I’ve just finished a wonderful (and long) trip to Guadalajara, and this post is a visual review of some of the things I’ve done and seen.
It is a lively and engaging mix of ancient and new. In the same block I could pass by a modern glass skyscraper and a church from the 1500s. It is also disconcerting at times to see people driving Mercedes cars passing homeless people sleeping on the streets. It is also deceptive. From the street, many buildings look like they are not cared for — they might have peeling paint, or graffiti scrawled on the walls. But inside the high walls, there are beautiful houses with fancy gardens and courtyards. You just can’t see it when you first walk by.
Art
Churches
Dia de Muertos
Parks
Streets
Food
Overall, this was a great experience. My Spanish has improved, although it is not where I want it to be — it is still really tough to understand locals speaking on the street at what feels like a million miles per hour. But I’m getting better. The school I attended was top notch — my teachers were really helpful and friendly, and the curriculum was challenging.
Guadalajara itself is really big (more than 3 million people in the metropolitan area), and although I explored a lot, there is much more to see. I walked (I averaged more than 10,000 steps a day on my trip) and took public transportation, but there would be even more to discover if I had access to a car. I’ll very likely be back, though my wanderlust already has be thinking about other cities and countries to explore.
