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April 30, 2008
Querétaro: Part Three
Paper Head Guy, Querétaro
I wanted to see the place where Emperor Maximilian was executed, El Cerro de las Campanas, or "The Hill of the Bells." We set out on foot this morning before noon to check it out.
It was already hot, and I was in semi-dressy clothes. At first, it wasn't so bad. Walking down Avenida Hidalgo, I saw a bunch of stuff that struck me as funny or cool, and I was able to snap some photos of them.
Lavandería/Tintorería Veronica, Querétaro
I don't understand the one below. It's a sign for a place that sells medical implants and prosthetics, and I'm sure their products help their clients to live fuller, more satisfying lives. Yet I suspect most of them do not go on to be communications directors on the crew of an open-wheel, off-road racing team.
Adventures in Prosthetics, Querétaro
I mean, where did they get this photo? Did they make it themselves? It looks like a poster for a Hollywood summer blockbuster about a racer that loses an arm in a terrible accident but whose courage allows him to take his former teammate to the championships as the tough but caring crew chief that inspires everyone that gets to know him.
A reward is being offered for this lost dog.
Perrito Perdido, Querétaro
Why, I'm not exactly sure. It looks like Darth Poodle to me, but then again, I'm not a big dog fan.
Is it just me, or does this...
I AM A MONEDA!, Querétaro
...remind anyone else of Don Hertzfeldt's "Rejected"?
Soon enough though, we started having to go uphill to get to the summit, and site of the historic stuff I wanted to see. This was annoying because I was a little dressed up, and I was sweating like a pig the whole way. As we got nearer and nearer to the top of the hill, Shawn noticed that all the gates to the park were closed. He started to worry that one had to go in through one specific gate to get in the park, but there were no signs whatsoever anywhere to direct one to the proper entrance. The gates that were closed didn't even have a sign telling one which gate to go to.
This isn't entirely unusual in Mexico, but one would think that, at one of the biggest tourist attractions in the city, they'd have signs telling you where to go to buy your ticket to get in. Of course, our friends Larry and Joseph would argue that this is where you make your first mistake, presuming that people think about such things here.
We finally got to the top, and found that we were in a big empty parking lot, unable to get in through the fence that encircles the whole park. Luckily, Shawn spotted a gate that was ajar, although it said (in Spanish), "EMPLOYEE ENTRANCE ONLY!" They can't afford the time or expense to put a sign up telling you where to get in, but they can somehow manage one to tell you to keep out. I was annoyed, hot and sweaty by this point, so I squeezed in through the gate after Shawn. I wasn't about to go back down the hill just so that I could go back up to get to the proper gate.
View from El Cerro de las Campanas, Querétaro
While climbing the hill, I was quickly losing interest in the park, cursing our even thinking of going there. Yet once inside, I was glad to have made the effort, because it was quite verdant and beautiful.
Shawn at El Cerro de las Campanas, Querétaro
There is a great, enormous statue of Benito Juárez in the park, which is kind of funny because he was a pretty short man.
Monument to Benito Juárez, Querétaro
Shawn commented that it looked so severe as to seem Russian.
Monument to Benito Juárez, Querétaro
You can't really tell in the above photo as resized for the blog, but Shawn's giving old Juárez the Lynndie England.
The Lynndie England, Querétaro
Emperor Maximilian was Austrian, and had been appointed as Emperor of Mexico by Napoleon during a period when France had conquered Mexico. His reign was brief though, as Juárez and the resistance movement overthrew the monarchy and had Maximilian executed. The family of Maximilian sponsored the building of a chapel to commemorate the re-establishing of diplomatic relations between Austria-Hungary and Mexico in 1900.
Chapel at El Cerro de las Campanas, Querétaro
It is a nice little chapel, but it does not seem like people are allowed to enter, but they do have the doors open so you can see inside. When we arrived, a bunch of school kids on a field trip were all bunched up at the entrance checking it out.
Chapel at El Cerro de las Campanas, Querétaro
There's also a fountain that is dedicated to children, their learning, and being the future. Yada, yada, yada.
Child Reading Sculpture at El Cerro de las Campanas, Querétaro
We didn't notice until posting the picture, but it looks like the kid in the above sculpture is missing a foot. Maybe he needs to visit the prosthetics store and make something of himself, instead of just moping around reading all the time!
We exited the park, buying the entrance tickets as we left. I suspect they thought we were crazy, but I didn't want to explain our whole gate-crashing earlier. We hailed a cab and went to Harry's, a New Orleans-style restaurant and oyster bar in the Plaza Constitución.
