Gorgeous Xalapa (ha-LA-pa) and the Beach

During my last weekend in México, Roberto surprised me with a trip to lovely Xalapa, the capital of Veracruz. We traveled there on Saturday morning from his home in Poza Rica. Our ride down the coast was hot and humid, but as we neared Xalapa, which is located in the mountains, the weather cooled off. This city is known as the “Athens of Veracruz” for its culturally-rich environment and its three universities.

Our first stop was the Universidad Veracruzana-Xalapa, where Roberto completed his undergraduate degree. Xalapa is nicknamed the “City of the Flowers,” and the campus did a great job of owing up to that name. USBI stands for the Unidad de Servicios Bibliotecarios y de Información (Unity of Library and Information Services). It is surrounded by magnificent gardens displaying tropical greenery and a myriad of flowers.

We also visited a place called Casa de Artesanías en los Lagos de Xalapa (House of the Arts on the Lakes of Xalapa). This is a place where students and locals come to hang out and enjoy the scenery by the lakes. The colorfully painted sidewalk wraps itself around the lakes. We enjoyed some delicious cheese pizza and homemade yogurt at a place called Pizzeria de los Lagos.

At night, we visited Parque Juárez which offers scenic views of the city from its terrace. On a clear day, you can see the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains in the distance. However at night, a blanket of mist covers the city. It had a slightly eerie, but certainly romantic effect on this picturesque place.

On Sunday morning, we visited the Callejón Diamante (Diamond Alley), a Bohemian like walkway that is lined with many little cafés. Artist line up along the Callejón to sell their goods. My eyes twinkled over the many earrings and bracelets that were for sale here. I couldn’t resist buying several bracelets made out of coffee beans and one made out of bright red seeds. It is supposed to bring good luck :-).

On our way back to Poza Rica, we stopped at Playa Riachuelos, just past Costa Esmeralda. The beach was very calm, as there were relatively few people there. Instead of jumping in the water, we decided to write messages in the sand and take some pictures.

Back in Poza Rica, we celebrated Frida’s 16th birthday with a chocolate cake, and then it was off to Mexico City.

Click for more pictures! (Xalapa)

Click for more pictures! (Beach)

Abrazos, Nicole