Don Quixote in Guanajuato

Today we visited El Museo Iconografico de Don Quixote, or the Iconographic Museum of Don Quixote, a truly unique museum you won't find anywhere else but in Guanajuato. 

There is a big bronze statue of the fictional character Don Quixote right outside, and a brilliant baritone singing in front of the house next door, so who we were we to say no?

Who the Heck is Don Quixote?

For those not well-versed in literary endeavors, Don Quixote is a fictional character created by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes in a book rather awkwardly titled The Ingenious Gentleman Sir Quixote of La Mancha. This is what Wikipedia has to say about it:

Published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, Don Quixote is the most influential work of literature from the Spanish Golden Age and the entire Spanish literary canon. As a founding work of modern Western literature, it regularly appears high on lists of the greatest works of fiction ever published, such as the Bokklubben World Library collection that cites Don Quixote as the authors' choice for the "best literary work ever written".

Needless to say, no one in my family has read it, not even Aryk, the writer and English Literature major. This is what Wikipedia says it is about:

The story follows the adventures of a noble (hidalgo) named Alonso Quixano who reads so many chivalric romances that he loses his sanity and decides to become a knight-errant (caballero andante), reviving chivalry and serving his country, under the name Don Quixote de la Mancha. He recruits a simple farmer, Sancho Panza, as his squire, who often employs a unique, earthy wit in dealing with Don Quixote's rhetorical orations on antiquated knighthood. Don Quixote, in the first part of the book, does not see the world for what it is and prefers to imagine that he is living out a knightly story.

Don Quixote and My Mother

My late mother’s favorite musical was The Man of La Mancha, a 1965 musical about Don Quixote. She would have really enjoyed this museum. If you have ever heard the song The Impossible Dream, you should know it comes from this musical. (I realize this is irrelevant, but I had to share it anyway.) 

The museum, located a couple of blocks off the main square, was founded in 1987 by the collector Eulalio Ferrer Rodríguez, a former captain in the Spanish Civil War who, legend has it, traded a pack of cigarettes for the book Don Quixote, and the book helped keep him sane and captured his imagination during the time he spent in a refugee camp in France. An entrepreneur involved in communications and advertising, he later immigrated to Mexico and brought his devotion to Don Quixote to Guanajuato, which is now famous for its annual, month-long Cervantino festival – even though Cervantes himself never set foot in this city!

Eulalio Ferre Rodriguez

An Amazing Variety of Art

The museum is quite good. It’s situated in what was probably the mansion of a mine-owner, and it houses in 16 rooms a striking collection of different types of pieces by different artists whose theme revolves around the figure of Don Quixote and the rest of the characters in the novel. There are bronze sculptures, surreal paintings, sketches, multimedia pieces and more!

Here are a few of my favorites.

Welcome to Messy Suitcase! Part 2: Why Mexico?

Car Setbacks (a.k.a. Shit Happens)

All was not completely smooth in our trip across the country and into Mexico,as we ran into several car-related setbacks.

First, the Car Accident

The first came in late August when Lexie was working on getting her driver’s license. One Saturday we decided to get some interstate driving experience in and drive north on I-76, away from the crowded metro Denver area. We were concentrating on watching cars that were merging onto the highway, as Denver drivers have a bad habit of expecting cars already on the highway to yield to them. Driving in the right-hand lane, we came to an entrance ramp where a car and medium sized U-Haul truck had just gotten on the merge ramp. We were opposite the truck so we couldn’t speed up, but before we could even slow down the U-Haul moved right into our lane. Lexie’s immediate reaction was to shift left to avoid the truck, but unfortunately, another car was there. We hit that car, bounced off, and Lexie lost control. Suddenly we were heading for the concrete median at 65 mph. Crash! Airbags deployed. Things didn’t end well for the truck, or for Lexie’s hand, which was broken and in a cast for 6 weeks. 

The U-Haul driver just drove on up the road. I assume he never even saw us.

Chain Reaction

This set off a chain reaction. First, we had to find a new truck. Unfortunately, we had already ordered a custom topper which only fit Toyota Tacomas through 2015, and it was black. So we started looking, all over the country for a low-mileage 2015 Tacoma in a color compatible with black. This consumed valuable time that we needed for packing and finishing up on the house, but we eventually found a charcoal one in the Denver area that had about 50,000 miles less than our older 2012 truck.

 License & Registration

The accident also meant that Lexie wouldn’t be able to get her driver’s license in Colorado, because she could not drive again till she got her cast off, which would be only a few days before our scheduled departure. We would have to figure out that later.

