On our third day in Oaxaca, we hung out at the house for a bit in the morning and then took cabs to our hotel in the city center. Our hotel, Casa de Sierra Azul was such a beautiful place to stay for the next 48 hours. The staff was very accommodating, allowing us to bring our bags and check-in early, as well as leave our bags behind the counter to check-out late the next day. Also, the courtyard was just spectacular and ever so peaceful (https://www.hotelcasadesierrazul.com/EN/). We would stay there again in a heartbeat and actually wish that we would have stayed there more nights instead of the house (in hindsight, the house was just too far from the centro; the hotel allowed us to walk everywhere instead of traveling in two different taxis).
the front of the hotel (casa azul: blue house)
The front doors were beautiful!
Welcome to our room
The inside of the room was special and historic as well
The small courtyard outside of our room was my favorite
It reminded me of a castle
A few more hotel details...I was obsessed with this vine on the right.
The main courtyard view from our room.
So many cool pots and plants. I wish that I could have brought them all home.
The view from the upper level where Jeff and Diane's room was; there was a nice sitting area up there as well and the view was wonderful.
After checking in at the hotel, we hustled a few blocks to the Botanical Garden to make it in time for the English speaking tour of the gardens. One can only visit the gardens with a guided tour; unfortunately the English speaking tour was two hours, and felt quite tedious (the Spanish speaking tour is only one hour). The gardens themselves were quite amazing. The state of Oaxaca is home to almost every ecosystem, so the plants in the garden were very numerous and varied.
The view from above the garden
In the jungle section
I loved this view through the cactus forest
Check out Seth and Josh's giant leaves
We had to sneak away from the group to get a family selfie in the cactus forest.
The purple tree was my favorite
The most famous view at the gardens
It was so sunny!
After the gardens we found a pizza place for lunch, which was a nice reprieve from the heavy Mexican food we'd been eating. Here are some city center views from our days' walking:
The details!
There's a wonderful pedestrian street in the city center.
After lunch we explored the Church of Santo Domingo, an ornate church and old monastery. It also houses a wonderful museum with many artifacts from a tomb they found in the ruins of Monte Alban.
The boys showing how enormous the doors are!
To say that the inside is ornate would be an understatement.
Tons of gold leaf
I can't decide which picture below of Seth is my favorite. They both portray well the awe we had at the decorations of the church.
Which one has your vote?
The view of the botanical gardens from the window of the monestary
Kids overlooking another courtyard at the monastery.
This day was actually Thanksgiving, and thankfully we were able to make reservations to eat at a great restaurant that evening. An American friend, Julia, who also lives in Monterrey had arrived in Oaxaca that afternoon, so we all ate together on the terrace of Casa Oaxaca, overlooking Santo Domingo church. It was such a fun evening and I really wish that we would have gotten a group picture! The food was amazing, although the only turkey that we ate was with a mole sauce. Afterwards we walked to the zocalo (town square build around a church) together, ate ice cream and people watched. An unconventional, but delightful Thanksgiving.
Friday was our final day in Oaxaca; we were able to be the city practically the whole day, however, because our flight didn't leave until 8:30 pm. We had a nice, slow morning in our hotel's courtyard. Jeff and Diane babysat the kids for us so that Ben and I could go on a breakfast date. They all played sardines throughout the hotel and had a blast!
Picture taken by Diane during a sardine break
A fair amount of Uno was played in the courtyard as well
Josh figured out that he could read Frog and Toad and read the same chapter to us over and over again throughout the trip. It was so sweet.
Ben was very passionate about his Oaxacan hot chocolate
That afternoon we braved the famous Oaxaca markets. We all thought that this was just about one of the craziest experiences ever. There were so many people, stalls, sights, smells and sounds. The next day I learned from Ben that Seth almost got hit by a motorcycle while crossing a street and at one point in time, Josh got lost in a crowd of people (good call by Ben to not tell me this until we had left the market). The markets weren't just a place for tourists, but where the citizens of the city actually shopped as well, so it was just such a neat piece of real life in Oaxaca.
We found Ben's twin at one of the first stalls in the market
The flower aisle was, of course, my favorite
So many beautiful dresses
Mole, beans, pasta
Chapulinas, Jaimaca, peanuts
Everything one could ever want to cook with
So many chiles!
Herb stall
Ben and the boys sitting in the party section
Meat aisle
Grandparents braving the market
Best picture of the trip
We walked through the restaurant section, but thought it best not to sample for our stomach's sakes
"Smoke alley" where people can pick their meat and have it grilled right before their eyes. Crazy.
This was definitely one of the most unique trips we have ever taken. We loved our days with the guide and feel that having him opened us up to seeing parts (and artisans) of Oaxaca that we never could have experienced on our own. Ben and I loved the mole (no one else really did); however, overall, the food felt very heavy for our liking (and our guts). Also, unlike Monterrey, finding cheap, easy and quick street tacos wasn't an option (which was very unexpected). We felt like four nights and four full days was plenty to fully explore Oaxaca City and the surrounding pueblos, but would love to return someday to the beaches of the state (like Puerto Escondido). The people were very friendly and very tiny (Seth and Sam were the size of many older women). The history of the area was fascinating and the historical buildings were beautiful. It was a very special place to visit and so amazing to do it with Ben's parents. We are so very thankful for such a fun and memorable week!
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