Sunday was also NFL Conference championships game day so we treated it as a relaxing stay at home day. The two games were a tad more lopsided than one would hope for in championship games with Atlanta easily beating Green Bay (44-21) and New England having a relatively easy time of it over Pittsburg (36-17).
Monday was decidedly a somewhat "North American" day. We left our apartment with the intent of finding a taxi but no sooner were we out the door that Kris spotted a local bus with "Macro Plaza" as one of it's "destino" signs posted in the front window. Well, that is where we were going so on we got, asking the driver if he went there, just to make sure. He said he was. Great. A few minutes later we were on the main highway that would take us directly where we were going. However, as fate would have it, there was an accident or something gone askew that forced our driver to take a rather long and circuitous route through a number of very narrow neighbourhood streets, past some cemeteries and many other interesting sights (a bit of a bonus) but eventually we were back on the main highway. We drove past the beautiful Ciudad de las Conterras and thought we must be almost there. Moments later we saw a rather large looking complex and thought we had arrived but the bus didn't stop. A few blocks later it must have dawned on the driver that we had not gotten off back there as he stopped the bus and motioned for us to head back that way. Oh well... on the way we stopped at an absolutely amazing nursery which had a fabulous assortment of plants and trees not to mention many beautiful planters etc etc. Continuing on we knew we finally reached our destination when we saw the large "WALMART" sign on the side of one of the buildings.
The large plaza also has many smaller stores so we had a wander around looking in a number of these smaller ones before heading into Walmart. Wow... their veggies, fruit and even the meat counter are all more appealing than at Soriana and their wine is cheaper to boot. However, that's not what we came for. I, Brian was looking for a balance board to use to help strengthen my left knee which is still recovering from the arthroscopic surgery done last month. No luck. I thought my Spanish was reasonably good when I asked a sales clerk if they had a ""tabla de equilibrio" but, alas, when she pointed to the heavy weight lifting equipment I knew I was not communicating clearly. Or, she simply didn't know what a "tabla de equilibrio" is. Leaving Walmart we stopped in the restaurant Toks, a rather upscale looking place where we had an excellent lunch of tacos for Kris and a club sandwich for Brian.
After lunch we grabbed a taxi and headed for the only Starbucks (we said it was a bit of a North American day) in the city where we had a couple of iced lattes and bought some espresso to try out in the espresso maker we bought the other day. Then it was into another taxi home for some siesta time before heading down to the zocalo for a couple of hours of people watching and wine sipping.
Tuesday, we made arrangements for the Seasons of My Heart cooking school out in the valley near Etla. Since we were here last they have opened an office in the city so that made things easier. We signed up for a "cheese making demo and cooking class" for Friday January 27th and a "market tour and cooking class" for Wed Feb 15th. Should be fun!
A couple of doors down from their office is the Galeria Fe y Lola, a shop for one of the more well known rug weaving families from Teotitlan, a small place about 30 miles south of the city. Man, these folks do beautiful stuff. We chatted with Omar, one of the younger family members, for quite awhile and he showed us a number of stunning pieces. He is very knowledgable and a weaver himself. We are looking for a couple of small floor rugs for our bedroom back home but our "needs" might have been changed. He invited us to arrange a visit to their home studio and workshop in Teotilan. There is also a pretty neat market in Teotitlan so we decided it might be fun to spend a day or so out there, We also found a cooking school in Teotitlan so enrolled in it for Friday Feb 3rd and found a B&B, Las Granadas, where we made a reservation for Friday night. We'll go out Friday morning for the cooking class then stay overnight and visit Omar's family place and a silk place on Saturday morning before returning to Oaxaca later in the day. This too should be fun!
Wednesday we trundled off to the other newer upscale major shopping area of the city, the Plaza del Valle where there is a Sears and another Walmart to try our luck at finding a balance board there. There is also a Office Depot, a large Home Depot and a Sams in the same area but we didn't need to go to any of them. On the way over there we got to practice our Spanish a bit with the taxi driver as we needed to do an intermediate stop at the Scotiabank ATM near the Zocalo before moving on to the Plaza del Valle. No problemo!
Anyway, no luck on the balance board front although Brian asked the pharmacist in Walmart where he could buy one and was directed to a place near the corner of Pino Suarez and Colon so we'll have to give that a try another day. On the plus side, Kris did find a nice pair of "house" shoes at Sears and we did pick up a bunch of groceries etc at Walmart - wine is quite a bit cheaper there with a larger selection so, since we were taking a taxi home anyway, why not stock up!
