Parental Visit Chapter 1: Guadalajara

Yesterday Dad got in around 8 and we walked over to a restaurant that a guy on the plane recommended to Mom called La Vaca Argentina. It was a tasty steak place Argentinean style with a large wine selection. We each got different types of steak. I got ribs by accident because I didn’t know what the word meant, but it was all good. We also got a bottle of Mexican wine to fill up our giant wine glasses. The place itself was really pretty and had a great atmosphere. The highlight of the meal for me was the bread they served us (there’s not much in the way of good bread in Mexico) and the garlic olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip it in.

Today was my full day of playing tour guide to my parents, and I actually think we covered a lot of the good sites. We started off in the late morning by going down to the historic center so that I could show Dad the cathedral and take them to San Juan de Dios (the giant market). We walked through the cathedral and all the way down to El Cabañas at the other end of the historical center. I told Dad a lot of the same things I told Mom on Wednesday, including the story of San Guadalupe and how it ties in with the story of the birth of the Aztec god Huitzilopotli. When we got to the end of the plaza we took a right and checked out the market. Mom and Dad enjoyed looking around at all the things being sold but really weren’t interested in buying anything. I admit it can be overwhelming but it was funny how out of place they seemed in there. I picked out some coconut candies for myself and after doing a good circuit around the bottom floor we headed back to the plaza in front of El Cabañas for lunch.

After lunch we took a taxi to Centro Magno and I took Dad on a foot tour of my daily life. In Centro Magno we spent a good five minutes staring at the movie show times trying to match the Amercian and Mexican movie titles. Some things are direct translations (like Alice in Wonderland is Alicia en el País Maravilloso) and some things just don’t translate (The Blind Side = Un Sueño Posible). Then I took him to CEPE and La Sacra (which were both closed unfortunately) and, finally, back to my house. The whole family was sitting around the kitchen table so Dad got to see them all. Tere saw him and said we looked exactly the same.

Side note: Santiago, Pati’s brand new baby who was born on Thursday, was sleeping in a car seat on the dining room table. He’s so cute! He looked very peaceful but I’m sure he won’t always be that way. I can’t wait to see him awake and maybe hold him. I can’t believe how active this family is in life, if that makes sense.

After Dad’s visit to my house I walked him as far as the Laundromat where I had to pick up my laundry and then we parted ways for a little siesta.

We met up again at 5 at their hotel and I took them to Tlaquepaque. This is probably the most touristy area of Guadalajara, and for good reason. It’s super cute and colonial, it’s got some great artisan shops, and there is live mariachi music on Saturday nights! There were a ton of street vendors; a lot more than were there when I went last Monday, so there was a lot to look at. We wandered around for a while. We hit gold at a linens store where Mom bought table runner for herself and matching napkins and then some more stuff. It snowballed into a giant purchase but I think it was worth it.

After the success of that stop we went to a restaurant for a drink and some guacamole. I don’t know what the name of the place was but it had a great atmosphere. We sat in a colorful and festive courtyard which centered on a cute little fountain, and to top it all off, another table had hired a small band to play music for them while they ate and drank. It was delightful. Mom and I got margaritas and Dad got a beer and we sat there as the sun went down. We finished there around 8 and wandered around for another half hour or so before going to El Paría, a plaza where they put on a ballet folklorico on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons.

El Paría is an old building (built in 1827) with a giant courtyard in the center which is surrounded by a bunch of different restaurants. In the center of the courtyard is a gazebo where the performance took place. The night started off with a few different mariachi groups wandering between tables, playing for different groups. My favorite was a large group of mostly old people who just came into the square to hear the music and dance. They hired one of the bands and all got up and started dancing. It was so cute to see the old couples dancing together. Old love! After that the groups took a break for a while and the ballet started.

In this case, “ballet” doesn’t mean a bunch of people jumping around in tights and leotards; it was simply a performance of several traditional Mexican dances. They started off with dances from Veracruz and then did dances from Jalisco. I liked the Jalisco ones better because the girls had big skirts that they held out and flung around while the guys all had on big black sombreros and those colorful blankets slung over their shoulders. Once the dancing was over, a mariachi band went on stage and that’s about when we left.

I’m pretty much packed for this next week and ready to go. Tomorrow I’m meeting Mom and Dad in their hotel lobby at 9:30am and we’re getting on the plane to Cancun!! I’m so excited!!!! It will be so great to get to see another part of Mexico. Plus, I’ve heard from a lot of people that Tulum in absolutely beautiful and that I’m going to fall in love and not want to come back. We’ll see about that!