Evening 1

Guanajuato is to me in Mexico what Granada was to me in Spain.  It's what you want the country to look like.  Guanajuato is completely colorful and picturesque.  It's all walkable.  There are underground tunnels to allow for pedestrian roads.  It's an amazing city.  If I were to choose a Mexican city to live in for awhile based on the city (and not the incredible people in it- they may be incredible in Guanajuato, but no one will hold a candle to my Culichis!), Guanajuato would be it.  Hands down.  It's beautiful.  It's pedestrian friendly.  It's small enough to manage alone.  It's great!

After we got back to the apartment (it's really cute by the way) and dropped off my stuff, we decided to go exploring a bit.  Donna was continually apologetic for the weather as if she had any control.  She said it had been perfectly sunny and gorgeous every day they'd been there.  It was beginning the rainy season, so they'd had afternoon showers every day, but just for a bit.  Well, when I got there, it was semi-sunny, but it was cool and threatened to rain.  The sky became grey quickly.  I had no complaints.  I love when it's not stifling, so I welcomed the cold chills later in the evening.
We left the apartment and within three minutes we were to one of the main plazas.  Guanajuato actually has several sitting areas with greenery and cafés, so they don't have a mainzócalo like other Mexican cities.  It seems family and kid friendly, too.  The building above is Teatro Juárez, the main theater in the town.

We did more walking around and she explained the set up of the downtown area (2 main parallel streets) and said that once I started walking up hills in any direction, I was heading out of downtown.  I mean, how easy is this place?

We made it to el callejón de los besos (the alley of the kisses), but it was basically just an alley.  The story is there was a forbidden couple (think Romeo and Juliet), but luckily they were across-the-alley neighbors.  There's a very short distance between the two balconies and the couple allegedly used to kiss on their own balconies.  They were forbidden to leave their houses to see each other, but I guess due to a technicality, they were following the rules.  Apparently the dad found out (duh, genius) and killed his daughter.  Stabbed her in the heart I think.  There are steps underneath the balcony, and it's considered good luck to stand on the third step and kiss the one you love.  Considering I was with a former student and her mother, I opted out.  That's a good thing, because it's bad luck to climb the steps without someone you love.  Phew!

We made our way back to the house to get some nourishment.  We put Alina to bed after some games and discussion and Donna and I went up to the roof to enjoy the Mexican view.  It's such a beautiful, amazing city.  We borrowed some of Tim's beer (he was out of town on business until Tuesday) and sipped while we shared travelers' stories.  I must first say that beer that is not Tecate Light is decent.  It's still not something I'll enjoy on a regular basis, but it wasn't awful like Tecate is.  I could see it with something equally as bad for me, like a hot dog or pizza.  I really enjoyed talking with Donna about travels.  She encouraged me to pursue the international teaching thing.  She and Tim actually did a year around the world while they were dating and then did several years abroad teaching while they were married.  She had some really crazy, funny, interesting stories.  We called it a night and I did some reading.  I picked up The Kite Runner off Alina's shelf (she was sleeping in Donna's room until Tim was back and I was in her bed) to keep me busy.  

Donna had warned me that I would hear lots of dogs and church bells and "Mexican sounds" all night long.  I figured no big deal.  I'm a great sleeper!