Weddingbee

Part 1: Disneyland
Part 2: Playa Del Carmen & Cozumel
Part 3: Tulum & Chichen Itza

Our final stop on our honeymoon roadtrip was the city of Merida (It’s the capitol of the Yucatan peninsula). We had wanted to visit one of the colonial cities in Mexico and this one is rich in history. Founded in 1542 by a Spanish father and son team, it is known as the “white city” because of the use of limestone on most of the oldest buildings. You could definitely feel the European influence through the architecture and charming cafes.

When we had arrived we were a bit overwhelmed. We arrived on a Sunday, which is when many of the main streets are closed for their weekly festival. The plus side was that the streets were bustling, but the down side was that we were in a car in search of our hotel. Fortunately, we were able to navigate the many one way streets and arrive to our charming hotel, Hotel Casa Lucia.
This was my favorite of our hotels that we stayed at! It had a lovely courtyard (with pool!), a cozy Italian restaurant and beautiful rooms. It felt very quaint and small, yet was within walking distance to the downtown area–we barely had to use our car!In the downtown area, there are plenty of shops, museums and restaurants to keep you busy. Mr. Peppermint was especially happy to find how many vegetarian options were available (many restaurants billed themselves as vegetarian and most others were very accommodating). Among the amazing restaurants we went to, we especially enjoyed Alberto’s Continental Restaurant (built on using columns from Mayan ruins) & Casa de Frida (for unique Yucatanean dishes in a stylish atmosphere).

In our time in Merida, we managed to visit the museum of Contemporary Art, the Governor’s Palace (a must see just for the murals depicting the history–really helped us understand the culture and the city), the Cathedral of Saint Ildefonso & Temple of the Company of Jesus of the Third Order. Between museums we also made plenty of time for shopping–the area is renowned for their hammocks and offered many beautiful homemade crafts. On a funny note, we kept meeting locals who were really kind and took a liking to us (or so we thought). They would continue to talk to us for half an hour or so, and then would segue into how we should visit one of the Mayan-run collective stores. We were never quite sure if they worked for these places or had a lot of Mayan pride!

The interior of the Temple:

Mr. Peppermint approves of the Cathedral:

We managed to take a half day excursion to the nearby beach town of Progresso. It’s a favorite amongst locals to escape to the beach. Many of the locals who had recommended it, suggested we avoid visiting on days where cruise ships came in because the atmosphere changes from relaxed, sleepy beach town to a touristy sort of town. We wound up going on a cruise day and were actually happy about the decision. If not for the cruise ship, half the stores and restaurants would be closed. And, in a weird way, after almost two weeks in Mexico and far away from home, it was kind of interesting to have other Americans around.

Our last night we made sure to take a calesa (horse-drawn carriage) from the downtown area up to Paseo Montejo. Paseo Montejo is the Rodeo Drive of Merida and is home to many of the richest Meridians. The architecture is beautiful and the streets are wide. I really recommend the calesa (perhaps at the start of your trip) to give you a feel of the layout of the town as well as a chance to kick back and take it all in…

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