Guadalajara

Saying Goodbye to Guadalajara with a Tour

Originally posted on Saturday, December 20, 1014


My blog pages for the Asunción de Maria Seniors' Home would not be complete without providing a few views of Guadalajara.  If you are thinking that, yes, Asunción de Maria Seniors' Home is a great project that you would like to visit, then I'm hoping that seeing just a glimpse of what the city has to offer will indeed convince you to come here and meet Sr. Felisa.

I would like to begin by sharing my experience of the friendliness and hospitality of the Mexican people in the tour of the city centre that I received from two gentlemen from Proyecto de Vida in Querétaro: founder Eduardo and weekend coordinator Gustavo.  I didn't know what to expect, but along the way, I discovered beauty, history and modern tourism all rolled into one as you can see in the following pictures:

Something older

Something newer

Together, they compliment each other

Once you're downtown, it's easy to get around on foot, but there are other ways, too!

You can take a tour with a double-decker tour bus, just like Vancouver in the summertime!

Or you can ride in a carriage just like the city of Victoria, BC

You can even travel in a completely romantic style!

      There are many interesting old buildings:

The light doubles as a home for pigeons

This building is an art museum.  I had the privilege of viewing several exhibits, particularly one by an amazing Mexican artist known as Dr. Atl, who was a prolific painter of Mexico's volcanos (there is a Youtube video of some of his work at Favorite Artists: Gerardo Murillo (Dr. Atl).

Very large building that houses art exhibits

There are also an assortment of town squares, fountains, and statues:

City centre square

Square with Christmas lights

History & modernism (note the man on his cell phone under the statue)

A city centre fountain (note that there are no cars--downtown is pedestrian-friendly

Eduardo and I in front of modern art

And the cathedrals are absolutely gorgeous!

Inside one of the cathedrals

A statue of one of my favourite saints

Even the doors are amazing!

Gustavo and Eduardo at the cathedral doors

Beautiful steeples--lots of them!

Sr. Felisa's seniors' home is in a sort of suburb of Guadalajara called Tlacapaque.  We visited the Tlacapaque town square on the way back to the parish in the evening.  It was quaint and very beautiful.

There are beautiful churches here, too.

Same fountain--two colours!

We went to a place in the square that had an open area of different restaurants, each with its own Mariachi band.  Each band was individually very enjoyable; however, when they started playing at the same time, the result was very entertaining "Mariachi wars"!

Me with Eduardo and Gustavo at dinner

One of several Mariachi bands

Arriving back at the parish:  Gustavo, me and Sr. Felisa

This wasn't the only tour I had of Guadalajara.  My old roommate, Leslie, and her mother took me high on a hill to see the city at night:

Leslie and her mother

Church on the hill

Church bells

A panoramic view

Sr. Felisa was always very happy to meet my friends, and they became her friends, too!

To make the final pitch for Guadalajara, I would like to finish by sharing a little bit more of the culture, warmth and beauty that I experienced here at the parish with Sr. Felisa.

The most obvious sign of the parish from the street wasn't a steeple, it was the bells.

The altar

The chapel

In early December, the parish was preparing for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalalupe

The church bells were right outside our front door.  The first bells were at 6:00am, followed by prayer, with Mass at 7:00.  Who needs an alarm clock when you've got these?

 

After prayer, there was a procession into the church for Mass

There were a lot of festivities going on leading up to the feast day.  One evening, a party was brought to Sr. Felisa's home in the parish, but we were ready for them with decorations and food!
 

Special soup (not spicy) and Jamaica juice (from hibiscus)

I always felt very welcome in the parish and in Sr. Felisa's home there, and there were plenty of hugs to go around!

A parishioner hugs Sr. Felisa

Me and Pancho, another parishioner who helps at the seniors' home

I am grateful to God for Sr. Felisa's hospitality, and for the opportunity to witness the great work he is doing through her hands for Asunción de Maria Seniors' Home.  I encourage anyone who is interested to go and see it, and to enjoy the blessings of Guadalajara!

Thank you, Sr. Felisa.  May God bless you and your wonderful work!