And it created some difficulties in getting license plates and registration for the new car in Colorado since CO had recently switched to a new computer system which had created a backlog.

Next, the Battery

Our troubles in CO weren’t over yet. On the day before we were scheduled to leave, the new truck wouldn’t start. We had it jumped and I took it to NAPA to get the battery tested. The battery was bad, and I changed it out in the NAPA parking lot.

Then, Rear-Ended

For our last meal in the Denver area, we decided to go to Woody’s Pizza in Golden, our favorite pizza place. They make a wide variety of delicious pizzas, and you go to the counter and grab a slice of whatever pizza just came out of the oven. On the way, we were stopped at a red light on a fairly major road, 2^nd in line. Traffic was stopped behind us. The light turned green, but the person in front of decided he wanted to change lanes so he didn’t move until traffic on our left had cleared. As we sat waiting, the woman in a large truck behind us suddenly rammed into the back of our truck. Our truck was half packed, but fortunately it was drivable, with only damage to our tailgate and bumper. Because of our tight travel schedule to make it across the country and catch a plane to Europe, it would be three months before we could get the damage repaired.

The new truck with topper, right before the accident

So we had to drive across the country with a badly damaged bumper held on by a bungee cord.

Our Car Registration Expires

We parked our truck at Lisa’s brother’s house in northern Virginia and he graciously took us to the airport for our European trip. During the time away, our temporary Colorado registration expired, so we had to call the car dealership from Greece to get an extension sent to Lisa’s brother so we wouldn’t be driving illegally when we got back.

Back to Lexie’s Driver’s License

Back from Europe, our plan was to spend some time in our Vermont house and get Lexie the driving practice necessary to pass the test. Then we would both fly back to CO, get the new car registration and take the test. However, since we own property in Vermont we investigated whether Lexie could get her license and whether we could register the car there. We found out we could do both, and now Lexie is a resident of Vermont. We also registered the car there. Vermont DMV took our CO title and told us it would be a few weeks before our registration and title would arrive in the mail (to our Colorado address).

Unfortunately, the weather was abnormally snowy so we didn’t get as much driving practice in as we expected, still Lexie was ready to take the test a few days before our scheduled departure. Unfortunately, she didn’t pass, mostly because the examiner didn’t like the way she parallel-parked the truck. (Personally, I completely avoid parallel parking the truck because I can’t do it.) She actually parallel-parked perfectly, but before she had time to straighten the wheels out, the instructor told her she was finished and to move on – and then deducted points for not straightening out the truck!

It was frustrating, but we rescheduled the test for the day before we were scheduled to leave VT. Then, just as we were getting into the truck to go to the test, the examiner called us and told us that a mistake had been made and that they rescheduled the new test too early, as Vermont has a three-day waiting period between tests. That meant that Lexie still doesn’t have her license, which we will have to take care of this summer.

Cracked Windshield

We embarked on our trip to Mexico in early January, and on the second day on the road, we took a stone to the windshield which caused a crack. We didn’t want to go into Mexico with that so, as we were driving, we scheduled a glass repair while we were staying at our AirBnB in New Orleans the next day.

Troubles at the Border

We’ve previously documented our problems in getting into Mexico because we still hadn’t received our permanent registration from Vermont – read that blog. 

Sidetracked by the Gas Crisis

And, follow our problems in getting the whole way to Guadalajara due to the gas crisis in Mexico here! 

Rising Above

However, even with all of the minor setbacks, we made it to Mexico and have started our new life -- and we certainly have learned how to handle adversity! And sometimes the setbacks provided unforeseen advantages. Because of the accident, we have a newer car that is better able to handle rough Mexican roads. Because of the gas crisis, we discovered a city we never would have thought to visit, Leon.

Welcome to Messy Suitcase on You Tube! Part 1: Launching a New Life

Messy Suitcase is on YouTube!

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Getting Broken Saxophones Repaired

(Even though we have moved on to Guanajuato, we still have a few blogs from our life in Tlaquepaque to post. Enjoy!)

We have two saxophones here in Mexico. Because I routinely play an alto, I keep it on a stand. Unfortunately, one night the nocturnal cat activities got a little too rambunctious and they knocked my sax onto the hard tile floor. My sax had some damage and needed to go into the repair shop.

Lex plays the bari sax, and one day one of her keys no longer functioned properly. It needed to go into the shop, too.

Back in Colorado, we knew of several good shops. In Guadalajara, we didn’t know of any. Mr. Google provided several potential musical instrument repair shops. Then we had to use WhatsApp, in Spanish, to find out whether they repaired saxophones. Fortunately, Mr. Google provided a picture of the front of one shop, Taller (Workshop) Rodriguez e Hijos, which had a sign which said they repaired saxophones. They became the de facto winner.

