Picture of the day:
(click to enlarge)

Grrr... go away!

Confrontation.

Lietuviskas aprasymas zemiau

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Day 10: Feeling Skeptic

February 17, 2006

As stunning as it is, Morelia can only amaze you for as long as it takes you to realize that you drove those thousands of miles across Mexico to see… Mexico rather than a tiny bit of old Europe in the very midst of the Mexican land. The spectacular well-preserved fragment of the Spanish architecture surely astonished us by appearing in such an unexpected place. However, the splendor aside, Morelia is just another colonial city built on the ancient settlements of the Aztecs and the Maya. It is hard not to think about the elegant pyramids, temples and shrines, the elaborate jungle roads, and entire sophisticated ancient cities, which vanished with the beginning of the colonization.

Skepticism aside, the city is by all means phenomenal. However, on top of everything, Morelia is all about culture. Lots of street musicians, cozy little bookstores, theatres, dance studios, art galleries - you name it. We saw several art and science academies that became a sort of "open door" institutions during the evening hours, where the students hung out and the nosy street-strollers like us were welcome (not so sure about "welcome" but certainly able:)) to step into the inner yard and take a peek at the paintings, or watch the work in progress. Or you can just bring your own beer and mingle with the academy folks for some good guitar music… and just enjoy the moment of being a part of the unfamiliar but a very attractive world.
Just a couple of buildings aside, the familiar salsa rhythm is spreading from the dance studio on the second floor, and right behind the corner a Tango Show is being promoted…

Such is Morelia: the place of many colors and mixed emotions. Frequently overlooked by many tourist guides (which makes it less tourist and therefore even more charming), it should be a must-see item on everyone's "things to do in Mexico" list.

Cick on the pictures to enlarge

I know that you know what you're doing, but could you please do this a bit further from my car...

traffic lights

Neabejojame, kad puikiai ismanai savo versla, bet galetum buti toks malonus ir tai daryti siek tiek toliau nuo musu masinos...

What's on the "menu" for tonight?

board

Ka veiksim sivakar?

The charming bits and pieces

Morelia

Morelijos fragmentai

The Spanish did a great job...

aqueduct

Nepaneigsi - ispanai Morelijoje gerai pasidarbavo...

How about one more impressive church...

More Morelia

Europietisko stiliaus baznyciu Morelijoje netruksta...

... or another lovely aqueduct

aqueduct

... akveduku irgi.

Nuvesk pelyte virs paveiksliuko, spustelk jos kaire ausele, ir paveiksliukas padides

10-oji diena: Visos Morelijos spalvos

2006 m. vasario 17

Ka gi, per nakti apsipratom, ir Morelijos grozio daugiau tiek nebeliaupsinsim! Ne todel, kad ji staiga tapo maziau grazi, (ir tikrai ne todel, kad vakaryksti ispudi sustiprino Dono Chuano tekiliuke :)) o del to, kad Europos, kad ir kokios ispudingos, trupinelis Meksikos gilumoj europieti gali suzaveti nebent savo buvimu tokioje netiketoje vietoje. Kuo toliau, tuo labiau pradedi pasigesti… Meksikos, I kuria vaziavom tuos tukstancius myliu. Ir dar viena, ko gero, pagrindine, priezastis: I ispanu kolonijas, net ir pacias nuostabiausias, mes ziurim skeptiskai - visi be isimties architekturiniai ispanu"sedevrai" buvo statomi tiesiai ant Acteku ir Maju civilizaciju. Bandom isivaizduoti tobulas piramides, dziungles isvagojusias gatves ir istisus miestus, tapusius tvirtu pamatu ispanu tvirtovems - jei tukstancius myliu vaziuojam ar skrendam ziureti miniatiuriniu ju liekanu, tai kaip aikciotumem, jeigu jie butu pilnai islike?

Netrunkam issiaiskinti, kad miestas - ne tik isoriskai grazus. Gatves muzikantai, mazuciai, jaukus knygynai, galerijos, mazi ir dideli teatrai, dailes akademijos, sokiu studijos… kas antro pastato paskirtis sufleruoja, kad dvasiai peno cia - apstu. Tuo tikrai nesiskundziam :) Pro pravirus senovinius vartus isliukinam I kazkoki kiema, o ten, po skliautais - gyvenimas verda kaip avily: daugybe studentu: vieni tapo, kiti groja gitaromis, treti skaito, snekuciuojasi, guksnoja vyna ar alu… Pasirodo, papuolem I dailes akademija. Velus vakaras - "atviru duru" valandos: I tokius nekviestus svecius kaip mes niekas nekreipia demesio. O mes kaifuojam nuo buvimo nepazistamo, bet dvasiskai artimo pasaulio dalimi. Akimirka zavinga….. Apziurim paveikslus, pasiklausom muzikos, ir einam toliau atradineti Morelijos :) Vos uz keliu zingsniu, is 2-rojo auksto balkono sklinda gerai pazistamas ritmas: sokiu studija, vyksta salsos pamoka. Sekancioj gatvej - kvietimas I "Argentinietisko Tango Show"…

Stai tokia Morelija: priestaringu, bet labai intensyviu emociju miestas. Abejingu likti cia - neimanoma.

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