We loved the wonderful food of Puebla, Mexico, but this city had more to offer than just food. We walked a few blocks from our Airbnb to the Zocalo (a historic square in the center of the city) for a walking tour. Usually, a walking tour is the first thing we do in each new city as a way to familiarize ourselves with the historic sites. Then, in the next few days, we return to the museums and churches to…
Exactly four years ago, we retired, celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary, and launched ourselves into our nomadic lifestyle. But after two years of travel, we found ourselves quarantined in Argentina as the Coronavirus pandemic swept the world. After two months of confinement in our Argentinian apartment, we flew back to the U.S. on an American Embassy-sponsored flight and our South American travel abruptly stopped. We landed in Minneapolis, then went to Chicago for a year to live close to our…
Lucha Libre What defines Mexico? Some things that come to mind immediately are Tequila, Mezcal, soccer, tacos and Mariachi music. However, there is a popular sport in Mexico that also defines the culture and that is Lucha Libre. It is literally translated as “free fight” but in Mexico, it means “wrestling”. We are not fans of wrestling, but our son who was visiting us in Mexico City had been a fan of wrestling when he was a child. We thought…
Sunday is an amazing day to be in Mexico City. Everyone is out and about — sitting in parks, eating with family, and generally enjoying the day. It’s a great day for people watching and strolling through the Zócalo. The Plaza de la Constitución, known as the Zócalo, is Mexico City’s most well-known landmark and plaza. Zócalo means ‘base’. In its early years (around the year 1629), there were plans to build a large monument in the center (base) of…
An amazing phenomenon takes place in Mexico every year and we were fortunate enough to witness it–the annual migration of North America’s monarch butterfly from the U.S. and Canada to the mountainous, cool forests of Mexico. We visited the Reserva de la Biósfera Santuario Mariposa (The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve), located in a beautiful forest two hours from Mexico City. We reached the colony of butterflies after an hour and a half steep uphill trek and 2,000 feet climb from…
After 6 weeks in the United States, we’re back on the road. First stop: Mexico City. We arrived on the 28th of December without a hitch. We’re getting better at shuffling through long lines and crowds. At the start of our adventure 15 months ago, we each had two suitcases and a backpack for our laptops. Later, we reduced the number of suitcases to three total and during our stay in the states, we discarded more items. We are now…
After 13 months, 4 countries, 12 cities and 16 different apartments, we have returned home to the United States to spend time with our family and friends over the upcoming holidays. We felt bittersweet leaving South America and Mexico but are excited to see our family and friends. For the next 8 weeks, we will be traveling in the U.S. before we begin year two of Never2late4adventure. We arrived in Miami last week and drove to Nokomis, FL to spend…
We extended our stay in Guadalajara, Mexico so that we could experience Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) which is celebrated on October 31, November 1 and 2. This holiday is one of Mexico’s most important events of the year and honors those who have died. According to tradition, the souls of people who have died visit their families at this time. We were impressed by the large number of events and parades celebrating Día de Los Muertos…
The Jalisco Ballet Company has performed El Lago de Los Cisnes (Swan Lake) every year for the last three years and we were fortunate to be able to attend this year’s performance. This production is unique because the ballet is performed on a lake. There is a small lake in Parque Metropolitano and the stage and set were built on the lake close to the shoreline. Seating, music, and lighting were installed onshore. The lake and park backdrop made the…
Every October 12th, Guadalajara and the state of Jalisco celebrate the pilgrimage (romería) of the Virgin Mary of Zapopan from the Cathedral to the Basilica of Zapopan. The 5-mile pilgrimage is both a festive and solemn celebration consisting of prayer, music, and dance. The faithful walk along the pilgrimage route praying to the Virgin for everything from good health to a good harvest and this year, over 2 million participated in the pilgrimage including artisans, dancers, and Catholics from all…