Merida Miscellaneous II…

I know, I know…I said my next post would be on food in Merida.  But after looking through my photos again, I thought it deserved one more post on just miscellaneous stuff.  I promise that my NEXT post will be on food.

There was a huge fabric store downtown…lots of pretty colors and LOTS of customers.  I’m sure these contribute to the clothing and crafts sold on Sundays.  Made me think of when I was young and sewed most of my clothes myself…suits, coats, jackets, everything…not to mention window treatments.  I haven’t sewn anything in many, many years…other than simple hemming or repairs.  I know that doesn’t have anything to do with Merida, but I thought I’d throw it out there.

Shoe shining is a big thing in Merida.  You can either stop by a stand, or there are men who walk around with a portable stand for shines on-the-go.

Lots of fruit stands in town.  This one sat just outside of a local elementary school…

I will repeat that I loved the shop windows.  Every single one was different.

Even to the point of being R-rated…haha!

This was definitely something different for me.  I was in a jewelry shop and noticed this little glass container.  I thought it just contained jewelry, but when I looked inside, I could see that the “jewelry” was moving around.  Upon closer look, I saw that they were beetles in which jewels and chains had been glued onto their backs.  (You can see one of their splindly disgusting little black legs on the right hand side of the photo in the middle.)  What an original thought, right??  I honestly couldn’t believe what I was seeing, so the guy behind the counter takes one out and sets it on his shirt and the thing just hangs there not moving.  You can imagine what I said when he asked me if I wanted to try it out.  (I’m sure that if someone did this in the U.S., the ASPCA would be on them in a heartbeat.)  Anyway, when I showed this picture to a friend, she said, “I wonder what event you would wear beetle jewelry to?”  Silly girl!  I responded, “To a party given by Beetlejuice, of course!”  Okay…a lame attempt at humor…my apologies.

This is the church next to the hotel (Luz en Yucatan) where I stayed…I THINK it’s the Santa Lucia.  Cute little church, but I wish the trees hadn’t been in the way of the bells.  The bells are often the best on the churches in Mexico.

And a side shot.  The Luz en Yucatan is the first structure to the right of this photo…and attached to the church.

I was in a gift shop on a second floor and got another shot of one of the horse-drawn carriages.  On a side note, I will be doing a post in the future of black and white photos of Merida.  I felt many of the shots I took made more of a statement in black and white than in color.

An interesting fellow…I bet he has a story.  I will say that most of the people you see in Merida are definitely Mexican.  Since it is a large city, most of them are citizens just living their everyday lives.  I actually did not notice a whole lot of Americans.  Frankly, I think there were more Europeans visiting there than Americans.  You definitely feel like you’re in real Mexico when you’re in Merida.

I visited the anthropological museum while I was there.  What an incredible building, eh?

While it was interesting, most of the items inside were artifacts from Chichen Itza.  Since I’ve been to Chichen Itza, I feel like I was familiar with everything and frankly would rather see them out in their natural surroundings rather than in a museum.

One of the things that impressed me most about the museum was the incredible architecture.  I don’t know when the structure was built, but the detail was just amazing to me.  Talk about your crown molding!

Not to mention the chandeliers!

And a beautiful stained glass window skylight…

They also had a photography exhibit on the violent Mexican Revolution.  Some pretty grisly pictures…

This was the building next door, which I didn’t go into, but again…a wonderful architectural beauty…

Another little park in this area of town.  The museum was about six or seven blocks from the hotel…definitely worth a taxi ride.

Interesting sculpture…

I thoughts these works were fun in one of the art galleries here…

Yea, Santo!

This was an inside courtyard to an art gallery I visited.  It was a private home for a couple who had their gallery on the street-side of the home.  Their Weimeraners look very comfortable, don’t they?  I would have to say that if I lived in Merida, I would HAVE to have one of these little courtyards, preferably with a pool.  The streets and house fronts are all concrete and everything feels very close and congested…and HOT!  Everyone you talk to mentions how incredibly hot it gets in the summer here.  I think a little oasis would be a necessity.

But, while I was there, sitting outside in the evening was very pleasant.  And it is a VERY popular past time for visitors as well as residents.  Merida is all about loving the city and enjoying life.  You very much feel that when you’re here.

But watch out for these guys.  Since it does get so hot here, hand fan sales are a BIG thing.  And, yes…I bought one.