Shawn at Harry's
Harry's was a pretty nice place, and they had a handful of things on the menu that we could eat as ovo-lacto vegetarians. Meat-eating fans of Cajun and Creole food would probably enjoy it even more.
I was delighted to discover that they had pecan pie listed as a dessert on the menu, but I was disappointed to find that it was more like a Mexican pay de nuez than a southern US style pecan pie. Instead of having a layer of glazed pecans over that delicious sugary, gooey filling, it was more or less all crushed up nuts in a crust. Not awful, but not at all what I was expecting (and craving).
Harry's of Querétaro
It's in the same building as the Gran Hotel, and seems to be the most happening night spot in the Centro Histórico. We went back later at night, around midnight, to have a nightcap and celebrate our last night in town, but there wasn't a free table in the whole place.
Yet before all that, still in the afternoon, we walked over to try and hang out for a while in the Alameda Hidalgo, a huge park with lots of trees and grassy areas. We had driven by it last night, and it looked beautiful. Yet when we got there, we found it closed. There were maintenance people inside, but all the gates were locked up tight.
Alameda Hidalgo, Querétaro
Again, there were no signs anywhere telling visitors why the park was closed, or when it would be open.
Alameda Hidalgo, Querétaro
We suspected that, since they had maintenance crews inside doing things like watering areas of the grass and sweeping the walkways, they do open it up at some point.
Alameda Hidalgo, Querétaro
Yet since we had limited time in town, we didn't stick around to find out. We took photos through the fence and then decided to get our shoes shined. We asked the shoeshine guy what the deal was with the Alameda being closed and he explained something about how it actually is open at certain times, but he was old and a bit mumbly, so we didn't fully understand his answer. We think it's open on most days but only after a certain time. If visiting Querétaro, and if you want to visit the Alameda, be sure to inquire as to when it is open, or you may be very disappointed when you show up and can't get in.
Alameda Hidalgo, Querétaro
We hoofed it back to the center and walked up Anador Libertad, a very pretty street that is now a pedestrian walkway, to reach the Plaza de Armas.
Anador Libertad, Querétaro
Shawn went about taking photos of the plaza while I got off my feet in a seat off to the side of the plaza.
Plaza de Armas, Querétaro
We had coffee at Gloria Jean's Coffees, where the staff was exceptionally friendly.
Plaza de Armas, Querétaro
As we were leaving, Shawn spotted a restaurant next to the coffee place that said, 'COCINA HINDÚ' - an Indian restaurant! That's our favorite national/regional food, so we were thrilled to find such a place. They were obviously not open, as they had all their tables and chairs stacked outside, and were doing some remodeling inside. Shawn went in and asked if they would be open for dinner, and a man told him, yes, at 8 pm.
Plaza de Armas, Querétaro
We were excited and immediately decided to return for an Indian feast that night for our final dinner in Querétaro.
Plaza de Armas, Querétaro
As we left the plaza, we were surrounded by a bunch of school kids who wanted to interview us in English for a school project. They had some 20 questions about genetically-modified foods. It was incredibly hard stuff for non-native speakers, but they did a pretty good job.
We walked back to our hotel and relaxed for a while in the air conditioning. Eventually we showered (again), shaved (again), ironed our clothes and went out for our Indian delights. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the restaurant, the furniture that had been piled up outside was piled up inside. We entered and a bunch of people were all sitting around talking. We asked if they were open, and they said that they were opening on Friday. I was a bit miffed. I said that someone there had earlier told Shawn that they would be open at 8 pm for dinner, and the woman that seemed to be an owner apologized to us. We were really bummed because we were really looking forward to Indian food. It's very hard to find it here in Mexico.
It was nice however, to actually get an apology for being misinformed by someone on their staff. That usually doesn't happen. Normally you get a shrug and a laugh, and nothing more. Because people think it's better to tell you what you want to hear rather than to tell you something that will disappoint you, people lie to you all the time here, and nobody thinks there is anything wrong with that.
While we didn't get the chance to eat at the place because we're leaving Thursday afternoon to return to Guadalajara, I submit to you the information on the place in case you are going to Querétaro and would like to try it out. The place is called "bhaji" and is located at Pasteur Sur #8, in the Plaza de Armas. Their phone number is (442) 224-2814.
We ended up taking a chance on an Italian place called Trastevere (16 de Septiembre #28; 212-1472) and were positively surprised. Instead of the exact same boring three or four vegetarian dishes that they offer at seemingly all the Italian restaurants in Mexico, this place had interesting dishes that we have never seen anywhere else in the country. We had a cheese fondue with artichokes and grilled tomatoes that was out of this world, followed by a spinach and cheese ravioli in pecan white sauce for Shawn and a spinach lasagne for me. The service was excellent and the atmosphere quite nice: an open courtyard adorned with several interesting paintings. After our Indian disappointment, it was an absolutely delightful end to the evening.
