This is a city of artists, writers and a lot of ex pats. We were told about 15000 live there year round. Our approach into the city was a bit chaotic plus I was struggling with airbnb and a reservation we had. Needless to say, our first impression was not a good one.

Our plan was to stop for lunch somewhere with wifi and confirm the address of our place in Queretero but by the time we got settled it was too late in the day to get back on the road. So we now had the problem of finding a place for one night in San Miguel. We were feeling road weary and grumpy. We popped into a little cafe called Cafe Oso Azul for some homemade yogurt and granola for the kids and a coffee for me. We must have been there for some time as the owner approached to see if we needed help.
We explained our predicament and after a few minutes he graciously took us to his apartment and that was where we stayed for the night. What a lovely man, his name is Jen, he his Danish and has been living there for 18 years. His apartment was great, just down the street from the main market.
In San Miguel we walked and walked and walked. The city is hilly, the jardins numerous and the churches are gorgeous. We bought a BBQ chicken, some tortillas and had a great feast. In the evening we went to the square for a wander, G bought a hat from the hat man and mariachi bands were playing everywhere. The hat man first started trying to sell Nick a hat and when Nick asked for a specific one, he dropped all his wares and said he’d be right back. So there we were with all his stuff in the middle of the plaza. When he was coming back Nick pretended to be selling them yelling,”sombreros, barato, barato”. It was pretty funny.
The kids remember the tacos and a parade that we decided to join. A group of people were singing, all dressed in baroque style, following first a burro, then a man who had a costume on of a paper mâché woman that stood about 10 feet in the air. Then there was an older couple walking together and then the rest of the parade. We walked down a few streets to an entrance to a restaurant where everyone started to chant for them to kiss. “Beso, Beso”. We still don’t know what it was about but it was fun. By then it was almost 11pm and although the streets were still busy with people strolling, we called it a night.
The morning brought a beautiful sunrise and we went up on the roof to feel the cool mountain air and drink coffee. A lot of life exists on the roofs in Mexico. Firstly, it is where all laundry is hung, it is also where the dogs and cats tend to hang out. We watched the merchants waking up the city, opening their stores and having a chat with the passersby. We also watched a hot air balloon floating over the city. Very cool, I never realized how loud the fire is or how big the flame is. I think I would like to try that.
We went to a gallery and artists studio on the outside of town called Fabrica de la Aurora, it is a massive old textile mill that now houses artists from the area. We could have spent hours there, we spoke with a few artists themselves, looked at a wide range of styles and I almost bought a painting from a local artist named Azuela. The painting was very vibrant and depicted typical rural life in the area around San Miguel. I felt rushed so I passed on it but I’m now kicking myself.
There are only a few inland towns that I can see myself living in and San Miguel is one if them. Everyone was so friendly and it just has a really good vibe about it.