¡Estamos en Mexico! We arrived yesterday afternoon after a long and uneventful day of travel. An extremely early flight out of Nashville had us stay overnight at the airport Hilton (highly recommend!). All aspects of the airport and flight went smoothly. We had a long layover in Dallas, but had lounge access so we were able to pass the time comfortably and with tasty food (I especially loved the jalapeño cheese grits). Then we had another smooth and easy ride into Mexico. We claimed our bags, hit the ATM for pesos, cleared customs and immigration (pro travel tip: hold on to your luggage tag receipts and leave the luggage tags on as you leave the airport. They were stopping everyone and ensuring that the right people had the right bags. I appreciate the diligence, but wish I knew as I had almost thrown all that out once I had my bag).

We landed about 2 hours from our final destination, so we arranged for a car transfer. Traffic was heavy at times, but the road brought us through little villages and towns and some beautiful countryside as we passed through the mountains. For about an hour we drove behind a police truck that had two officers standing in the back in full military gear with automatic guns in their hands for the entire ride. I did not enjoy that particularly, but I appreciate the presence of law in an area that is known to be lawless at times.

We arrived in San Miguel de Allende (elevation over 6000 feet) on a big feast day: Día de los muertos, Day of the Dead. It is a very important holiday, one where ancestors are honored and remembered. Marigolds are everywhere, and the whole town is bedecked in colorful banners, flowers, and candles. It was absolutely magical. We wandered around the historic downtown enjoying the vibes, listening to the mariachi music, watching all the people — so many of them in costume and face painting. The cobblestoned streets and high narrow sidewalks were filled with families. It was beautiful. We ducked into a random restaurant for pozole and flautas, then continued our stroll. The streets were getting more and more crowded. The mass at the church was spilling into the courtyard. The musicians were performing on the stage. It was such a festive atmosphere.

As we continued wandering we saw one restaurant, Pascaü, was playing the final game of the world series. As we have a tradition of watching the final game surrounded by costumed people back in Salem, we felt it was only right to pop in and grab a seat. We enjoyed people watching while watching the game. This little town is very popular with expats and I found myself wondering if it is a peaceful haven for retirees or if it’s more like a modern day “Sun Also Rises.” Time will tell. From the expat crowd in the restaurant, I’m guessing more the latter, but I look forward to learning more. Once the game was over we headed back to our home for the month and settled in for bed.

I will say here that the rental has exceeded expectations. That is one aspect of this nomading that always has me holding my breath until we arrive. Pictures only give you so much, and we have learned that they can often be deceiving. But in this case, we struck gold. We are staying in the second (or third?) home of someone, so already it has more personality, charm, and quality than some of the other investment properties we’ve slept in (*cough cough* Nashville *cough cough*). We have a courtyard, roof deck, and more space than we are going to know what to do with. I anticipate a lot of “Marco!” “Polo!” for this month.

We will spend Sunday getting settled in, unpacking, identifying grocery stores and a gym, and hopefully enjoying the second day of the festival. I imagine I will follow my normal-ish cadence for travel writing and images: daily-ish on instagram (@empty_nest_wanderings), weekly here on the blog, and a summary link at the end of the month on Facebook for the friends and family that prefer that channel. I hope you enjoy.