Sorry for the delay in updating this... just come back from another trip which I
may do a TR on.
Anyway..................
The next morning, I was up and about relatively early and decided to take a walk around the city to see what it had to offer. What did I think of Guadalajara? Honestly, I probably wouldn't return. It was nice enough but there wasn't that much to see and do in the city and I thought it was pretty industrial. That said, I did take a day trip to Tlaquepaque the days after the wedding and it was a cute, bustling town.
The view from my room on the 33rd floor
So, some pictures of what I did see on my meanderings around in the sun... The hotel I was in was kinda far from the main city centre area so it was a decent length walk I had to take. There was no chance I was doing that twice so I grabbed an Uber back in the late afternoon
The main area around this cathedral was really busy and there was some type of market going on with a number of different stalls set up. There were also a number of back streets off the main square with small restaurants and bars. I popped into one of them early afternoon to quench my thirst and get out of the sun and started talking to this local guy who was having lunch and a beer too. It was a fascinating conversation about him growing up in Mexico, how he sees the country going and the current political situation. That's why I like travel. You never know who you are going to bump into and strike up a conversation with.
That evening there was a 'meet and greet' at a local venue. I thought this was a great idea as it gave all of the wedding guests the chance to meet each other. A lot of them already knew one another (obviously) but I appreciated it being the only Scot there and who hadn't met most of the people going to the wedding. A great night was had by all. A local Mariachi band had been hired and played some fantastic traditional music. Many tequilas were consumed. I successfully managed to avoid being dragged to a nightclub until the wee small hours as I still had a bit of jetlag which was catching up on me. Some good sleep was badly needed!
The day of the wedding was another scorcher but thankfully it wasn't until late afternoon so out of the heat of the midday. As I had a few hours to kill, I took a walk around the area beside the hotel and came across some nice neighbourhoods.
I think this is Guadalajara's main tourist attraction - La Minerva fountain
Back to the hotel and it was time to make myself look relatively decent for the wedding. The guests staying at the hotel hopped into a pre-booked bus and took the 45 min ride out to the absolutely stunning location.
It was a fantastic day. The ceremony went well as did the evening. A beautiful meal was served along with a number of Tequila Squirts (I'm told it's a local drink) as well as shots of Tequila. After the amount I had, I think it's safe to say that I am a convert!
The morning after was a bit of a slow affair
but once I felt relatively human again, I called an Uber and went down to Tlaquepaque. A number of the wedding guests had already been and recommended that I go too. I am glad I took the recommendation because I loved walking around the small streets and the bustling markets.
My friend had some family stuff on in the evening so I just pleased myself and had a few drinks and some dinner at the hotel. When he got back, we headed up to the rooftop bar with a few of the other for some late night drinks.
The day after, pretty much everyone had left but I still had another day. After all the busyness of the last few days, I decided that a pool day was in order.
I dotted in and out of the pool and (mainly) out of the sunshine as it was just so hot that day. Read a good bit of a book I had taken with me and generally had a really nice, chilled day. The hotel did have a small lounge so I headed there in the evening for a few glasses of wine before going to the rooftop bar to take in my last sunset over Guadalajara and it was a good one!
