Walked through the fruit and vegetable section of the Indoor Pulbic Market on the way to school. Row upon row of vendors each with attractively displayed goods. I was there with a purpose.... to purchase avacados and tomatoes for my lunch. What a bargain......three avacados, a tomato, and a banana for fifteen pesos.....just a few cents under one US dollar. I am getting spoiled.
School went well. Miguel is so pleasant and presents and corrects in a helpful way. Ellie, my classmate, had a crown fall off her tooth and was waiting for a dental appointment. Met her later after the dentist fixed her up as good as new.......at the cost of $17. I understand from school staff that he is a dentist with an excellent reputation. If I was smart, I would get dental work done here....and it would pay for the trip. Am I planting ideas for those without dental insurance??
Ceramics class did not start out well. I had to wait twenty minutes for Sylvie, my instructor to find a pencil for me. I am not a patient person....and went looking for her a few times. She arrives with the pencil and takes a look at the tiles that I painted yesterday and says "mal" which means BAD. I did not think that they looked "bad", just "primative". Sylvie showed me a finished tile and told me to copy it. I thought that I did my best.....and once again, she comments with a negative "feo" which means "ugly". Before I lost my composition and walked out, things turned around as she showed me "how" to paint the tiles. All I needed was some instruction and it was simple. Spent the next two and a half hours enjoying the feeling of success. Across the shared workspace, there was a middle aged Mexican painter working on a large basin decorated with Day of the Dead figures. He broke the silence and asked me from where I came. We chatted briefly in Spanish and I continued my work. It was good to share the space with him.
Had only an hour long break at home before it was time to go back to the central area to take a scheduled walking tour of Tlaquepaque. Jo, Ellie and I, being Eastcoasters were anxiously waiting at the Info Booth five minutes early. Jill from the school showed up to see that we were in good hands.....and waited with us for twenty five minutes until our guide arrived. He was a police officer who peddled up on his bicycle, wearing cutoffs and what appeared to be a bulletproof vest. Why???? I did not want to hear his answer, so I did not ask.
Tony, our police escort/guide, was friendly and spoke excellent English. Walked through the interior courtyard of the Parian. Tony said that at one time there were 72 bars around the perimiter of Parian.....now there are 36. Tequila is the preferred drink. The Parian was originally built in 1878 as the major marketplace where all kinds of handicrafts were sold.
Tony's position on the police force got us into Presidencia Municipal, the Government Building after closing hours. Lovely first floor courtyard with flowers and fountain. Our attention went to a mural on three walls on next floor. This mural depicted the past, present, and future of Mexico. Well done.
We walked through Jardin Hidalgo to two churches; Parroquia de San Pedro and Santuario de Nuestra Senora de las Soledad. The latter was a rich people's church where poor peasants were beaten or killed for entering. The Parroquia was built for the general public. There is a spring under the Santuario which is believed to have healing powers. Once a year, believers are allowed to go down the interior steps to test the water's powers.
El Refugio Cultural Center was once a hospital run by the Josefina Nuns. They are long gone and work continues today to make this a fine center for the arts. Our guide got himself in trouble for taking us up to the roof top to see the views of the city. Beautiful from up there.....just hope he does not lose his job.
A few blocks away was the Museo Panteleon Panduro, located in the lovely Chapel Patio of the Refugio Cultural Center. It is the proud seat of the National Ceramic Prize and displays present and past winners. The work there is excuisite. I plan to return as we did not have time to fully absorb every piece. We silently entered the former chapel when we heard beautiful instumental music and a trained operatic female voice. It was a joy to listen.
By the time we reached Independencia, the pedestrian walkway, with its shops, galleries and restaurant it was almost 7:00 pm and most galleries were closing. We thanked and said good bye to Tony as this was the final destination of our walking tour.
Jo and I had dinner at el Patio http://www.elpatio.com.mx/ My main course was chicken breast with a mole sauce. We were going to have a Margarita as a starter.....but, our waiter recommended a specialty of the house. Much to our surprise this tequila and fruit drink was served in a large soup bowl.....one for each of us. Delicious.....not sure of how much tequila was in the drink....did not feel anything....but, it was a great thirst quencher.
This was an interest packed day. What will tomorrow bring?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment