Travel With Betsy

Another banner day here in San Miguel! I realized as I was walking around today that my experience here has been a treat for each one of the senses. Every day I see bright colors, smell extraordinary scents of food cooking, flowers, etc., taste incredible and varied flavors, touch interesting fabric textures as I look through the shops, and hear music from all different kinds of sources…sometimes all at the same time! I haven’t had this much stimulation in years! I’m liking it. The other thing I’m liking is that this is the low season here, which means fewer people, which leads to better service and special attention.

I told you in my last post that I was going to check out the tasting of local wines and then head to a concert at the Biblioteca. I did both and managed to fit in dinner as well. It was quite a night……followed by another fun-filled day.

Around 5:30 last night, I moseyed on over to the wine bar. It is located in an upscale hotel that is pretty close to where I would attend the concert. So, I figured I would taste wine and if I could still walk (HA!), I would go on over to the concert. What an interesting experience.

First, I was the only person in the bar. (Low season….remember?) So, I had the full attention of the Sommelier, German, who was beside himself at the prospect of sharing his wine with someone who works at a California winery. He was an interesting character in his own right. He knows a lot about wine and about business. He has a degree from Texas A & M in business and spent some time in Australia getting some sort of a wine certificate. I was pretty impressed. He talked about the lack of opportunities in Mexico for someone like him and hoped he could get to California to continue his wine education and work in some of the wineries. I hope he is able to do this. He hopes I will be able to help him….not possible. But, interesting…

For those of you who are winos like me, here’s a small review of what I had. All of the wine except for one was made in the Baja area of Mexico. The exception was made in France near Toulouse. German explained that even though the grapes came from France, the wine was made by Mexicans living in France. I guess that’s how they are able to categorize it as a Mexican wine. HMMMMM…… Not sure I am buying that one!

Anyway, the Baja region is the most developed of the wine regions here in Mexico and so, in German’s opinion, produced the best wines. There are some wines here that are more local, but German said I would be disappointed in them. So, Baja wines it is! I found all of the 6 wines he poured to be quite good. Some, of course, I liked better than others. But, much to my surprise, all were very solid. I had a Sauvignon Blanc and a Chardonnay for whites, in addition to a Carignon Blanc that was blended with Maccabeo, a grape that I have not heard of. At Adelaida, we grow Carignon, which is a red grape that is usually used in a blend. I have to say that the Carignon Blanc was not my favorite. But, it was interesting.

The reds were outstanding. I had a red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Barbera, a Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Sirah blend (my favorite) and another unusual blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Sirah, Barbera adn Zinfandel. The last 2 were my favorites, and I found myself unable to resist purchasing a bottle of the Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Sirah blend. Just what I need….another bottle of wine to add to my mounting 200 plus bottle collection. So, when you all come to my house for a Mexican Fiesta, I will open some of my stash and give you a swig of the Mexican wine as well. You could do worse, I’ll tell you that!

After the tasting, I was able to walk (barely) and, so, headed on to the concert at the Biblioteca. I walked up to the ticket office at the appointed time and handed over my 150 Pesos (about $12.00) for the concert. The vendor looked at me and said, “You are the only one in the audience.” I politely suggested that they may not want to do the concert for just one person. But, the ticket vendor and the performer insisted that “the show must go on”. And, so it did.

I had the full attention of the performer who regaled me with tunes on both the guitar and the harp. He was fantastic! My favorite pieces were the Flaminco numbers. I think they were his favorite, too. He and I had a great time talking about the music and the instruments as he went along. And, in the end, I thanked him again for doing a private concert just for me! He said he really enjoyed it (I think he did!) because he knew I was paying attention and watching him. I guess people often zone out during concerts…I’ve done it myself. It’s almost impossible to do when you are an audience of 1. So, 2 CDs later, I left him and went on to find dinner. When you come for the Mexican dinner and wine tasting, I will put the CDs on so that you, too, can experience the wonderful sounds.

I was hungry, so I decided that I would find one of the restaurants recommended by my airplane friend. It was in my neighborhood, so it would be easy to get home. It was getting late, and I wasn’t too keen on making a long trek for food. What a treat!

When I arrived, I was greeted by an American couple and a single woman at another table. We all talked about what we would eat. They were all having chicken pot pie, so I had it too. They are frequent long-term visitors and said they all come to this restaurant as soon as they get into town for the pot pie. They were right, it was great! Always love comfort food. We all chatted until we were through with dinner and then went our separate ways.

This morning I was up and at ’em early because I wanted to do the walking tour of San Miguel. The group meets at the Parroquia (I told you about that place yesterday). It takes me a few minutes walk into town, so I wanted to be on time.

I was early…talked to a few people sitting on the benches…and then met Kathleen (from Estes Park, CO), my tour guide. She looked around and said, “We aren’t supposed to do the tour unless there are at least 2 people. But, I see that you are very interested. So, we will go ahead and do it anyway….we won’t tell anyone. So, off we went. I had the best tour of San Miguel that you could possibly get….and had her undivided attention! When we passed the theater, she pointed out a concert that was going on in the evening and said that I really must go. So, we went around to the ticket office and I got a ticket for 100 Pesos (about $7.50). The show will be Mexican singing and dancing. Should be great! After about 3 hours she and I parted ways. I’m sure I will see her later at the concert.

I will sign off by telling you about my last feast of the senses for the day. I stopped at a restaurant on the edge of the Jardin for lunch that was recommended by my airplane friend. I had chips and guacamole with salsa (one of the best I have had here….really!!), 6 butterflied shrimp with garlic and chilis, rice, a salad, a beer and a cup of coffee (because I was so happy just sitting in the square) all for the whopping price of $22.00. I thought the cost to value ratio for this meal was outstanding. I’m very happy.

So, I’m heading off to see the Mariacchis in the Jardin. I missed them last night. Too much to do. And, then on to the concert. Fun times!

Hasta Manana!

This entry was posted on May 17, 2014 at 3:01 pm and is filed under Solo Travel for Women, South America, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.