San Miguel de Allende

After four days in Mexico City, I boarded a first class bus (Primera Plus) to head to San Miguel de Allende, a small, colonial silver city and artist colony approximately 3 1/2 hours from D.F. The bus service is inexpensive ($44 round trip), punctual, and very comfortable. Included in the price are large seats that recline, a small lunch, and movies. On the way out I saw "El Estudiante", a tear jerker, and on the way back I watched "A Time-Traveler's Wife".

The bus terminal is in a newer part of town. When I first saw the modern surroundings I was a bit nervous, but in the distance I could see the grand "pink church". I got into one of the three waiting cabs and within minutes arrived at my hotel, Casa Quetzal. Like all of the entrance ways in the city, Casa Quetzal is marked by only a small plaque on the exterior wall. But inside it was a tiny paradise: plants, flowers, terraces for eating and sunbathing, and a wonderful friendly staff. The hotel was in both Frommer's and Lonely Planet and it had rave reviews on TripAdvisor. I also got a great discount on my room, aptly named after Diego Rivera. 

How did I spend my days? I started with a luxurious, leisurely breakfast either on the terrace or delivered to my room. (Vacation, right?) Then, I would set out to explore. My first day I signed up for a cooking class that included a market tour and demonstration. The chef guided us through the market area, purchased ingredients for the snacks and appetizers he was going to prepare, and brought it all back to a Williams-Sonoma style kitchen to cook for the ten participants. Cheese, carnitas, gorditas, red and green salsa, avocados, hibiscus iced tea in Mexican blue glassware, frozen sliced cactus for dessert. Afterward, I walked with the chef to the pastry shop that he owns (Petit Four) and enjoyed a buttery assortment of cookies and biscotti.

San Miguel is a perfect city in which to lose oneself. It is completely walkable, safe, inviting. Many shop owners speak English, and are patient if you want to practice your stumbling Spanish. Some reviewers in guide books claim that the city has become too touristy, too much of a "playground" for Americans, and there is some truth to that.