After doing a good bit of walking earlier in the day, we relaxed and took a short siesta. Upon getting up, we decided to head on out. Guanajuato was a fine place to stroll and just take in the different plazas. Like Plaza de Los Angeles.
We needed to grab something from Oxxo, so we went down the stairs onto busy Avenida Benito Juarez and enjoyed the colorful buildings on the street.
We had made very early dinner reservations with one stop in mind before our meal which was almost right across the street from the restaurant.
Artist Diego Rivera was born in Guanajuato and though his family only lived there for a few years, the home he lived in has been made into a a museum.
Since we had already visited La Casa Azul earlier on the trip, I thought a visit here would be a nice "bookend". The building's restoration and conversion to a museum was initiated by Diego Rivera's daughter, Guadalupe Rivera Marin. As to how many children Diego Rivera had, well the numbers vary based on the source….
The museum is fairly small, but we enjoyed seeing the scope of Diego Rivera's work and the different styles he embraced from Cubism to Impressionism, to Post-Impressionism, and Muralism.
To be perfectly honest, before this trip, while I had read (and seen the movie) and seen the works of Frida Kahlo, I really did not know much about Diego Rivera.
Visiting Casa Azul, Museo Diego Rivera, and reading the various tales like how Leon Trotsky lived with the pair while in exile (Trotsky was assassinated in Coyoacán in 1940).
According to this wonderful website Rivera feared for his life (it was uncovered in the 1990's that he was a informant for the US) and went the the American Embassy and ended up in San Francisco. During that time Frida and Diego got remarried and he lived out his life in Casa Azul.
Man, talk about real life being more interesting than fiction!
Museo Casa Diego Rivera
Positos 47
Zona Centro, 36000 Guanajuato, Mexico
Even though Mestizo is basically a few buildings over from the museum, it was still a bit early, so we decided to drop off the stuff we got from Oxxo at the hotel.
We noticed that the Basilica Guanajuato (full name – Basílica Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato) was open as we exited the hotel, so we decided to take a peek.
And then headed off to dinner.
We had enjoyed our previous meal at Mestizo so much that we had made reservations for a follow-up dinner on our last night in the city.
Service was just as friendly this time around and we ordered our favorites from that earlier meal along with one addition.
We did notice something different on this visit.
The flavors and presentation for the Tartar de Atun en Chile Viejo and the Chinchulines con Guacamole weren't quite as on the mark as on our previous visit.
We tried the Carpaccio de Pulpo con Xoconostle y Polvo de Chili Secos. Basically octopus with prickly pear and chili de arbol powder.
As before the tortillas were up to the task though not outstanding. The pulpo was on the tougher end of things and we thought more citrus/sour tones were needed as well. We enjoyed the lemony-peppery-slightly anise tones of the epazote.
The one saving grace was that the Tuetano was just as wonderfully buttery and beefy as on the first visit.
So, while it seems that perhaps the "B" team was in charge on this evening, things ended on a high note for us.
Mestizo
Positos 69
Zona Centro, 36000 Guanajuato, Mexico
We then headed to La Clave Azul for a nightcap.
Since this was our last evening in Guanajuato and we had really enjoyed ourselves, we decided to do a little victory lap…starting with Jardin de la Union.
Where folks were out in full force.
We ran into the sweet gal selling cheesecake and we ended up paying for two and asked her to "pay it forward"!
As we got back to the hotel we noticed an interesting "scene"…..
Hmmm, this fella looks familiar, right?
There seems to always be something going on in Guanajuato!
We slept well, got up, packed, and had breakfast at the hotel. The Nopales con Huevo were quite good.
After breakfast, we checked out, and met our driver Aaron, who as always was right on time and got us to the airport. It was time to head on home……
But….I'm sure we'll be back someday!
Thanks for stopping by!
There's a Cervantes Festival in Guanajuato. And the 
From the center of town we made our way Northwest, past Mercado Hidalgo, then up the one of the hills that surround the town. Right past the Mummy Museum is Panteón Municipal Santa Paula, the cemetery.
It was somewhat divey, the bartender was super friendly, the decor was quirky and eclectic. The music was what I often call the Unites States' greatest export…rock 'n roll.
La Clave Azul
We walked down one of the side streets and came to a point where two buildings were a mere two feet apart. This was the scene of a tragic, "Romeo and Juliette" story. Thus giving the spot the name "Callejón del Beso" (Alley of the Kiss). To 
Naturally, the first thing that came to mind was that this was a product of the silver mining days of the city. Which was incorrect. These tunnels were actually created in the late 19th century to divert the Guanajuato River which had flooded the city several times. In fact, Susana went and showed us markers of the height of the waters of several historic floods in the city's history.
Nice and crisp exterior, the smoked fish was really the star of the show here. It was moist, smokey, not overly salty, with great savory tones. The queso was used sparingly, which was actually a good thing. Look at all that smoked fish!
The Missus enjoyed the wine selection and the service was professional and accommodating.
The eggs were perfectly cooked, nice tanginess, a bit of heat, a nice, hearty breakfast.
Most of this museum is dedicated to it's former resident; 
Many customers are 'regulars'. 
The menu is served all day. 
My usual order is a ham and egg sandwich ($12) on rye, made with a good amount of juicy, non-salty ham steak. The plate comes with a choice of potato. The home fries are excellent, can be made with or without bell peppers and/or onion. Optional home made gravy on the potatoes ($2.50) is worth it- it is bacon gravy (not sausage); a wonderful version.
On another visit, The Mister ordered the corned beef hash and eggs ($12) substituting homemade corned beef ($1)- it's just corned beef! A wonderful, lighter carb breakfast. (The hash browns were nicely crisped, the over easy eggs were perfect and even the sourdough toast is a better/nice sour quality).
The Christmas tree is decorated seasonally and there are small gifts (one per child) underneath always. A fond, old fashioned memory.
This was quite lovely and came with bread and butter. The egg was nice and perfectly done; still oozing with goodness, the rustic bacon was also quite good. The roasted tomatoes adding acidity and tangy touches. The red chili based "sauce" was rich but not overly spicy and we enjoyed the earthy mushrooms in the dish.
This sprawling market is quite large with everything from jewelry to shawls to produce.
Recently, I had a craving for 
There is a chalkboard next to the cash register.
as well as a cup ($5) (vegetarian pea) were enjoyed on visits. The 'everyday' soups (tomato basil and chicken noodle) are priced $4 and $5.25.
Fresh roast turkey (as in roasted here, today), crispy thick quality bacon, shredded lettuce, house made Blue cheese dressing (excellent) served open faced on rye. This- THIS sandwich is fancy as well as wonderful. 
A similar item (in that there are crossover ingredients) is the California Cobb Salad ($12.95). Freshly roasted turkey (remarkably good), bacon, crumbled blue cheese, avocado, tomato and pickled egg.
There is quite an interest in eggs here; deviled egg dishes are used in the refrigerator and there is a collection on the wall above the kitchen. 
The Croque Madame ($13.95) is made with French ham, gruyere and a house made béchamel. Very tasty and filling. 
The Eggs Benedict ($12.95) served on an English muffin with ham and a very proper (unbroken) Hollandaise along with fruit and a hash brown patty is also filling and flavorful. 
