A colorful weekend

Well, we decided we needed to explore a bit further the Mexican psyche so we packed up and went to visit the state of Guanajuato.

We first stopped at the city of Leon (yes, it means what you think it means). This city is like the leather central of the country; there you can find anything from shoes to saddles for your horse (which made Annika feel in the mood to play cowgirl). We got tired of the shopping thing pretty quick so we decided to visit some museums instead. There, we saw this big dude standing there feeling a little down and Annika couldn't help herself and she tried to cheer him up -- didn't work though.

At a science museum, just to prove a point, she tried a little walking on water... Nah, not really, she just wanted to play in the fountain. It was a nice afternoon.









That night we went out to enjoy the cool breeze and it turned out to be a walk to remember.(By the way, check out how strangely do the trees around here grow!)









We got on the bus - again - and left Leon behind. We went to the city of Guanajuato, which is one of the oldest in Mexico. It has a lot of narrow streets and alleyways in all sorts of directions going up and down endless hills. This city is perfect for those trying to get in shape: we have never seen so many steps in our lives! And to top it all off, they have transformed an underground maze that used to be the city's sewer system into a series of walkways, streets, and parking places that gives the city a very unique flavor.
We found a really good store at the very top of one of the many hills that make up the city; we got many good bargains but the guy at the store would only take cash... and the nearest ATM was all the way down the hill... and they were closing in 45 minutes! So, to not miss out on the deals, we had to go ALL the way down and ALL the way up (and then ALL the way down again); and I'm telling you, these hills are NOT for the faint of heart. Annika was very tired half way up (you don't see it, but I was almost passing out on the other side of the camera -- of course, I had to run ahead of her in order to take the pictures, that's why I was out of wind).

We caved in and did the touristy thing: we went out on a tour of the city. We think we kind of got ripped off, but we went into a mine and we went to several churches one of which had Jesus's head (no lie, and I have the pictures to prove it -- we won't post them here because, quite frankly, we think they are very tacky), so it wasn't so bad.

In the mine, you actually felt how your ears popped when you were going down; the temperature increased considerably as well. Annika was smart and dressed to blend in with the local landscape!

Here are some other pictures we took on this trip.

A Sunday at a Mexican church

Last Sunday we listened to a good sermon. It's a good thing to question things, God's big enough to tackle the toughest questions! After all, he gave us brains, didn't He?

At any rate, Annika got a few ideas about songs in Spanish to take back home.


We went out on Wednesday with a friend of mine, Mary, who took us to an ice cream parlor where we got some yogurt and fruit ice cream that became Annika's new favorite!

After that we walked home and took the scenic route... good times!

A somewhat more eventful week

We went to Queretaro to get the computer fixed and we decided to make a day trip out of it. This is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Mexico: it's full of narrow streets with a lot of buildings that somewhat resemble Gamla Stan and plenty of nice places to stop by and cool down. And since this is the city where the Mexican independence movement started, we had to stop by some important landmarks, like the house of the state governor who sent the voice out to start the insurrection. It was a nice trip.

While we were there, Annika decided she should use her time here a bit more constructively so she bought a blockflöjt and she has been picking it up quite nicely so far.

The next day, she and my mother cooked together a couple of very Mexican dishes (the all-time classic "tamales" and a less known dish called aztec pie). I have to say they both were incredibly tasty (I lucked out with a kitchen-capable Swede!).

We also went to a botanical garden and we actually got to see some impressive cacti. (See on the picture in the middle if you can spot what Annika was looking at!)












And to close the week off on a high note, we decided we'll go swimming a couple of times per week, starting today. We might not have swam much, but oh, did we have fun! (Well, actually, Annika did indeed swim a lot while I mostly tried the camera underwater.)

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A Mexican Mother Day celebration

This was a very intersting weekend where we celebrated Mother's Day.

Two of my aunts, a cousin, and her two girls came to visit and we had a good time. Annika taught one of the girls, Shivanie, how to make kladdkaka.




Then Annika treated them to some saltlakrits... but they didn't like it very much; they did like the mjukost and knäkebröd a lot though.





Later on that night we made a campfire and so Annika got a delayed majbrasa (she also taught us how to grill marshmallows the right way).


The next morning we went on a stroll with the kids along the river. Annika and I take this walk very often and she thinks of this as very representative of San Juan... this is a nice town, it's a real shame they don't take care of the beautiful nature they have in their backyard.