Euro 2008 Final

Nuff said.

Guanajuato

Guanajuato is such a pretty town just to wander around, stop for a cup of coffee & watch the world go by.

More Angelitos

For some reason the children in the museum are particularly fascinated by the 'angelitos'.

Angelitos

There is a whole section of the museum devoted to displaying 'angelitos' or little angels, the mummified bodies of babies & infants.

Museum of the Mummies

We visit one of the more bizarre attractions of the trip today, a museum full of mummified bodies from Guanajuato's cemetary. Some strange combination of soil & climate has meant that the bodies of those buried there have been very well preserved & those that don't have relatives willing to keep up the graveyard maintainance fees are exhumed & displayed for the public.

Flamenco & Wine

We end up sort of accidentally being invited to a party in Guanajuato to celebrate the first anniversary of a wine shop. Not quite sure how this happens but we have a lot of fun despite not understanding a lot of what's going on being the only non Spanish speakers there. We are served wine all night, Paul gets to eat two plates of paella & we get to watch live flamenco music & dancing too.

Relaxing on the Terrace

It's a hard life.

Views of Guanajuato

These are the views of Guanajuato from our hotel roof terrace.

A Strawberry Stop

We have a very entrepreneurial bus driver on our 5 hour journey from Mexico City to Guatajuato. He likes to make regular, unscheduled stops, sometimes to get himself some tacos (which he eats which both hands while driving with his knee) & other times to pick up random passengers at the roadside whose fares seemed to be going into his pocket rather than the ticket machine. He also takes us to this strawberry stall for a break. Everyone's so exasperated with the journey that they can't resist the delicious smell & we all buy the pots of strawberries with sugar & cream anyway. Unsurpisingly the driver doesn't have to pay for his.

Standing to Attention

As the flag is being hoisted many ordinary Mexicans who happen to be walking across the square at the time stop in their tracks, stand to attention & make a kind of salute to their chests. They hold this pose until the flag is fully raised then go about their business as normal. I can't imagine this happening in the UK. Mexicans definitely have a much stronger sense of national pride than us Brits.

Raising the Flag

Every morning at 8am in Mexico City's zocalo there is ceremony to mark the raising of the Mexican flag. Hundreds of soldiers march in formation and mark out a square around the flag pole. A military band plays while 12 soldiers carry the giant flag out to be raised. On our last morning in the city we decide to go & watch.

Siqueiros' Staircase

Siqueiros' mural on the Ministry's staircase reminds us of Marvel comic illustrations.

The Arsenal

This is the best known of the Ministry murals. It's hard to get a sense of how dramatic they are in photos. They really are huge & very intricate. Note Frida Kahlo handing out arms in the centre.

More Ministry Murals