| Iglesia de San Jose |
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| street leading to San Jose Church |
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| typical Mexican taxis, Xalapa |
Victor met us at the bus station and, as we had discussed the day before, took us first to visit the Museo de Antropologia. We had visited the big Anthropology Museum in Mexico City a few years ago and were very impressed with that larger and older site but the one here in Xalapa was amazing - opened in 1986 it houses the largest collection of artifacts from the Mexican Gulf Coast cultures such as the Olmec, the Huastec and the Totonac with more than 25,000 pieces, all expertly displayed in the natural setting of the region they were found. The most noticeable pieces are for sure the seven giant Olmec heads, stone masks and monumental basalt thrones, but we also enjoyed seeing the
Caritas Sonrientes (little smiling faces) of the Totonac culture. Outside the impressive museum is a 40,000 square metre garden, immaculately maintained. Rafa's Dad proved to be a very informative guide (he used to work in the tourist industry) and we could have spent another two hours in the 18 galleries if we had had the time!
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| Marie munching tasty fried crickets, Xalapa |
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| One of the seven giant Olmec heads |
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| we thought this stone slab looked very Egyptian |
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| the museum gardens |
Before exploring the town further we drove to Victor's house, met his wife Mercedes who made us some very good coffee from the area, then drove us over to a small liqueur business run by one of his cousins,
called
La Fama. We were able to see how they made various liqueurs and wines from local fruit, from drying the green orange rind in the sun outside to the fermenting process done in old wooden casks. Naturally we had to taste everything and were later shown into the small retail store where dozens of different
licores de frutas were sold. We bought back home a bottle of Licor de Naranja (Orange Liqueur) and a Licor Costeno (Rum) and picked small bottles of peanut liqueur and vanilla liqueur for later at the hotel.
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| Orange rinds drying in the sun |
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| the local constabulary checking out Marie at La Fama |
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| La Fama building as it looked in 1925 |
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| Asadero Cien restaurant |
Before leaving for Veracruz we went out for lunch at one of their favourite restaurants, Asadero Cien, for some excellent local cuisine and sangria. On the way to the bus station Victor stopped at the convent of Adoratrices Perpetuas del Antiguo del Calvariofar. He ran in and in few minutes came out with a box of the most amazing candies for us to bring back. The candies are handmade of pumpkin seeds and molasses and each piece in the form of an animal, flower, or fish are miniature works of art. And delicious! Thanks again for your hospitality, Victor and Mercedes! Marie and I will never forget Xalapa,
La Ciudad de las Flores. gws
