Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Views of Mexico...

I said something a while ago about posting pictures from my trip to Queretaro.

I didn't have much time, and I did have difficulties with the camera. For one thing, I totally spaced on how to turn off the flash. It's a Cannon powershot - there's a button with a picture depicting a flash. You push it, the flash turns off. Completely beyond me, for several days. I blame the tequila.

Also, I had issues with battery life. I have these cool rechargable batteries from Energizer and the nifty little charger to go with, and the plug fit into the recepticle... but 14 hours later they still weren't charged all the way. So, I think I was having current conversion issues.... so I blame Mexico.

So this is the blurry picture I took of the really cool flowers blooming along the pool. The newest blooms were yellow and as they opened and expanded, they darkened in color through orange to red so the full blossom was a gradually shaded rainbow of yellows, pinks, peaches, oranges and reds. Beautiful!

Here's my room. I don't know why I always take pictures of my hotel rooms, but I do. I steal the room key too. I have a box full of 'em. Go figure. I really liked my bathroom.









These are pictures from a nifty restaurant we had lunch at one day. It doesn't look like much from the side of the highway, but it was beautiful inside.




Every freakin' morning, this bird would bath and play in the fountain. I tried every morning to get a picture of the bird frolicing in the water. This was the closest I got. "Frolicing?!? Surely you jest. I'm just sittin' here enjoying the morning. Leave me alone, picture-crazed tourist."









Queretaro is a cultural hub in Mexico - the constitution was signed there around (um, I think) 1917. One of the distingishing features is the Aqueduct. It was built between 1726 and 1735 to provide the city with water from springs... somewhere else. (Hey, it's not a history lesson!) Anyway, there are 74 arches of quarried rock, it's 23 meters high and stretches for 1280 meters. I have no idea what those flecks are - it was not snowing - but it was almost dusk and it would have been good to be able to figure out the flash.


This was supposed to be a picture of a nifty fountain in a park/courtyard in the downtown area. It's called the fountain of the dogs (or something like that) 'cause, well, there's dogs all around the base. Instead, here's some pretty pansies, and a dark blob that might, if you squint, be a fountain. *sigh*


I checked out the night before - one less thing to do in the morning = ten additional minutes of sleep. At almost midnight, I straggled down to the front desk to check out and found... a full mariachi band wandering around the lobby. How cool is that?


And finally, there was a huge Mexican flag billowing in the breeze outside of Queretaro and it just fascinated me - probably since I'm not used to being places where other flags are doing anything without ours nearby. This was shot through the window of a moving (down the highway, VERY quickly) vehicle, so this one isn't due to the camera or to me.



I was torn between REALLY wanting to go home, and really wishing to see more of the area. The way the supplier is behaving, I'm very afraid I'm going to get another chance at it.

3 comments:

Suldog said...

Mexico is really a beautiful country in some areas. I've spent considerable time in Mexico City (as well as outskirts - pyramid sights, floating gardens of Xochimolco (sp)) and some of the sights, museums, etc., are downright awesome. Thanks for the photos!

R.Powers said...

Neat shots. That first flower is lantana. It grows here in FL too.

Rurality said...

Dang I thought you just hadn't posted in a long time, but then I realized you had dropped off my bloglines somehow! Whoops. Now I've got catching up to do. :)