Roadtrip! One of the things we love most about our stay so far in Mexico is the easy access to roadtrips, whether they be for the day, or an overnight.
Today, we decided to take the bus to the nearby city of Queretaro, about 90 minutes away. As always, the bus ride was a highlight. Super comfy seats, and a very relaxing way to travel. And, the bus station is a 15 minute walk from our house, so super easy access.
Upon arrival to the main bus station in Queretaro, we grabbed an Uber to head to the Centro area. Along the way, we saw the famous aqueduct for which the city is famous (and the aqueduct is the main logo for Queretaro).
Our first priority after arriving to Plaza de Armas was coffee and breakfast. We found a cute little cafe, enjoyed our coffees, and started to plan our day. There are tons of things to do and see in this city, and we have to choose wisely, as we are only here until our bus departs at 5:30p.
We visited some cool churches, including Parroquia of Santiago, which has a very cool display of ancient songbooks.
The Zacatecana House Museum is nearby, and home to an intriguing story of adultery, murder and ghosts. The museum has some great introductory videos (in English!), and amazing art, furniture and decor. Supposedly, the home is still haunted by the several deaths that occurred here. There was a room decorated with hundreds of crucifixes, and a room with dozens of antique clocks. We pretty much had the entire museum to ourselves, so it was nice to take our time and explore.
Our next stop was the going to be the Templo de la Santa Cruz. However, directly next door, we saw the Museum of Contemporary Art, and had to stop in for a look. Very cool.
Between the museum and the church is a pretty square, with a church and a huge former convent.
We took a tour of the Templo, but struggled to understand the student guide, who spoke very fast Spanish. Another guest on the tour provided a bit of English for us. The temple was a super important building for the region. The aquaduct delivered water to this building, which was then distributed throughout the city through a series of fountains. The building was first a monastery for Franciscan monks, then a convent for nuns. It is now a university. In one of the courtyards, there are plants that have fierce thorns that are in the shape of a cross.
After our tour, we walked out on the square and found this sign. Not sure what to make of this.
Across the street from the cathedral is an adorable, tiny little church.
Behind the university, at the edge of a hill, is a park that has an amazing view of the city of Queretaro. You can see how huge and long the aqueduct is as it cuts its way through this hilly city.
Walking back towards the Plaza de Armas, we saw the Museo de los Conspirators. This is where important members of the Mexican independence movement met to plan a revolution. We didn't understand any of it, but the painting and building was beautiful.
Like every other city in Mexico, there are tons of churches. They all tend to blend together after visiting so many of them. Around another corner, here is a church. Turn left, here is a beautiful square full of music and life.
Time of a quick lunch of enchiladas and limonada. Our favorite.
We found a very cool and unique museum, which when we initially found it, had no interest in visiting. But are we glad we did. The Museo del Calendario is just as it sounds - the museum of calendars. What a rich history of calendars. We had no idea. And, the artwork commissioned for calendars is incredibly impressive! We toured the museum with a Mexican gentleman who was so nice, speaking to us in English, and getting mad that there was not enough English language explanations. He was so sweet, and even asked us to take his photo as he stood next to an old calendar from his birth year of 1950. The museum was really great, and we loved the views from the rooftop.
Further south from the museum, we found . . . yes, more churches. And behind one of these churches was a recently discovered tunnel system that delivered water from the aqueduct throughout the city. Very cool.
OK. Enough walking. We are absolutely exhausted. So, we headed to the Plaza Constitucion and found a comfy park bench to relax and rest our feet. This was an amazing day in Queretaro, and we saw way more than we could have ever expected. A quick Uber ride to the bus station, where we boarded our double decker bus for our amazing seats in the front, with great views all the way back to San Miguel de Allende.
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