On to Xalapa!

Tonight is definitely going to be one of those “short and sweet” kinda blogs … Up this morning around 5, as Ricardo, the wonderful driver who picked up us at the airport when we arrived, was calling for us at 8:30 am – and he is definitely prompt!  It didn’t take long to re-pack everything, and as the apartment was in good shape to begin with, we had plenty of time to spare.  Headed downstairs about 20 after 8, and of course, Ricardo was already waiting for us!  The interesting thing to note about Mexico City traffic is that it took over 45 minutes to get to our apartment when we arrived about 3 pm, and it took about 15 minutes to get back to the airport at 8:30 am – which tells you all you need to know about Mexico City traffic!

 No problem checking in our bags (I checked this time, keeping all fingers and toes crossed!) as we were going on a smaller aircraft and getting through security.  It turns out that there is a VIP Lounge right after you clear security that our PriorityPasses have access to – thank you, Capital One!  So, we checked in there and settled in for a couple of hours.  Definitely more comfortable chairs, and we had some chilaquiles and orange juice and coffee/hot chocolate for breakfast, which was nice.  Unlike R’s usual comment, we were NOT at the end gate this time, but rather the first, which was a nice surprise.  It took a while for the boarding operation to get organized – as I indicated when we came in, the entire airport seems to be torn apart with reconstruction everywhere for the upcoming World’s Cup – so seating room is definitely at a premium, but we were able to get seats together, which was nice.  

 Finally on to the plane, and it was a nice trip; only a little over an hour, and we were landing in Veracruz and there was the Atlantic Ocean/Caribbean/whatever they’re calling it these days* – with sandy beaches all around!  Wow!  

 We were able to find our rental car agency – Localiza – quickly, and before long, we were driving out of the airport in our lovely Nissan Kicks!  Or is it Kick??  Have to check that out!  It’s a small SUV, automatic (although I wish it wasn’t…) and drives very nicely!  And, it was lovely and WARM outside!  We even needed to run the air-conditioning!!  Yay!!  

 The drive from Veracruz to Xalapa was about 2 hours, and the roads were very good – some of it tollway.  Driving into Xalapa was interesting, as it was MUCH bigger than we’d estimated!  We passed a shopping center that included a Walmart, Sam’s Club, a Home Depot AND a Costco!  Unreal!!  Our hotel, a Holiday Inn Express, was, however, right in the middle of the “old” part of town.  Very quaint and charming!  The difficulty was that it starts on the second (third for U.S.) floor of a large building; makes it hard to inquire about parking, etc.

 So, we pulled into the parking garage underneath and finally were able to determine that we had actually done the right thing!  Parked down two levels, and then up several more levels to the hotel lobby!  I’m getting tired of counting, as we are on the “first” floor of the hotel – which is really something like the 4th level of the building.  Confused yet?  I sure am!

 Settled into our lovely room – which fortunately faces the rear, and has a nice view of the city and the university (UX – Universidad de Xalapa!) and is very quiet – can’t imagine a room at the front, as it seems like motorcycles and sirens are running past the hotel constantly from what we could tell!  

 Out about 5 to look for dinner, as we hadn’t really had a full meal since yesterday’s brunch!  Restaurant Casona was recommended by the hotel receptionist, several blocks down, so that’s where we headed.  To be honest, I’d have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t been so tired … but I am!  We started with beef empanadas, which were delicious.  For mains, R had a filet mignon with mushroom sauce and bacon and French fries.  I had their chicken breast pounded flat and cooked with cheese.  It was excellent, and also served with fries.  Straight back to the hotel after that, and now I’m just finishing up so I can post – and head to bed – 7:30 pm for sure!



Excellent beef empanadas


R's perfectly cooked filet with bacon (?) and fries


Guacamole & chips!


My chicken and chips


Beautiful building across the street!


So – the highly touted Anthropological Museum of Xalapa tomorrow!

Much love,

m

xxx

 

*Actually, it is the Gulf of Mexico.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We've Made it to 15 Heads!

Image
Wow!    Okay … yesterday was a very rainy, wet kind of day.    I mean, it started as a literal gale force wind in  Veracruz , which then turned into rain by the time we got to the state of  Tabasco .    Very gray; very wet, on and off.    Definitely not suited for shorts and t-shirts any longer; happy to be back in jeans, for sure! At any rate, we got up this morning, and while the forecast was for more rain most of the day, it turns out, so far at least, that the rain has held off – thankfully, as we wanted to do some outdoor exploring!    We had two objectives here in  Villahermosa  – the  Parque Museo La Venta , and the  Museo Regional Anthropologica Carlos Pellicer Carmona . Decided to Uber to the  Parque Museo  first, as it opens at 8 am.    Not that we were there then; we actually got there closer to 9 am.    But as it was such a gray day, we didn’t think there would be a ...
Read more

Back to Boca del Rio/Veracruz!

Image
Up this morning in  Villahermosa  with the intention of trying to get to  San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan  and the 16 th  head.    However, fate – in the form of a 2-hour traffic jam, had other ideas.    So, while we can say we tried, we didn’t really get very far!    About an hour out of  Villahermosa , the traffic stopped … and when I say stopped, it was incredible.    It just …  stopped .    We literally inched along for almost two solid hours before we came to the problem.    This part of the highway was divided.    We, going north, were on the lower road, while those heading south were on the upper.    And apparently, a semi on the upper road somehow went off it – I’ve never seen such a huge section of guard rail just taken out – and the semi came down the hill and ended up on the north bound side, with the semi part of the truck spread out all across the roadway and median s...
Read more

Six Heads in One Day!

Image
Wow!    An incredible day at an incredible museum – one of the finest museums we have ever seen!    Everything – and I mean everything – was amazing!    As  R  says, the architecture, the horticulture and the artifacts – were truly incredible!   We went downstairs to a very good breakfast about 8 am.    They provided some wonderful scrambled eggs with jamon (ham) as well as potatoes with chiles and very freshly cut fruit.    We took a taxi to the museum a few minutes after 9, and honestly, it seems like we had the place to ourselves, at least until about 1 pm!     View of the city -- and a nearby volcano! -- from our window!  The museum is run by the  Universidad de Veracruz  and possesses an incredible collection of Olmec and Epi-Olmec artifacts … and boy, did these folks like to make things on a VERY large scale!    And I’m not talking just about the Colossal Olmec heads – lots and lots...
Read more