San Miguel de Allende is a town that's either loved or hated by ex-pats. It depends, as with so many things, on whom you talk to.
I had heard for many years that San Miguel was overrun by Americans and Canadians, that it was unbearable for that reason, that the prices were ridiculous and the city overrated.
During a visit here a couple of years ago, Travis was told by our friend Cristina to be wary of "contempt prior to investigation", this being a bit of advice we have since repeated to one another often.
And so we are here, investigating with open minds. We have rented a house. We have walked and walked and taxied and ridden the bus and driven about. We have gone into stores, eaten at restaurants, visited the Mercado Ignacio Ramirez and talked to the locals. There is still much to see and do and explore.
But so far, I must say, I come down on the side that does not hate San Miguel de Allende.
San Miguel is a feast for the eyes. Lush and green now at the end of rainy season, I am certain many more shades of brown appear in the landscape a few months from now. But there are big trees and rolling hills all around, as you can see in these views from the mirador above the Centro Historico.
Inside the city, eye candy abounds. This, La Parroquia, is actually San Miguel's parish church. Built originally in the 17th century, it once had a simple Mexican style. Then, in the late 1800's, along came the indigenous bricklayer and self-taught architect Zeferino Gutierrez, who, they say, created this absurd and delightful facade with the help of postcards and prints of European buildings.
It is even more astonishing at night.
The streets of San Miguel are cobbled and narrow. Somehow, cars manage to maneuver through. The driving is quite entertaining and not nearly as difficult as one would imagine. One reason for this is the courtesy of most drivers here, who cross intersections one car at a time from each street and who actually stop for pedestrians, a behavior I had yet to see in my Mexico travels.
Side streets and residential streets are often drop-dead gorgeous. The architecture here is old, stately, and (except for the Parroquia) simple. In the colonial style, house fronts hold little clue of what lies beyond.
Bougainvillea tumbles everywhere in delicious colors. Gardenias grow in pots and flower boxes, as do cacti and succulents and plants I've yet to learn.
Okay, there's a Starbucks. The workers are friendly and efficient, the mochas a treat. Here are the back door and the outside seating area.
A nice spot to sit and sip, as you can imagine.
San Miguel is deep with history.
The mercado isn't too small and isn't too large.
I had lovely chats with many of the vendors, including these young men who taught me (sort of) the card game they were playing, and the sweet flower vendor dressed as cheerily as her roses.
These are a few of my observations so far. There will, as you know, be more. I have a couple of hundred photos already, plus visits to take you on and stories to tell.
I'll leave it at this for now, with two more mouth-watering images and the hearty promise of more to come.
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