Tomorrow we head back to Guadalajara, but we have had a great time here in Querétaro. I would recommend it highly to anyone interested in a good mixture of the historic charm and modern 'conveniences.'
I just wish they would get a little better about their signage telling visitors details like where the entrances are and when places are open so one doesn't end up wasting a lot of time.
Posted by crispy at 11:31 PM | Comments (2)
April 29, 2008
Victoria Soda
Victoria Soda, from San Juan del Río
I am delighted to have discovered yet another Mexican-made soda that has somehow thus far survived the Coke®/Pepsi® holocaust that has killed off nearly all the independent soft drink manufacturers of Mexico: Victoria!
It is manufactured about 32 miles southeast of Santiago de Querétaro in San Juan del Río, Querétaro, the second largest city in the state. It is also imported to the United States by The Victoria Beverage Company, Inc., Conroe, Texas.
I saw it at the Oxxo, and selected the unusual red currant flavor over the more typical lime, apple, sangria, and orange. At first, I thought it was a little funny tasting, but the more I drink, the more I like it. It seems a little weak on flavor, but it's certainly not weak on sweet.
I was unaware of the Spanish word for red currant, which appears to be grosella.
Refresco Victoria, de San Juan del Río
Black currant is grosella negra.
Posted by crispy at 09:32 PM | Comments (3)
Querétaro: Part Two
Shawn reads The News at the Museo de Arte, Querétaro
Today we woke up early to make use of the continental breakfast at the hotel. It was, as I suspected, nothing to write home about. In fact, it was not anything worth writing about in the blog, apart from the fact that it forced us to get up early, and that let us get a pretty early start on the day.
Before noon, we got the the Museo de Arte de Querétaro, which normally charges MXN $30 per person for admission, but it is free every Tuesday. We paid the additional MXN $15 to be permitted to take photos in the courtyard.
Porticos, Museo de Arte, Querétaro
They currently have an exhibit of work by contemporary Mexican painter, Carlos García de la Nuez there, and we both really enjoyed it. He uses mixed media to cover huge (10' x 10'?) canvases, but unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos of those works.
I can show you some of the details of the architecture though.
Inside the Museo de Arte, Querétaro
All the faces of lining the courtyard are different; they do not repeat.
Inside the Museo de Arte, Querétaro
However, they all terminate at the bottom in this single-leg and foot ornamentation.
Inside the Museo de Arte, Querétaro
We then moved on to the Museo Regional de Querétaro. The admission there is normally MXN $30, but it was free today because it was Tuesday. Again, we paid the few pesos extra to be allowed to take photographs inside the museum.
Hallway, Museo Regional de Querétaro
I wanted to go there because they supposedly have the table on which the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo was signed. Unfortunately, we were not able to find it anywhere in the museum, and it looked like a huge section had been closed off. We did find the desk where the orders to execute Emperor Maximilian were signed.
Poor Max Was Bound to Die
Tonight, we are hoping to go out to either Bangkok Mex Thai, or Chino Lung Xing (Blvd. Bernardo Quintana 110). The former only has photographs of the food items online, no real menu. If it turns out they do not offer any vegetarian food, we will try to get to Lung Xing, because we've read online that they have vegetable dishes with tofu. I'm not holding my breath in either case.
Posted by crispy at 02:38 PM | Comments (2)
April 28, 2008
Querétaro: Part One
Chris and Shawn at the Hotel Quinta Santiago, Querétaro
The ride from Guadalajara on the bus was pleasant enough. We both slept off and on for most of it. The films were Rush Hour 3 and Monsters, Inc. The former was subtitled yet still unwatchable, while the latter was dubbed, much to my annoyance, for previously mentioned reasons.
Our cab from the bus station to the Hotel Quinta Santiago cost us MXN $37 (about USD $3.54) and took about 20 minutes. We were delighted to find that the hotel room was huge and quite comfortable. We took a few moments to figure out where we wanted to go with the help of a handy free map they had in the lobby, and then we struck out to get lunch and a feel for the area.
Shawn Surveillance, Querétaro
In mere summaries and snapshots, I fear that one Mexican colonial town comes across as identical to all the others. It is hard to convey the subtle differences that exist between each of them with a hastily put together collection of photos with brief notations. Querétaro seems to me like a composite of Morelia and Guanajuato. Like Morelia, the public areas around the center are spacious, yet like Guanajuato, they seem somehow more gussied up for tourist consumption.
