Toluca diablitos – I guess I have a team
The drive from Angangueo to Mexico City is about 120 miles and takes about 4 hours. I had 2 more days before meeting my friend, CY, in Mexico City, and I did not want to have to leave at oh-dark-thirty to meet her flight at noon. I looked at places in between and chose Toluca, the capital city of the state of Mexico. My choice was made when I read about a place called the Cosmovitral, a converted Art nouveau…
Magical Monarchs
The main reason for choosing Michoacán was to visit the monarch butterfly sanctuaries. The season is November to March. I have vivid memories from my childhood of monarch butterflies and their caterpillar larvae feeding on milkweed. I think butterflies are magical, a feeling I shared with the Basha, who was like a gentle child around them. The town of Angangueo is the gateway to two of the sanctuaries. I booked a hotel in a neighboring town, Zitácuaro, that said it…
Pátzcuaro: Adventures and Food
The drive to Pátzcuaro started the adventure! Road closures, traffic diversions, and Google maps sending me into town on practical cart paths. Cobble stone alleys with axel-breaker speed bumps (topes). I am sure that at least 2 of the “streets” Google sent me on were one way, and not the way I was going! 😂 The middle of town, where my hotel was located, was a complete zoo of cars, horses, tour busses, motorcycles, and scooters. There was a HUGE…
Amsterdam v.2.0
Final Installment for this trip. Last stop – Amsterdam, again. I stayed in the same hotel as last time – Hotel Abba. It is a nice, small hotel near Museumplein with lots of public transit connections and only a 30 minute walk to Dam square. Reasonable price, comfortable rooms – the first stay I had a single with shared bath and a balcony, the second a double with a private bath and a balcony. They are friendly, will let you…
In Real Time: Why not? ¿Porqué no?
What are you to do when faced with an 8HOUR layover in Madtid? Check your hand luggage and go into the city! Of course. 😊 It took nearly an hour by metro, including the time.to.get lost while changing stations. But I set my goal for Puerta del Sol and I was off. From Puerta del Sol it is a short walk to Plaza Mayor, where the Basha and I have history. Involving sangria. Since I was up at 4am and…
Celebrating All the Tiny Wins
This is HARD. I am frequently overwhelmed, stuck, and feel incapable. However I am celebrating the “tiny wins” that I manage, whenever they occur. It seems silly, and it helps me to remember that I lived on my own, responsible for EVERYTHING in my life, for many years. And I can do it again. Bills – I have found most of the login information I need to continue to pay our bills on time. I never really thought about the…
My well-being is a house of cards
It has been 74 days since the Basha died. My brain seems to be coming back. I am remembering the Spanish that I’d learned. My phone and the computer aren’t as incomprehensible as they were before. I’ve even cooked for myself (a few times). I have been getting out and socializing with friends. I smile. I laugh. Sometimes I feel almost normal. Then, something out-of-the-blue will hit me and I’ll be falling all over again. Grief overwhelms me. I feel…
23March chilaquiles – Ocean Café & a surprise
On the recommendation of a friend, I went to Ocean Café on Agustin Arriola this morning for the “Chilaquiles Quest”. I was a little later than usual leaving today, but it turned out to be for the best. The classic car club had a first day of spring parade along the Malecón today. The one that got me to stop and pay attention was the Mystery Machine. All the owners/drivers were so happy to have people taking pictures of their…
Registro Civil and a Catch-22
It took 3 weeks for me to gather all the needed documents for the Registro Civil (equivalent to the County Clerk’s office). On 11Feb (23 days since the Basha’s death) with the documents (birth certificates and marriage license) and the CERTIFIED translations of all of them. They reviewed the documents and told me that all of the documents had to apostilled (certified as legitimate in the US) before they could be accepted. This is a problem. A good friend talked…
Death in a Foreign Language – Day 2
The Basha died on a Sunday. So the following day, Monday, my friends and I met Eva from the funeral home at the government buildings to wade through the paperwork. I was numb, and had forgotten virtually all the Spanish I’d ever learned, so having friends to guide me, and translate for me, was necessary and amazing. We went to the first office, and were told by the receptionist to leave our documents (birth certificates, marriage license) and go to…