Have You Ever Wondered What Life is Like in Guadalajara, Mexico?
Have you ever wondered what life is like in Guadalajara? My friend, Elaine, has been living there for over 15 years. She returned to visit the United States many times but this is the first time I finally made it out to visit her exotic home state of Jalisco, Mexico. My vacation there and time with my friend wasn’t conducive to writing a blog post, but it certainly was an opportunity to take photos. So I would like to show you the pictures I took while Elaine escorted me all over town to see the sights. I hope you enjoy what I have to share!
What Life is Like in Guadalajara…
Departure and Arrival
My plane departed from Detroit Metropolitan Airport at 6 am and needless to say I didn’t get much sleep! After six hours of flight time, I arrived at Guadalajara Airport when it was still morning there.
After dropping my stuff off in Elaine’s apartment, we went to lunch at a wonderful cafe across the street called Saint Malo. We had avocado sandwiches on sourdough bread.
Then we went on right away to begin my tour of the town. On our way back to the apartment, we picked up some organic foods at a little gourmet grocery store down the street.
Tour of the Town
Here in the foreground is the Plaza Hidalgo. In the background, you can see the Guadalajara Cathedral built in the Spanish Renaissance style.
Horse and carriage rides are available as well as motorized carriage rides. They take you to see whatever you choose.
We went to see Elaine’s friend, Colleen, play in the brass band at the Plaza de Armas. Normally, they would play in the gazebo. But because of Covid, they are staying out in the open air on the plaza next to the gazebo. That way, everyone has more space all around.
A Quinceanera
As girls turn 15, they have a coming-of-age celebration called a Quinceanera. I previously wrote a book review on a romance that was centered around Quinceanera events HERE. This young lady was having a photo shoot in her Quinceanera dress in the gazebo in the Plaza de Armas seen above. She was so happy for me to take her picture! It must be a popular place to do this because I saw another girl in a white Quinceanera dress there as well.
More Walking Around Town
As Elaine and I walked around town, we saw beautiful blooms, both on trees and plants. The plant above is Mexican Milkweed planted by a gentleman at a mariposario (a place to raise mariposas, or butterflies) to attract Monarch butterflies. An article in the Guadalajara Reporter says:
“The butterflies look for these plants and deposit their eggs on their leaves. They only lay their eggs on this one kind of plant because the leaves contain a kind of poison. When the larvae ingest it, they too become poisonous all the way through to the adult stage. This is their defense against predators. In fact, the very colors of this butterfly tell us it’s poisonous: in nature, any combination of black and orange, yellow or red, means: Watch out! I’m dangerous.”
This is the Plaza Expiatorio with the Templo Expiatorio del Santisimo in the background. It is a famous Catholic Church dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament. Elaine is a writer and graphic artist (she’s in the hat with her dog, Luna, above) and wanted me to see this because of how beautiful it is. See the interior below.
The Templo Expiatorio is of neo-Gothic style and is considered the greatest work of its kind in Mexico. Its construction began on August 15, 1897 and ended 75 years later in 1972.
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- El hombre creador y rebelde de Jose Clemente Orozco
The Museo de las Artes Universidad de Guadajara (MUSA) features Jose Clemente Orozco’s famous mural (Photo from MusaMuseaDeLasArtes) as well as other exhibits as in the room above.
Swimming, My Favorite Thing to Do
One day, Colleen drove us out to the countryside to swim in the hot springs and see the waterfall. When we got there, we were disappointed to find that it was closed off due to an oil spill. However, we swam in a big pool and ate a picnic lunch there. This was the second time I went to a swimming pool and my version of the best vacation is swimming every day. So in the end, I was quite happy.
Home-Cooked Dinners
Elaine cooked dinner a couple of days while I was visiting. This is poached salmon, nopales (prickly pear cactus) and zucchini served with mashed potatoes and carrots. The appetizer is panela cheese with avocado and crackers. The jar holds Himalayan pink salt.
Sunday Church and a Concert
On Sunday, I attended Elaine’s church where she sings in the choir. Afterwards, we went to the symphony. Colleen works with the symphony and at the hall. We met her after the concert for lunch at Sacramonte, a restaurant on the patio outside the symphony hall.
Market Day
On my last day in Guadalajara, Elaine and I took an uber to the Panteon for a cemetery tour in honor of Day of the Dead. When we got there it was closed even though the newspaper had listed it as open. So we went on to go shopping in the downtown street markets, which was a very busy and colorful place.
Let’s Connect!
So what do you think about life in Guadalajara? Would you like to visit there? I would love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a reply below and start a conversation!
Like this post? You might also like to read “What Happens at a Yoga Retreat on the Sea?”
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Angie
This is a place I’ve never been to, so enjoyed reading your post and seeing your photos of the area. Thanks for joining us for Tell Us About.
Love your group theme on Vacations! <3
Looks like a beautiful place with so much to see and experience. I love the tradition of Quinceanera.
My friend Elaine absolutely loves living there and she’s right in the middle of the cultural area. My Spanish is very rusty, though, so I was quite reliant on her to help me through daily life there!
This was so interesting, partly because I was with Angie for most of what she describes!
The girl in the pink dress was elegant. It was humorous that she was wearing sneakers under the dress, the better to go up and down the stairs of the gazebo or kiosko. I don’t imagine she’d wear the sneakers for her actual quinceañera party however—this was the photo shoot before (or after) the big day.
A tiny correction: we never did get to the famous Sacramonte restaurant, but did eat after the symphony at a pretty cafe (behind Angie in her second photo) attached to Teatro Degollado and overlooking the Plaza de Armas and cathedral, shown in her third photo at night.
Thanks for an interesting post.
Elaine
Hi, Elaine – You were a wonderful host/hostess and so much fun to be with during this visit! Thanks for explaining the outdoor cafe in front of the symphony hall. Their food was delicious! – Angie
Wow, what a fantastic trip, Angie! I have not spent much time in Mexico, though I have a long time friend from my days in NYC who moved to San Miguel de Allende that I hope I will get to visit some day. Decades ago, my cousin’s best friend went to medical school in Guadalajara, and he loved it there. Your photos were terrific, and you got to do so much! I’m jealous
I got a great deal on the airfare; you might too if the prices haven’t gone up too high yet since last year’s lockdown. I’m glad I finally made it there and it was so great to reunite in person with my long-time friend. We enjoyed getting to know each other better and had a wonderful time. But I made my reservation for the time of year when the weather was perfect, right after the rainy season ended and not too hot. I hope you check out San Miguel de Allende. It sounds like a beautiful place! XOXO
Oh my goodness, what a fabulous trip, Angie! There is absolutely nothing like reconnecting with dear female friends in exotic places. Your photography and writing skills are extraordinary. I felt like I was with you!
Thanks so much, Kate! I’m so glad I was able to take you on a virtual journey with me. 🙂