Guanajuato

Before flying home in mid-December Shannon and I spent a few days in the colonial mining town of Guanajuato.

From the rooftop of our hotel with the University on the left

And the Plaza de la Paz down below

The hilltop monument known as the Pipila honors miners

A funicular carries people up for 25 pesos

This is the view from the top:

 

One day we had a beer at the bar on the upper left

And some views of the fascinating colorful cubes that make up the hillsides of Guanajuato

This is the Teatro, down on the main drag

The Teatro has interesting fire escapes

One of the stairway approaches to the Pipila includes this narrow section called the Alley of Kisses.  Shannon is blowing one to me.

The Hotel Castillo Santa Cecilia is a curiosity

Back at the Plaza de la Paz decorations were in place for Christmas

México Redux --NOV/DEC 2016

 

San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato state, México 

The Parque Central, directly across from the church.  Due to the elderly nature of ex-pat inhabitants in SMA, that first line of benches is known irreverently as Death Row.
 

Abuelito Bo's apartment at the Hotel Posada la Fuente

¡Los Colores!

First thing in the morning, Café!

I love the COLORS of México.

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We were in SMA over Thanksgiving and attended a large dinner gathering at the Frontera restaurant with Bo and his friends, including Jade, the colorful Canadian physician to my right in this pic.

Bo's friend Norma (on the left below) took us all to Dolores, Hidalgo for a lunch of carnitas.  Carnitas come from the kitchen in this large vessel:

We had a lot of relaxing time in the parks and church yards of SMA, including Guadiana Park near the hotel.

Another friend of Bo's, Ellen Snyder, took us on several excursions, including a visit to Querétaro, where we saw the room in the convent where Emperor Maximilian spent his last days before facing the firing squad, 19 June 1867.

It is a large city but has a very walkable historic center.

 One of Querétaro's most striking features is the early 18th century aqueduct that traverses the valley.

Back in SMA Shannon and I did a lot of walking, hiking up to the Centro Comercial (the Mall) and to this overlook among others.

At one mirador we saw this brilliant Vermilion Flycatcher

Did I mention that we LOVE the colors of México?

Part Four - the Return From Alaska

Shannon and I flew back to Vancouver through Seattle, spent the night and drove east in our popup camper across British Columbia into Alberta, where we explored Jasper and Banff Parks.

Mount Edith Cavell and Angel Glacier, Jasper Provincial Park

Lake Louise, overrun with tourists

Banff, with Mt Rundle overlooking the town

After a night at the luxurious Blackfoot Hotel in Calgary we then returned across the US border into Glacier NP.

Black bear munching at the roadside

The fine clear weather that had blessed us so remarkably at Denali then turned sour: rain, sleet, hail and snow chased us out of Glacier and south toward Yellowstone.

Mammoth Hot Springs on a cold, cold day

Tatanka

Undine Falls

The crowd waiting faithfully for Old Faithful to show

Beehive Geyser was a better display

The weather added drama to Geyser Basin views

Sunset over Yellowstone Lake

After a few nights camping we headed south again, passing through Grand Teton NP.

We spent one night at Dinosaur National Monument before continuing east to visit my daughter Amelia and her family outside Ft Collins CO, and then one final night of camping at Lathrop State Park before arriving home again.

Spanish Peaks in the background

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!