Aaah, Puebla! We arrived after a two hours bus ride from the airport. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to explore the city before the next morning, since we arrived late. But once the sun was up, it was time to fall in love with that charming city south of Mexico City.
Even if it has more than 2 million habitans, it didn’t feel overwhelming in any way. I actually felt… at home. The thing with Puebla is that it’s a colonial city that reminded me in every aspect of Quebec City, my real home. In the downtown area, all the buildings are historical and there’s nowhere you can go that doesn’t have moldings or ceramic tiles. The buildings have characters and they are actually really pretty to look at.
In Puebla, we met with Chris’ friend, Santiago. He had to meet a friend later in the afternoon, so we had the whole morning to visit. He started by taking us to the Sunday market, which was awesome for the interior designer inside me. It was full of all kinds of old stuff, from cameras to watches to pots and pans to TVs. It’s the best place to find some antiques to decorate your house.
I would have bought so many things had I lived there. Unfortunately, we were only passing by, so there was nothing I could really take with me. But I absolutely loved the concept. Apparently, when your grandmother dies, you can ask those guys to come. They will buy all the stuff and try to resell it at the market. You can get really good deals there because they don’t always know the real price of the things they are selling. So if you are an antique lover, Puebla is definitely a great stop!
But Puebla is not only about antiquities. There is a lot more to this city. We left the market to walk toward the zócalo, which is the central plaza in any Mexican city/town. It’s usually a big square with a government building on one side and a cathedral/church on another side. It’s generally there that thing happen, so if you grab a taxi, asking the driver to drop you at the local zócalo is always a good idea to start your day!
We walked around the plaza, taking a look at the giant cathedral and enjoying the warm sun. We were lucky enough to have some amazing weather. Even for February, it was warm enough to only need a t-shirt and jeans. Even jeans were a bit warm.
Once we were done at the plaza, we walked around the city, with really nowhere to go. We ended up in front of another nice looking church and later in the Parian, where they sell ponchos, sombreros, dresses and all the souvenirs you need to take back home. They even had grilled grasshopper, but that’s for another post.
I love how many colors you find everywhere in the city. Wherever you look, you’ll find a bright pink or a deep yellow, whether it’s a building, a dress or a “Days of the Dead” skull. It makes the city so much nicer to look at and wander around.
Once we were done visiting the Parian, we went on our way, this time to the mall! It wasn’t time for some shopping, but again to explore the city. The mall was actually built on the ruins of what used to be a factory, which made it even more interesting. The very modern building still had a lot of history to it, like the rest of Puebla.
It was surrounded by a very nice park, where we took a quick break. Because yes, we did walk a lot! There was so many things to see and we weren’t done yet. After resting for a few minutes on a Mexican size bench (which means it was a bit small for Chris), we started walking again!
It was time to go meet with Santiago’s friend and go shopping for a mariachi band. That was so amazing that it deserves its own post! So that’s all for now, but it’s definitely not all for Puebla and its surroundings!
Here is a quick map of the ground we covered. It’s not everything, there is way more to see, but it gives you an idea!
