Day 3 11.1
Morning coffee up top with the bell. Loved it!
We had reservations to take a free historic tour of the square this morning. Bridget stayed back in the Villa to work, so it was just the four of us. Our poor guide was so knowledgeable & spoke for 90 minutes about the violent history of Merida….but he spoke it first in Spanish, then would have to repeat it in English. He didn’t tire & we all tried hard to pick out any Spanish word we knew. The buildings that surround the square contain so much of the Mayan then Spanish then Mexican history…I was fascinated!
After the tour, we split into groups of two & Sherri & I walked around looking at other old buildings, taking photos & exploring.
One of the oldest buildings in Merida.
We peeked inside one of the churches.
Another altar.
A local told us about the Mayan market.
More Oaxacan art.
One of several altars we saw celebrating Hanal Pixan (Day of the Dead).
Then we went back to the Villa to chill out for a bit & play in the lovely pool. After our afternoon siesta by the pool, Sherry & I walked to find another market she knew about & to find some lunch. The Mexican’s here in Merida, eat big breakfasts & lunches, then small dinners…usually leftovers. By the time we got to the market, around 1:30 or 2:00, every place at the market was closed. We just walked around the neighborhoods, looking for food, but it was eye candy getting a look at all the buildings & life in Merida.
All the yellow!
So many colorful buildings here!
The streets…we walked so much while here. Some streets we walked a lot, but everyday there were new streets we explored. I loved this part!
We finally found a chicken place open. Most all of the businesses, whether food, convenience store, shop, etc. is a big concrete block with an opening in front & no windows inside. So, as you stroll the streets, you don’t know whats behind any door if it’s closed. It could be a Villa like ours, a Taqueria, any type of business, a home, etc. It’s just a wonderful lesson in making no judgements. So, we peeked in this kind of dark place. They had no sitting area to eat, but we immediately could see they were grilling chickens….& it smelled wonderful. We made our choice & bought 1/2 chicken which came with rice, salsa, lettuce & pickled onions & fresh corn tortillas. It was so efficient & the women were lovely. We took our lunch & walked the mile back to the Villa & Bridget took a lunch break & ate with us. It was fantastic! Such an unexpected find!
Don’t be jealous…we sat by the pool some more. I loved this day of activity, then chill, then repeat. So. Much. Fun! The three of us decided to go to a brewery for dinner across town. Bridget also loves good beer & Sherry found us a brewery. We took an Uber to downtown.
I had a stout & Bridget had an IPA….what became to us as an EEE-PA. That’s how it was pronounced…it sort of became a joke with us. The food was good, but not outstanding. Then we decided we’d walk to a cantina we’d heard about that was about 1 1/2 miles away. The street was deserted of people, but had plenty of traffic to make you feel safe. When we got to the cantina, there was a huge line outside. So, we kept moving.
We’d heard from a local there was a weekly Mayan dance tonight, so we walked to the square to see it. Unfortunately, it was packed & very hard to see any dancers. We could hear the music but left after a bit on our way to another cantina. It was too crowded too with a long unmoving line. We ended up in a ….believe it or not…a German Bier Garden. Pretty hysterical to find this near the square. The stout I ordered was local & decent.
It had been a wonderful day & a late night…we filled the day with fun. There had been a curfew here in Merida during Covid, but it is no more. We walked back to the Villa, & got back around 11pm.