There are the requisite plazas, with beautifully manicured trees and walkways.
Jardín Guerrero, Querétaro
Yet just a few blocks off of these, one quickly comes to the Mexican equivalent of row houses along old cobblestone streets.
Street Scene, Querétaro
Doors range from the simple to the ornate, but there is always an artistic touch.
Door, Querétaro
I especially liked this one...
Door, Querétaro
...because of the stone birds above the doorway.
Detail of Door, Querétaro
There are the statues, like this one dedicated to Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, aka La Corregidora, a conspirator in the Mexican struggle for independence against Spain.
Monument to La Corregidora, Querétaro
She is elevated on a tall pedestal, flanked by eagles resting on cannons that are draped in what look to be flags.
While looking upon this monument, Shawn made the observation that there are so many women throughout history that played crucial roles in freeing their societies, only to have their gender given the shaft by the male-dominated governments that they helped to establish.
Monument to La Corregidora, Querétaro
One occasionally runs across something that just seems odd. I sometimes find out after-the-fact that these things seem funny because I don't understand what is actually being said or I do not know some secondary meaning for a term. This tends to give Mexican readers of my blog no end of fun in ribbing me.
In this case, I understand the word la moraleja to mean "the moral," as in "the moral of the story is..."
La Moraleja Parking, Querétaro
Maybe one of my Mexican readers can set me straight as to why this isn't as odd as it would seem to someone not in the know.
Many times, the things I remember about a specific city are images that are not intended to be artistic, but they achieve a certain accidental beauty that stays with me even after I've forgotten which statues of whom are in which parks in whatever cities. These are things that never seem to come across properly in blog entries or flickr albums.
A Mona Lisa for our times, Querétaro
This is a wall that was originally painted a certain shade of yellow, but has subsequently acquired a patchwork of other shades as graffiti and cracks were painted over through the years.
Yellow Mural, Querétaro
Running the length of half the block, this wall is an unintentional mural of chromatic minimalism and abstract expressionism, akin to that of Josef Albers...
Yellow Mural, Querétaro
...or Mark Rothko.
Yellow Mural, Querétaro
Sometimes it is just a face in a crowd that strikes me, and the moment is horribly poignant because I know, unlike all the tourist attractions that I can visit time and time again on return trips to any given city, I will probably never have the chance to see it again.
Cutie, Querétaro
Sure, the haircut, the shoes, or (as in this case) the pants might make me laugh a bit.
Cutie, Querétaro
Yet I cherish these snapshots among all those of the monuments, buildings and landscapes that I take in our travels across the country, because the people are the most beautiful part of Mexico.
Posted by crispy at 10:54 PM | Comments (2)
April 27, 2008
Querétaro: Prologue
Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro
Shawn and I have decided to take a trip next week to visit the nearby city of Santiago de Querétaro, in the state of Querétaro.
Founded in 1531, the city, usually referred to simply by "Querétaro," is the state capital. In Mexican history, it is famous for being the place where Emperor Maximillian was executed and for being the capital of the country during the Mexican American War, when the United States invaded the republic and took Mexico City in the Battle of Chapultepec. More recently, it is renowned for being one of the cleanest cities in Mexico, and in 2007 was ranked as the second-best place to do business in Mexico, according to América Economía magazine. In all of Latin America, they ranked it fifth, just ahead of Miami at #6.
We always want our first stay in an old Mexican town to be in or near the historic center. Since we do not have a car, it is easiest to stay within walking distance to the sites and museums. On the other hand, it's the hot season here in central Mexico, so a place with air conditioning is preferable. Often the hotels in the centro are historic landmarks and cannot be modified, so many do not (and cannot) have air conditioning. Luckily in Querétaro, there are a few options that satisfy both criteria.
The first place we considered was La Casa de la Marquesa, a stunning property that is ranked #1 on Trip Advisor.
The main problem with La Casa de la Marquesa is the price. The property has cheaper suites (USD $108 per night – USD $127 with tax), but these are reported to be in a second building that serves as sort of an annex to the main hotel. I have read reviews that say the charm of the second building is lacking, as is the service in that section of the hotel. Besides, a big part of staying in La Casa de la Marquesa is the historic appeal, and only the main structure is part of the legend: a Spanish marquis supposedly fell in love with a beautiful nun who could not return his love, yet as a last gift, she asked him build an aqueduct to provide water for the city and the most beautiful house in the city. Why exactly a nun would be concerned about having a beautiful house built for her that she couldn't live in doesn't make any sense to me, but that's how the legend goes.
To be in the main building, one must book the higher priced rooms, a Royal Suite (USD $180 per night – USD $211.50 with tax) or and Imperial Suite (USD $245 per night – USD $288.00 with tax).
