Friday, June 24, 2016

All Good Things Must End...We Say Hasta Luego to San Miguel!

Our last few days in San Miguel were a bittersweet mixture of happiness and melancholy! Our love for this unique oasis in the desert had grown with every day of our visit. Our return to the US was timed with the celebration of my Mother's 90th birthday in Albuquerque, a day of great joy for my family, but we were not looking forward to leaving what may at some point in the not too distant future become our new home!







There are so many things to like about San Miguel it is hard to know where to start in listing them. The near perfect weather, picture postcard beauty, festivals and parades, restaurants and cantinas, cathedrals and museums, all these things are certainly a big part of what makes the city so special. But it is the people, the charming and gracious people of Mexico who really make it special and we will never forget.

I remember one day, as we were walking about the streets of Dolores Hildago and looking for a good place to grab a beer. We had stopped to look in the doors of a small cantina when we were approached by a small Mexican man, obviously a local, who told us with a big grin "there is a much better place right around the corner" and taking his advice we discovered he was right! I can't remember the last time a complete stranger gave us such sage advice on the streets of the US. Hell, most of the time you are lucky if they will even give you good directions!

Everywhere we went, this was the rule and not the exception. Our morning walks into town were always punctuated with a dozen "hola's" and "buenos dias" from everyone. The little old lady headed to market, the kids headed off to school, or the gardener tending to one of the the lush and beautiful gardens that adorn the town. People helped us when we looked lost, chuckled at our broken Spanish, gave us the correct change when we paid them the wrong amount, and generally did everything they could to make us feel welcome.

We did spend a little bit of our last days looking at real estate, as we are definitely contemplating a return here in the fall. There are lots of things up in the air right now in our lives, so we shall see. We have done a great deal of research that led up to this point, and we urge anyone who is even thinking of becoming an expat to do the same. For every expat that stays where they choose to go, there are generally two or three that don't make it. It is not for everyone, and only you can decide if you think it is for you, and you may still be wrong. Eyes wide open is the best approach!






With this post and our return "home", we will pause this blog for the time being. We will however keep you up to date and post from time to time as we consider our future! Thank you for joining us on our adventure. Please stay tuned and hasta luego for now!

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

The Doors of San Miguel..and How About Them Knockers!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, San Miguel is a city of spectacular doors. As virtually every home in the historic core of the city is situated behind a wall that faces the street, they all have doors, and the citizens take great pride in having a beautiful one! Houses in San Miguel are "inside-out" compared to our homes. The yards are contained within the walled compound and the house is usually built around a central courtyard. It is a much more private and appealing way to live and many of the courtyards are nothing short of jaw-droppingly beautiful. So behind the thousands of doors lies thousands of magical gardens. Here are just a few of the magnificent doors we found on our wanderings. Click on any picture to open the gallery!





















And of course..how about them knockers!
















Sunday, June 19, 2016

Colonial Mexico...The Beauty and Architecture of San Miguel!

San Miguel is one of the most well-preserved Colonial cities in Mexico, and its roots go back almost 500 years. Declared a National Monument by Mexico in 1926, which preserved the cities architecture, and a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008, it had fallen into disrepair by the early 20th century and its population had declined significantly. In danger of becoming a ghost town, the city began to be revitalized by the arrival of American Stirling Dickinson in 1938 who established the art institute Instituto Allende and the city began to attract artists from all over the world. Today, San Miguel is a thriving city, and the core area surrounding the square is alive with shops, restaurants, cantinas, and mercados.

It is also where many of the cities most beautiful homes and gardens can be found. Virtually all the homes are hidden behind walls, and there is said to be over 2000 doors that face the cobblestone streets. Sometimes as you are walking by, you will catch a glimpse through an open door of one of the many lush courtyard gardens that lie within. Combined with the rooftop gardens that adorn many of the homes, it is a city of staggering beauty and charm. There are no parking meters, and no stop lights or signs.

A deeply Catholic city in a deeply Catholic state, San Miguel is also home to dozens of churches and majestic cathedrals including the centerpiece of the town La Parroquia.

There is so much to see and do in San Miguel that both my head and my camera exploded! Here are just a few of the hundreds of photos I have taken during our visit.

Click on any photo to view the complete gallery.