Day two in Morelia the sky was blue and it was time to give the place another chance.
Kids and balloons. Lowe’s string broke two minutes after this picture. I chased the balloon for about three seconds before it was out of reach. Three more seconds and the tears began to well up in his eyes. Three more and the heartbroken sobs commenced. Three more seconds and out of the corner of my eye I saw three teens break away from their group and start running across the road. Lowe’s tears hadn’t stopped flowing by the time the three kids came back with the same balloon. We thanked them, but they just waved it off like it was nothing, and went right back to hanging out with their group. Nice.
We found this park across the street from Plaza Morelos. There was an amusement park as well, but only open on the weekends. No matter, the kids spent a full hour on this little merry-go-round contraption. Lowe told me later that it was his favorite ride ever. Strong emphasis on ever.
Nearby was the Museum of Natural History. We were walking slowly through the mansion, just following the kids along when they stopped in their tracks. We caught up and found them staring at a whole bunch of fetuses in jars. Yikes. They are in no way ready for that. Some fast talking and non-sensical answers as we hustled out of the room saved us from a month of nightmares.
This library is filled with nothing but ancient texts. Morelia is a college town, and I imagine this would be a pretty awesome quiet space to get some homework done.
We read that this building housed a photography exhibit so we thought we’d pop in. No people were inside, save for the six security guards standing around watching us stare uncomprehendingly at a strange series of photos. “Art” is not really our thing.
On this day a group of people maybe twenty large began a demonstration by blocking the main artery through town directly in front of the cathedral. They set up a couple of tents, parked their cars haphazardly around the road, put up two small signs, and began their sit-in. Not sure what the story with this bug is, but without the toys on top I would have guessed that it was going to be used as a giant torch. I have to say that I would have expected cops around here to be a little more on edge about this sort of thing, but nobody seemed to care at all, even as day two rolled around.
On our last morning we went up to the hotel roof to have breakfast. A cathedral view, white linens, waiters dressed better than I have in my life, and breakfast for four still only comes to twenty bucks.
It’s nice the poor can have such an opulent place to come beg forgiveness. Ouch.
We’re in Michoacán, which is pretty much cartel central, so I’m guessing that this pigeon was hung here as a warning to other pigeons.
Here’s what our kids enjoy most about a visit to a beautiful cathedral.
All right, so Morelia didn’t win us over. Something about it just didn’t click with us, and I don’t know what. I’m guessing we may have had a more favorable impression on the weekend, but we won’t know for sure this time through.
9 Comments on “Morelia”
Will (just turned 3 on the 13th) has the same VW baja bug Cars car.
Lowe has yet to see the movie. He says it is too scary. 🙂 He likes all the characters, though.
i just recently mentioned on my own blog that, for centuries, churches had the funds to build and decorate some of the most fabulous structures in the world. It’s why I love visiting and photographing them, even though I’m no longer a churchgoer, though my photos rarely do them justice.
In any case, those suckers are built to last, and who knows, maybe the believers enjoy their beauty even more than those of us who go mainly for the photo op. I hope so. I think it may be the case where you find the churches open all day, even when there seems to be no one around. The churches that are locked between services, probably not so much.
Yeah, I can appreciate religion for their architecture, but I have a hard time coming to terms with how it is all funded. And yes, I’ve always loved how churches are always open to the public. Unlike a museum, you never have to worry about opening hours.
We’ve heard over and over how you can go to the same beach towns in Mexico for years and they never change. That seems to be very different inland. We stopped in Morelia in December and it was beautiful, full of people just hanging out in the plaza and around the cathedral. Overall it had a good vibe for us. I’m not sure if it actually changed that much for Christmas or if the situation was just that much better then. We don’t watch the news either so I didn’t know there was a drug problem. By far the scariest thing in Mexico are the topes. We were on a motorcycle and it was hell. I can’t imagine how it must feel on your bus.
I’ve been following you guys for about 8 years or so and I have to say thanks. You planted a seed for me and it finally took root last year when we sold everything and took off on our motorcycle. It’s been a fantastic year for sure. We’re back home right now but just to regroup, visit family and possibly get a second bike. So, thanks! We owe you a beer for sure.
Thanks for the comment, Lori. It’s always nice to hear that we played some small part in another’s adventure. Glad you are enjoying yourselves on the road. Ali and I most certainly have a motorcycle adventure in our future, though it may have to wait a few years. 🙂
It’s funny you say that art isn’t really your thing, when you’re producing beautiful art every day with your photography. You are a very good artist and it shows. Love traveling from my couch through your lens with you and your family.
Thanks, Lisa. I guess I mean art in any sort of abstract sense. Hell, I doubt calling it abstract is even the right artistic term, but I’ll bet most people know exactly what I mean.
I love that the kids got Lowe’s balloon back. My son found the people of Mexico and other parts of Central America VERY helpful and kind. I agree that your photos are art. You should publish some coffee table books, region.