It should be noted that these prices are at odds with the published rates on the web site, and have been obtained by doing an actual search for a room through the reservations interface.
That was considerably more than we wanted to spend, even though the hotel does look beautiful and luxurious. Yet in a city where one can find accommodation for under USD $100 per night easily, it should be possible to find something in-between that offers some of the modern conveniences we wanted as well as a good location.
We then considered two other hotels, Hotel Quinta Santiago and the Mesón Santa Rosa, ranked at #2 and #5 in popularity on Trip Advisor. While their web sites offer some information about the amenities, we had to have Charles call to nail them down on the availability of the services we wanted and the room rates.
Both are in the historic center, and both have air conditioning in the rooms, but it turns out that the Mesón Santa Rosa only offers air conditioning in some of the rooms, and one has to specifically request that when making a reservation. I tend to be wary of such special requests being noted on the hotel reservation, and I am afraid of arriving at the hotel only to find that they do not have a room with the thing I particularly asked for.
That alone made me a bit hesitant to go book a room at the Mesón Santa Rosa, but their accommodations look a bit nicer, and all the rooms have bathtubs, a feature that Shawn looks for when we stay in a hotel. On the other hand, the Hotel Quinta Santiago has not only air conditioning in all the rooms, but it also has Internet access in the rooms, which is something that I look for when we stay in a hotel. The Mesón Santa Rosa has wireless Internet access only in the restaurant and bar. The Hotel Quinta Santiago offers a continental breakfast, included in the room rate, whereas the Mesón Santa Rosa does not. Both were about the same cost for their standard rooms – MXN $1,258 (about USD $120) at the Hotel Quinta Santiago and MXN $1,292 (about USD $124) - so it came down to the features of each.
In the end, the in-room Internet access, guaranteed air-conditioning and continental breakfast included won out over having a bathtub. Of course, when we arrive, we may find the Internet access in the room to be slow, the air-conditioning to be barely functional, and it's a given that the continental breakfast will be nothing to write home about.
To get there, we booked tickets on ETN, our favorite bus line. It is, after all, "la línea más cómoda." Instead of having four seats per row (two on each side of the aisle), they have only three, and they are wider and cushier than most regular seats. They give you a little bag with a ham and cheese sandwich and a Coca-Cola® brand soda of your choice when you board the bus, and they usually have movies during the trip that do not make you want to gouge your eyes out. The cost of the tickets was MXN $366 per person, each way, or about USD $35. The drive will take about four and a half hours.
Once there, we hope to visit the Museo del Arte (Ignacio Allende, #14), and the Cerro de las Campañas, the site of Maximilian's execution. It is now a national park, complete with a monument to Benito Juárez, a museum dedicated to the siege of Querétaro, and a chapel, built posthumously by Maximilian's family.
We will surely check out a few other things of historic and cultural interest, but we still have to do a bit of research yet.
Our Lonely Planet guide to Mexico reports that there are two vegetarian restaurants in town: Restaurante Ibis Natura (Juárez 47 Norte) and Restaurante Vegetariano Natura (Andador Vergara 7). We'll have to see if they are still open when we get there.
One can view a map of the Centro Histórico and all the main tourist attractions online. as well as the municipal web site and a site providing tourist information in English.
Posted by crispy at 05:30 PM | Comments (0)
April 22, 2008
Brenda Martin Sentenced to Five Years
The Canadian woman I wrote about earlier for being held in a Mexican prison for two years without being given a trial has been found guilty of accepting illicit funds and sentenced to five years.
No further explanation was given by the judge in his oral statement as to why he reached a verdict of guilty.
A few days ago, news sources were reporting that Canada had cut a deal with Mexico to immediately be extradite her if she were found guilty, but accounts subsequent to the verdict contradict this, citing a Mexican law that convicted prisoners must wait for a five-day appeal period before initiating an appeal or transfer process. Other stories report that the judge's entire 109-page verdict must be translated to English before she is taken to Canada because Correctional Services will have to determine how it will treat her. The reality, it seems, is that it will be between several weeks and several months before she could be released for transfer to Canada.
According to an article in The Windsor Star,
A source within the Mexican justice system told Canwest News Service that the judge's ruling was completed last Thursday, but was held for release until Tuesday afternoon. The ruling came down roughly two hours after Prime Minister Stephen Harper wrapped up high-profile trade talks in Mexico with presidents George W. Bush of the United States and Felipe Calderon of Mexico.
We wouldn't want some pesky civil rights case to sully trade talks, now would we?
Posted by crispy at 12:04 AM | Comments (0)