Zac Attack

We are into spur-of-the-moment trips right now, I guess. This weekend we did a quick overnighter to Zacatecas. I love it more every time I go there!

We learned an important lesson: pack the night before. Trying to pack, even for overnight, around two little ones is an exercise in frustration. Add to that a little girl's wet bed and the very last of the good coffee beans (with no replacements in sight!) and you have a recipe for short tempers. That said, we got on the road at a decent hour and didn't forget anything.

We spent the afternoon walking around the centro. We had lunch at an Italian place with a great patio and service, but just ok food. We were disappointed to find that the waters didn't start dancing in the fountain at the Enrique Estrada park until 5pm. But, we enjoyed some time playing chase, climbing trees, and splashing in a fountain. This park always reminds me of the guy from C.H.I.P.s. Apparently Eric Estrada was very popular here and got a spot on a Mexican soap opera. But his spanish was so terrible they had to kill him off.

Eva has changed in a number of ways very recently. First of all, her pants are suddenly floods (not that it stops her from wearing them). Secondly, she is maturing. During the car ride she didn't need to be "entertained" quite the same as she used to. And we had some very special time with her on Saturday night. She and Andrew went out to get some food while I put Micah to bed. Usually the kids go to bed at the same time, but Eva had napped in the afternoon so we figured she wouldn't be tired at her usual bedtime. They found an awesome restaurant, called La Cantera Musical, right across the street. Definitely recommended. Then the three of us just sat in the sitting area outside our room and ate and hung out. We weren't "taking care of her" anymore... we were hanging out with her. A subtle but important shift.

Sunday morning we went to the Emporio for brunch and MMMMmmmmmmm did we enjoy ourselves. Great service, great ambiance, great coffee! The buffet was very good, the pancakes were fluffy, and the omelet was outstanding. Can't wait to get back there.

After brunch we checked out the Museo Rafael Coronel. When we were in Zac a year and a half ago, my parents took Eva to a bunch of museums that they all enjoyed, but we didn't get to any. So we were excited to see this one, "the mask museum". Tons of masks, and some marionettes (sp?) and other miscellaneous artwork. All displayed in a gorgeous restored ex-convent. The $20 pesos ($2) was worth it just to walk the grounds.

We dropped in on our homestay family and they invited us for lunch. We had a really enjoyable time eating with them and catching up.

Micah had some impressive staying power on the way home. He cried/fussed for approximately 3 of the 4 hour trip. Slept for an hour which was sweet relief to Andrew who had trouble tuning him out. Until just this weekend, Micah has been VERY good about the carseat, but I guess he didn't get enough exercise this weekend or was annoyed at the number of cheerios he was sitting on. He wanted out!

Overall, a really great weekend. We feel so blessed to live so near to a city like this that makes us feel so relaxed and transported to another time.