Girls Day Out

For all of you following my blog in Canada, you will pleased to know that it is cold today in Guanajuato. I had to wear a jacket all day and this evening, I had to layer.

After a delicious breakfast at Casa Zuniga, we made our way to the Jardin district to meet the other three Canadians, Mary, Jan and Janie. The five of us booked into a three hour tour with Augustino, which included several stops along the way. One more woman, Diane from San Diego, joined us and then a red van with no door handle picked us up and we made our way out of Guanajuato City Centre.

Sisters Jan and Mary shop in the Jardin before the tour starts.

Our first stop was at the Alhondiga de Granitas, a very significant local place. Once a granary, it was under siege during the Mexican war of Independence, and still has bullet holes in its walls to mark that time. Later, it became a prison, but now it is a museum. We did not go in, but we enjoyed hearing about its history.

The five Canucks in front of the San Cayetano.

Sue shops at the silver store

Next we stopped at l'Eglesia San Cayetano, which had been funded primarily from the riches of the silver mine nearby. The gold plated altarpieces inside are spectacular! Across the road, we were all given the opportunity to shop for silver jewelry. That was fun!

Augustino at the silver mine

Just around the corner, we entered the grounds of the silver mine. Augustino showed us photographs of its history, and we were given the chance to descend into an area that is no longer used for mining. (Large parts of the mine are still active.) We were amused by the old-fashioned saloon style bar, so much so that we all posed as we leaned up against it. We also liked the two statues of peeing miners, although one of them had a very slow stream. Must be an old guy.

Cosying up to the bar

Augustino gave us a choice for our next stop: the Mummy Museum or the Museum of Instruments of Torture. Tough decision! Since we had already seen a mummy at the mine, we opted for the latter option. As it turned out, our guided tour was entirely in Spanish. We were in big trouble when it became apparent that, of the entire group, I am most fluent in the language - and I speak about 20 words. Needless to say, we did not catch everything, but one thing we did learn is that the Guillotine was invented by the Spanish, not the French.

A monk from the Spanish Inquisition explains how to torture people.

Heading back to the centre of Guanajuato, we found ourselves underground often. The city has a warren of tunnels, some going back to the 1800s. It is very cool. I do not think I have ever seen such a system anywhere else.

Houses above the tunnels

All this touring had definitely worked up an appetite, so we said goodbye to Augustino and our driver, Antonio, outside the Diego Rivera House Museum, which we visited AFTER we had a light lunch at the Frida and Diego restaurant.

A Diego Rivera piece.

Back in the Jardin area, we visited the old hotel where our friends are staying. From the rooftop terrace there, we could the funicular and Casa Zuniga. Soon we were back in our room for a rest before dinner.

View of the Funicular

Dinner at Las Mercedes

Dinner had been reserved weeks before. My sister had highly recommended Las Mercedes, so we took a taxi there and met with Mary, Jan and Janie for another meal together. It was delicious!! Afterwards, we headed back to the centre of town to follow Los Estudiantinas as they led large groups through the alleyways of the city. This is a unique Guanajuato practice that was very fun to be part of. As Sue says, "These are such passionate people."

Les Estudiantidos (aka Les Callejoneadas)