Afternoon in Guadalaraja - Part 2

After eating we got busy finding a hotel. There was one directly across from the parking garage so we went to check it out. US$35 for the night (the hour?) – clerk gave us a key so we could go check it out. One the third floor all walk up.  Hummmm here’s a picture of it. The small bed was as hard as the floor.

Didn’t stay there. There was another hotel down a couple of doors – a real nice one and less than US$50 a night. Gran Hotel los Reyes.

It was no smoking, had a rooftop bar (didn’t go up there) and a nice street level restaurant (ate breakfast there) and a king sized comfortable bed and TV.

The view of the rooftops from our window.

We decided to walk around the area a little. So we headed for the central market – called either Mercado Libertad or San Juan de Dios. I had to buy some kind of night wear. On the way there we passed this building that is in the process of being restored.

Then we came to the San Juan de Dios church. Would you believe in our many times in Guadalajara we haven’t been to this church? The outside of it.

According to a sign out front. When the city was founded in 1542 there arose a need for a place for the health and lodging of travelers and in 1557 a permit was granted for the foundation of the first hospital in the city. In 1606 it was taken over by the followers of Saint John. The need to enlarge the health and lodging service were the reason for the construction of the present “San Juan de Dios” temple, begun on May 3 1726 and finished in 1750.

It was very pretty inside. The main altar

A side altar.

The outside of the church. Lots of arches with lots of potted plants between them. The view is from a bridge crossing the street to the Central Market place.

One of the old thick wooden doors.

Next to the church was this building.

The metal mariachis on top of the building attracted demanded further investigation.

What we found was the Plaza de los Mariachis. A narrow street completely filled with outdoor cafes. A big stage in the front. Every evening except Monday at 9:30 p.m. musicians gather here to play traditional songs and corridos (ballads.)

But we still had to get to the market. Just a side street we passed on the way.

We climbed the stairs to the overpass walkway into the market. We’ve never come in from this side before and we found ourselves in an area of restaurants. Each restaurant had a person who tried to talk us into stopping there and eating. Then down the stairs to the main level of shops. Walked through them to the center of the market place. We never pass through here without remembering Gil’s infamous bloody nose of thirty some years ago. To read about that click on this link http://www.movingon1.com/guadalajara.html

Bill stopping to watch two men play a game of chess.

Some of the produce in the market. Got some tangerines to snack on later.

Don’t have a clue what these are. The women selling them told us but still don’t know. We did understand that they came off one of the trees growing in this area.

From there we went up the stairs to find the clothing section. Finally settled on a white embroidered dress to wear as a nightgown that night. Hand embroidered and it cost 150 Pesos or about US$11.00 – its really pretty but the material is so thin you can see right through it. Do they even sell slips anymore?

By then we were both ready to head back to the hotel for a while – Guadalajara is over 5000 feet in altitude so it takes some getting used to when walking.
We went out just before dusk and walked around the Historic District. Had a great time. Read about it later.

More about our really nice evening on the town later.