Day 8, Sunday in Puebla
Sunday
And the full gallery of this day is here
Had a delicious breakfast in our hotel of fresh fruit, bread and huevos rancheros (the less said about the snooty waiter the better!)
The first part of our day in Puebla was spent browsing the many, many market stalls in the streets around our hotel, Calle de los Sapos and the Parian Market, also passing through the “street of sweets” although we weren’t brave enough to buy any of the strange looking sweets we saw there!
Calle de los Dulces
The Parian Market
Puebla is known for its Talavera Pottery and its everywhere!
We popped into the Capella de Rosario, which was absolutely incredible; OTT vernacular baroque, dripping with gold leaf.
... the exterior does not prepare you for what is inside
Venturing across the dual carriageway to find an old bridge which I’d marked up as a place of interest to visit, we didn’t quite end up at the pretty park I was expecting to find (looking at Google maps since I returned, we just had to go a few yards further north!), but we did instead find a cute little shopping centre courtyard with some beautiful murals and altars.
headed back into the market area near our hotel, stopping for a drink at this cute brightly coloured cafe, Milagros
Popped back to the hotel to drop off our shopping and back out again for more sightseeing when unfortunately the weather started to turn and we got caught in our first proper Mexican downpour.
(just before the rains!)
We made a beeline for a little bar called La Pasita but unfortunately lots of other people had the same idea and we couldn’t fit in through the door. Instead we took shelter in an alleyway with a few others, to put on rain clothes and brave the elements. We weren’t too far from the Casa de La Cultura, which houses the Americas’ oldest library, Biblioteca Palafoxiana. When we got there we found they were also running an altar exhibition/competition for Dia de Los Muertos, so we spent quite a bit of time there sheltering from the rain and taking many photos of skeletons!
I was in tears at the sight of this altar to departed pets, awww!
there were a few stalls selling skull/death themed stuff, so we couldn't resist the skelly monk chocolates
this one, dedicated to the artist Remedios Varos was quite special too
I assume many others were dedicated to famous Mexican residents but I confess not to know who they were
The library was small but so impressive, lots of beautifully carved wood, old books and globes.
By the time we left, it had stopped raining but the sky still looked threatening, so we decided to play it safe and visit some museums. Firstly the Museum of Miniatures, which was a tiny place in the lobby of a hotel, filled with models created by the curator, along with dressed fleas, toothpick carvings and many other tiny things. The rain started again, sounding so noisy on the roof of the museum, so we were happy to have shelter for a while!
toothpick carvings!
Just down the road was the Amparo museum, which was recommended for its rooftop terrace. It also happened to be free on Sundays, so we were ushered around the museum, which consisted of ancient artefacts from the various tribes who lived in the Puebla district.
not sure what this guy was doing but he looks fairly chilled
an Olmec head - Olmecs were one of the most ancient and revered tribes in Mexico
It had stopped raining by the time we got to the roof, so we checked out the impressive view from there but didn’t stop for a drink as the cafe looked a little basic and I was getting a bit peckish, regretting not trying the “esquites” (corn kernels mixed with chilli, cheese and mayo) that we saw people queuing for before the rain started.
Left the museum and braved a local cafe which was filled with families tucking into tacos al pastor (the Mexican equivalent of a kebab). I ordered a taco cemita, which was a small but deliciously soft bread roll filled with taco meat; and Rob, wanting something small, ordered a 3 cheese mollete, expecting the dumplings we’d tried in Oaxaca - instead he got a massive deep fried tortilla pancake oozing with cheese. I had to help him finish it off!
It was now that awkward inbetween time, with about an hour before dusk. Considered heading to the outskirts of the historic centre to find the Santa Muerte chapel but as we headed that way, the shops started to get more sparse and quiet and not knowing what the area would be like when it got dark, decided to turn back and visit the cathedral instead. A service was about to start however, so we only got to look into the entrance.
I remembered that there was a pulque bar I wanted to check out, then realised it was due to close fairly soon - the nature of pulque, a fresh drink made from the agave plant, which ferments as the day goes on, means that the bars open daytimes only. - so we managed to get there 30 minutes before closing and they served us a vat of gloopy liquid, I had coffee flavour and Rob had pineapple. Not sure if I liked it or not, it tasted good but there was something a bit “wrong” about it too, very slimy and with lumps of fermented stuff! We also had the fun experience of trying to chat to an animated local who spoke to us in part-Spanish, part-English and part-drunk!
Went back to our hotel to change for the evening and sit for a while, then went out for dinner, deciding on a colourful cafe called Milagros that we’d stopped at for coffee earlier in the day. The menu was simple but cheap and delicious, loved the kitsch decor of the cafe and the staff were friendly, so it was a nice informal way to end our day.
Th