Thursday we took our rental DVDs back to the Oaxaca Lending Library and picked up some new ones. Then we headed down Pino Suarez to see if we can find the store that the pharmacist suggested yesterday. We found two medical supply places that sell a wide variety of rehab items but still no luck. Time to give up on that front. As we continued on down Pino Suarez towards Arteaga we came across the store Tubos y Conexiones which reminded us of our dear friend Marjorie with whom we visited Oaxaca many times. She just loved saying "Tubos y Conexiones"...
... On Arteaga were lucky to be able to have a nice visit with Maria who is the owner of the Villa Maria at 410 Arteaga, a place where we stayed numerous times when we came to Oaxaca while living in Calgary. Later we wandered over to the Zocalo for lunch before walking up the Alcala where Kris found a book she was looking for, Textile Fiestas of Mexico, by Sheri Brautigam. We will have the pleasure of hearing her Monday Jan 30 when she gives a presentation and talk at the lending library. Across from the bookstore there is a new complex wherein we stopped for a couple of iced lattes before grabbing a taxi back home.
Later Thursday evening we received an email from Seasons of My Heart. The class tomorrow has been cancelled, not enough people. RATS!!!! They do have one more cheese making and cooking class before we leave so we hope we can get in there and it goes as planned.
With the last minute change of plans, Friday was a leisurely morning and after an early lunch, at home, we walked over to the office of Seasons of My Heart to confirm that we are now enrolled in the cheese making and cooking class they have scheduled for Feb 21st. We are, but we are also the only ones so we'll see how that works out as they need 6 to put on a class. We stopped in Galeria Fe y Lola again and chatted with Omar. He is going to pick us up next Saturday morning at the B&B in Teotitlan and take us to his family's workshop. We also looked at a number of possibilities for at least one of our "wants". They have beautiful rugs! It'll be a hard choice but any choice will be a good one! Omar is also going to arrange for us to visit the silk weaving workshop in Teotitlan. Nice!
That afternoon we decided it was time to have dinner at one of the upstairs restaurants overlooking the Zocalo. We chose El Asador Vasco where we were able to secure a balcony table overlooking some of the best "traffic" going through the Zocalo. Nice view including some general passersby...
... a rather official flag closing ceremonial march...
.... and one of many street musicians of the evening...
Saturday morning presented us with another great sunrise over the Santo Domingo church...
Saturday, being cleaning day, we left the house early deciding to grab a coffee at one of the newer places on the Alcala. We chose Cafe Brujula, kitty corner from the Santo Domingo church, and found a table with a nice view out the window up the Alcala. Nice place to try some sketching. While there we chatted with a German fellow (now living in Oregon) who is on a motorbike trip through central America. Sounds like an interesting adventure. Afterwards we walked across the street to the Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca Santo Domingo which is attached to the church and borders the adjacent and fabulous Jardin Ethnobotanico de Oaxaca.
As an aside, I, Brian have been always taking my crutch when we go out. I'm finding I need it less and less but every so often, especially going down hills, I find it very useful. Anyway, I had it with me on this occasion and when we went into the museum the guy at the desk waves me through at no charge because "estas incapacitado" (you are disabled). Ok, if you insist!
When we first visited Oaxaca, in the late '80s, this museum and the gardens did not exist. Well, the building did but it wasn't a museum and you could not get access to it. The gardens were basically a military compound mostly used as a parking lot. In the early '90s that started to change and, back then, in the later 90's, we were lucky enough to see the beginnings of the museum and the garden. We always wondered what would become of them. Well, wonder no more!
The excellent museum (no pics) has numerous exhibition "salas" (rooms) depicting the history and culture of the Oaxaca valley from pre-hispanic times to the present. Very interesting. The thing that caught our eye though is how much the garden has evolved. You can no longer wander the gardens on your own. You must take a tour, however from various windows in the museum there are wonderful views of the gardens...
... WOW, beautiful !!!
Leaving the museum we wandered towards home, stopping in the same small cafe as last Thursday for some lunch. Quiche Lorraine for Kris and a toasted ham and swiss sandwich for Brian. Comfort food!
To finish off the week we went back down to the Zocalo in the early evening. Before going over to the Terranova, the sidewalk cafe that has become our choice for evening wine and munchies, we walked through the Mercado Juarez where Kris picked up a beautiful rebozo...
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