We rented a car for a week in some hotel on the edges of downtown in Queretaro. And drove towards Bernal. Locals say it takes half an hour. They are wrong. Maybe it would if they don’t close the important exit on a highway and you have to drive far away, turn around and so on and so forth. The other unpleasant feature on Mexican roads in smaller towns but sometimes even on highways are the Topas, or ‘lying policemen’. I think it shows how Mexicans like to not obey the speed limits so they are forced to, or maybe it is to make sure people do not drive fast where there is a lot life close by a road. Whatever they are for- I hate them…It causes stress on a car and on us inside. Luckily there is pretty good highway that leads to Bernal once you get on it through the maze of Queretaro roads. And there is a couple of seafood restaurants right by the highway – they are called Mariscos. Everything is tasty there, but Sopa (soup) mariscos – wow!
Here is the view of La Pena while entering Bernal. We have been to Bernal 4 years ago at exactly the same days – the 11th and 12th of December. In exactly the same hotel Celia with exactly the same owner. It was like coming home. This time we had a King room with this view and also of La Penia.As it was our second trip to here I already published a lot of pics from Bernal -the magic town center, this time mostly nature which never disappoints.The first thing we did – tried to climb La Penia. it is like the climb to Angel’s Landing here at home, but the cacti are bigger by the side of the trail. Obviously I couldn’t climb the whole thing. just a little part and then waited for Andrei in a nice cafeteria by the trail. The entrance to the empty church before the parade came. All those flowers are live ones.The reason we came to Bernal on those dates were the Mary of Guadeloupe. last time their parade on the 11th impressed us so much that we decided to go along the memory lane. When it gets darker every house carries their St. Mary of Guadeloupe statue to the church for her to stay overnight in company of other St. Marys. The church is very beautifully decorated with an abundance of live flowers, especially the doors, and so with an orchestra and Indian drums beating families and business groups enter the church in full regalia. Driving towards the geyser, its steams visible in the distance. The only day we had there – we didn’t spend in Bernal, which we could. But as the owner mentioned that El Geiser is still fuming – we drove there some 40 km, 20 of which are on a country road with nobody around, just cacti and Joshua trees. The geyser in in a valley like in a goblet of hills. Its waters are caught into pipes (an engineering marvel!), one of which supplies several hot pools, the other is directed towards enthusiasts in their swim suits. As mu husband says – it is like in heaven standing in the steam! I didn’t see that heaven while standing there for my glasses got steamed :-). Pleasure combined with rehab and health! There are hotels there, very inexpensive. there are massage parlors, also very good and inexpensive and one van also camp there and cook all the meals while healing in the magic waters. After spending 4h in the pools and steam we wanted to eat. We were not like some Mexican families there prepared with boxes of food . So we drove to another magic town Tequisquepan for some tasty gorditas. they are praising themselves with their wine, cheese and arts and we can agree to that. Bought some cheese there. This area of Mexico has such type of buildings which are not churches, sometimes even guest cottages. Again back to sleep in Bernal. I like their idea of fences grown from cacti! La Penia from a different location looks different. Our hotel if far away on that slope.Our hotel Casa Celia in the middle, the narrow one.The lobby of a really grand looking hotel with all the tiles and marbles and an old agave bloom in the role of a Christmas tree. And we were the sole guests…The world is not fair. The church doors the next day, you can tell – I love flowers!On the way to El Geiser again, the next day. This time there was a very strong wind, so it blew the steam to the other direction, we could not get much of it, but we could still get the healing powers of the pools. And I can witness two things – my knee started getting better so much noticeably faster. Another is not a thing but a man, who was standing by my pool and sticking only his hand into it. As he spoke English I found out that he drove all the way from Mexico city because he had a sore finger with the hopes to heal it. But why not to use the opportunity to heal the whole body once you are here? People never stop in making you wonder…A blooming field of some culture with La Penia in the distance, driving away from Bernal…The only still field of blooms we found on our way from El Geiser to San Miguel de Allende. Andrei saw this bird in our yard by Casa Celia. It may be Western Tanager.
