puebla!

Friday evening Elizabeth and I hopped a bus to Puebla, a city of 1.9 million people located about 2 hours east of Mexico City. After a first impression that, well, failed to impress, we found our way to the city center, which quickly changed our original perceptions. Filled with walking streets, beautiful architecture, and cute cafes, Puebla quickly joined the list of ¨places in which i would like to live in Mexico.¨ (also included on this list: San Miguel de Allende, San Cristobal de las Casas, Guanajuato, and Mexico City)

The city of Puebla boasts Spanish architecture, 70 churches, and the famous azulejos (painted ceramic tiles). It is also the location of the famous cinco de mayo battle that occurred in 1862 against the French invasion of Mexico. The zócalo, originally a marketplace where bullfights, theater and hangings occurred, is now a beautiful huge aboretum-like area, surrounded on three sides by street cafes and on the fourth side by the cathedral that is found on the 500 peso bill. The city claims to be home of two very famous Mexican dishes: mole poblano and chiles en nogado.

We spent our short time in Puebla wandering about looking at the beautiful architecture, eating at cute cafes and enjoying the traditional dishes of Puebla, shopping at the antique market and the artisan market, and listening to the constant music available at various locations. I´ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking!

The Fonda where we at lunch - i was totally digging the atmosphere and typical Mexican decorations. And our waitress was a gem :-)

The two traditional dishes of Puebla

On the left: chiles en nogadas (poblano chiles filled with a mixture of meat, fruit, and nuts, and covered with a sweet, nutty cream sauce...mmm!)

On the right: mole poblano (a sweet/spicy sauce that boasts chocolate and hot peppers...this specific dish was enchiladas de mole)...for the record, I don´t like mole. But I always try it!

the REAL reason I liked Puebla: around the zócalo I found more than 6 Italian Coffee Companies.... when asked why there were so many in such a small area, one manager told me ¨the people just like it.¨ i totally understand!

typical artisan handicrats of Puebla

The beautiful architecture found around Puebla: buildings covered in tile

What I want - Who needs a ¨good china¨ set when you can have this beautiful set!!! I want it! Only 1,000 US dollars for ALL you see here...seriously a deal. It´s all hand painted! and seriously beautiful.

The cathedral.

The zócalo...a huge square filled with trees, and surrounded by pretty buildings and tasty cafes with outdoor seating to take it all in.