Walking in Mazatlan

Only excitement for today was we took the laundry in to be done! And Bill got a hair cut. His cold is really ramping up - it will be a couple of days before he feels peppy again. Hopefully I don't catch it. 
Before I get started I want to answer a question about San Sebastian Day in Concordia – Saint Sebastian is/was the patron saint of athletes, and all soldiers. When Concordia was founded in 1565 it was called Villa de San Sebastian. San Sebastian is still the name of the church. And that’s about all I know about it.

Here's a map of our drive up the hill in red and our walk around town in blue. We were coming from the Malecon. Where the red and blue meet is the parking lot. Where the blue ends is the Plazuela Machado.  Please excuse the shaky lines - can't do any better. Actually I don't walk much straighter either. 

Believe it or not but we’ve had some time to just mosey around the Centro Historico in Mazatlan. Just enjoying and looking at things. A couple of days ago we were looking for parking lots in one area and ended up driving the road up to the hill just outside of downtown with all the antennas on it.

One of the pretty houses way up the hill.

A view of Olas Altas from up the hill.

Going back down the hill I caught a picture of this mural on a small house. I like the biplane flying over the city.

We didn’t see any directional signs on the roads up there. But I have a suspicion that at least once we were going the wrong way on a one-way street. The driver coming towards us up the hill didn’t look to pleased with us. Very narrow roads. We had to back up and pull over so she could pass us. 

Gave up on finding a parking lot so just went to our favorite lot right downtown and started out walking from there. This is a tile inset in the sidewalk in front of a spa.

The spa it is in front of.

Some graffiti we passed in our walk. There is some really spectacular graffiti here.

A memorial to Jack Kerouac on one of the buildings.

Kind of a translation:

"In memory of your time spent on these beaches.

' The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn'" The quote goes on to say "like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes Awww!"  Thank goodness for the Internet. 

A home with some different ornamentation on it.

We were actually walking this area because on the Art Walk Fridays - next one Feb. 7th -  a couple of the studios/galleries are in this area and we want to visit them the next walk. So we were trying to figure out where they were. We found them. To get to one of them we have to go up these steps.

This street Angel Flores is much photographed – so of course I had to photograph it too.  Looking towards town at the homes. Most of them have been restored and are lived in by Gringos.

Looking the other way from the bottom of the hill towards the ocean.

Down a block is a plaza with the Biblioteca Publico - Public Library.

A small café set up in the street. A couple of tables with tablecloths a few chairs and the cooking table. Judging by the apron the man in the shade is the cook.

This is a big building that is in the process of being restored. It used to be a fancy hotel. Looking at one side of it.

The side on the main street has a walkway with arches over the doors.

This is the other side – still doing reconstruction. I hope when it is done that some thing moves into it. Very pretty place.

Another building that could use some TLC.

Looking in through one of its windows. See the white pillars in there around the patio.

Another block and we stopped to read this sign. Interesting.

The building.

We soon found ourselves over at the Plazuela Machado - of course as it is one of our favorite places. This chorus was practicing in the music school when we first got there. Beautiful voices.

When we were near the school another day we spent quite a while listening to an orchestra playing.

We ate at Tramoya again. This is my Quesadilla de Cameron – shrimp. Very very good. Bill had a chicken Caesar salad again. Says its one of the best he’s ever had.

While there this band showed up. But no music only getting their pictures take in the gazebo.

And the cowboy with his rope was there again. After we finished eating we checked out the restaurant next door La Bohemia – Never realized how big it was inside. And very unusual. Way in the back the roof is just timbers and there is a big tree growing on top of it. The things hanging down the right hand wall are tree roots.

The whole inside lives up to its name. Raw brick walls, graffti, unusual art work. 

Over in the main plaza by the government building this table is set up. They check your cholesterol etc. And of course sell “natural” remedies.

After wandering and eating we had to go to the grocery store before going home. We went to Mega – today they had these cupcakes. Thought they were so cute. They also had more of the mouse cakes.

So that was the couple of days we had to ourselves last week. We also went across the street to the Torres where our friends are staying and Jackie cooked us a delicious meal of roast chicken and vegetables. Nice evening of visiting. 

And watched a couple of "okay" sunsets.
At home today it is in the minus minus degrees what with wind chills and all. The weather has gone crazy. And this is one of the warmest winters we've spent here.