This would be the second shortest day of our trip (120 miles or 200 kms) as we wanted to arrive early in Guanajuato and enjoy the city.
We left at around 10am.
Our ride took us through the city of Hidalgo, MX where we were supposed to have lunch but unfortunately there was too much traffic and the police did not allow us to park the bike close to the main plaza so we decided to skip the stop there and go directly to Guanajuato and have lunch there.
The approach to Guanajuato from the north is amazing. The road (Ruta 110) is full of curves and the view of the city on the hills from afar is very nice. The main spectacles are the churches and the amazing colors of the houses.
Something I was not aware is that there is a maze of tunnels under the city called the Guanajuato tunnels which are a series of wide channels that extend under the city and help divert traffic away from the city centre. These tunnels were not primary constructed for traffic, but as a diversion for the Guanajuato River to prevent flooding to the early mining town. I was amazed how Bo with some help of a GPS that only worked now and then was able to work his way through this maze and take us to the hotel which was right in the center. We also had parking inside the hotel which we had to share with cars and we could only take the bikes out with two drivers moving the cars (more of that in tomorrow’s post).
Hotel Posada Santa Fe has a fantastic location and although a bit expensive by Mexican standards, I would recommend it just because of whee it is. Inaugurated in 1892, it offers a colonial type of experience in the historical centre. We were just in front of a garden and for the evening we had dinner in the outside patio where we were able to enjoy the mariachis and other street musicians that came around to show their art.
We had lunch at La Bohemia which has a view of the plaza from the first floor but we stayed downstairs. The food was good.
For $3, we took the funicular from the back of Teatro Juárez to the Monument to El Pípila on the mountains overlooking Guanajuato. It is a fast and entertaining ride straight up. The best part is watching the panoramic view of this beautiful city reveal itself. I would strongly recommend this if you are ever in this city. The views from the top and amazing and I specially liked looking down at the cathedral and the University next to it with its 83 steps which insures its students get an education and also a workout. The University was constructed during the 1940s from locally quarried granite. It has a gorgeous off-white color and a striking contrast to the red and yellow from the 16th century church adjacent.
We finished the day by taking a stroll through the city and enjoying mingling with the locals.
I have travelled extensively in Mexico and I would agree with a lot of people that say that Guanajuato is Mexico’s most beautiful city.
Make Life A Ride !
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