Settling In

GRAND VIEW FROM THE TERRACE

It's been a busy week here at Lake Patzcuaro.  Time to update my blog!

Last Sunday (the 7th) I had a lovely mid-day dinner at Lupita's, which many people say is their favorite restaurant in Patzcuaro.  In the open-air courtyard I was served delicious trout coated in dill sauce, rice, and asparagus, with a bottomless cup of good coffee. A splurge - with tip it set me back about $9.30. I balanced it out later with tasty street food tacos ($.35 each).  Here's the happy diner in Lupita's:

Later I explored the town some more and especially enjoyed the fascinating Casa de los Once Patios (House of the 11 Patios),  formerly an 18th-century convent, now housing craft studios in multiple courtyards. 

A Main Courtyard

Doorway on a Balcony

Bathing Pool

Detail of Another Door

Another Courtyard.  How's this for a Christmas Poinsettia?

Musician along a path

View over the rooftops to the mountains

The main square in Patzcuaro is Plaza Quiroga, named after Don Vasco de Quiroga, who because of his reputation as a protector of the Indians is venerated as a saint in some communities in Michoacan to this day.  Here's his statue in the plaza:

The plaza is surrounded by handsome colonial buildings with arcades, where you can eat dinner or leisurely sip coffee:

 

Monday the 8th was the Feast of Our Lady of Good Health, whose basilica stands on a hill above Plaza Quiroga.  There were colorful dances in front of the basilica:

Turkish Dancers

Dancing Giants

Los Viejitos (The Little Old Men)

A large band played in the courtyard for most of the day - so some players were tired:

Dreamy Trombone Player

Ladies in their finest outfits were in attendance:

In the evening, after a mass in the basilica, a procession wove through the town, making its way to Plaza Quiroga:

Nuestra Senora de Salud

Under one of the plaza arcades I had been listening to a wonderful group of guitar-playng singers:

A few of the singing guitarists.

They were excellent players and singers; a highlight of the day for me.

All day rockets had been shooting into the sky and exploding, and the festivities ended with a colorful display of pyrotechnics - shot up right from the square, with glowing embers landing among the crowd.



Tuesday the 9th I finally got to move to my casita in Arocutin, about 10 miles outside of Patzcuaro on the road that circles the lake.  It felt great to get unpacked and settled into this beautiful place with amazing views.  The pic at the top of this post is from the terrace above my little house.  From my own balcony, these are the views, from top to bottom, looking north, northeast and east:

So this is what I get to look out at morning. noon and night - sitting at my desk, reading in the rocking chair, eating my meals, even lying in bed.  And here's the interior of my little house:

The living area (with a futon couch for guests) in the foreground and kitchen in the background, taken from a position by the dining table, which sits in front of a large window.

The bedroom has a queen-size bed from which I can look out a front window, and if I lie at an angle I can look out the window behind the bed and see the stars at night.

The large shower stall has hand-painted tiles of local birds and butterflies.  It's chilly here in the morning, so I aim that black gas heater right into the stall.

My landlady is Georgia Conti, an American expat who's a professional birding guide.  She's a wonderful person and has been very helpful in getting me settled in and learning about the area.  We've already taken a trip to Morelia together (which I'll post about later), and I think we'll get along just great.

It's been a foggy morning here as I've been working on this post.  Uploading pics to this site has taken a long time and it's now almost noon and getting sunny, so I'm going to call it quits for today.  Still lots to tell you about this past week, but that will have to wait - and I probably won't post as many pics.  And I'll try to post more often and not get behind!