The sign says: Repair of All Types of Woodwind instruments, including Clarinets, Trumpets, trombones and Saxophones, Gold-Plated, Nickel, Chrome

Visiting Rodriguez e Hijos

Lex and I Ubered to the shop on a Monday afternoon. No Spanish spoken there, but we managed to convey what we needed. The sax expert came out and gave our saxophones a thorough examination. Then, in very rapid Spanish, he explained to us what he needed to do. Neither Lex or I understood a word he said, we just nodded in agreement. He did point out four areas that my sax needed work on. When we asked him when they would be ready, he told us three days.

I also asked how much he thought it would cost and he told us that he wouldn’t know until he did his work. I left with a little concern, since we gave both saxophones to someone we didn’t know and with no idea what it would cost us to get them back.

Bob's happy saxophone

Lexie's rejuvenated bari sax

Lex and I returned on Thursday, and as promised the saxophones were ready. I took mine out and played a few notes. It sounded good.

Then Came the Bill

I then asked the question I was almost afraid to ask – how much was the bill? To my astonishment, the bill was $450MXN, or less than $25USD. I gave him the money and we were off.

I don’t know exactly what was done, but I can guarantee you that the work would have cost us at least $150 USD back in Lakewood, and certainly wouldn’t have been done in 3 days.

But both saxophones were fixed and now sound the way they should.

Thank you Taller Rodriguez e Hijos!

Cristo Rey: The Heart of Mexico

Today we traveled to the corazon (heart) of Mexico to see the iconic statue of Cristo Rey. This imposing bronze statue of Christ the King, 75 feet tall and rising 8,461 feet above sea level at Mexico’s geographical center, looms from atop a mountain above the town of Silao called El Cubillo del Cubilete.

Cristo Rey

The monumental Christ of the Mountain was created in art deco style by artist Nicholas Mariscal in 1944 to honor the struggle of Christians during a period of religious persecution in the early 1900s.

In the words of former Mexican President Vicente Fox, the statue serves as a "rebuke to the suppressors of religious freedom" who sought to quash the Church during the persecution of Christians in Mexico during the first half of the twentieth century.

A smaller previous monument was dynamited in 1928 by the anti-religious (and particularly anti-Catholic) regime of President Plutarco Elías Calles, as part of his mission to kill Christian rebels and destroy all Christian symbols during the nation's critical "Cristero War" when state atheism was enforced.  (Source: Wikipedia)

A Holy Shrine for Mexicans

Few Americans have even heard of Cristo Rey and El Cubillo del Cubilete, but to Mexicans, this is a holy place where many make a pilgrimage. At the foot of the statue is basilica in the shape of a globe where pilgrims visit throughout the year, especially in November, when Catholics celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. This elegant sanctuary, with its enormous crown of thorns encircling the ceiling and its gold-coated crown in the center, is one of the most visited churches in Mexico. (Unfortunately, I couldn’t stroll through it and take pictures because I was wearing shorts, which are forbidden attire in the sanctuary.)

Sanctuary

Crown of thorns

Golden crown for Christ the King

Incredible Vistas

The 360-degree panoramic view from the base of the monument is truly spectacular. Guanajuato is having an extremely dry May, and we could see a number of forest fires in the distant mountains. In fact, on the drive to the shrine, we came within a few feet of one. Learn more. 

Side Trips

On the way, we stopped to eat lunch on the covered veranda of a beautiful hacienda surrounded by grape vines called Jesus Maria, which served up wonderful wine, pasta, salads and seafood. 

Our family and Javier enjoying dinner

We also visited the village of La Luz, where we stopped into the fascinating, ancient church named Maria de la Luz.

Because this is a big mining region,
the crucifix had miners' helmets, tools and rocks at its base.

Thank you, Javier!

The tour was conducted by Javier Salazar, general manager of Casa Estrella Wellness Center, where we are staying. He made for a very knowledgeable and sometimes devilishly funny tour guide! 

We have a new name!

"Life is Short, the World is Big" is our philosophy, our passion, our lifestyle, our motivation, our inspiration.

But as a blog title, it was just TOO LONG!

So we are in the process of changing the name of the blog to Messy Suitcase! After all, we are living out of a few suitcases stuffed into the back of our truck (along with three musical instruments, three cats and our youngest child, Lex, who is on a gap year from college). OK, we let the cats and Lex sit in the back seat, but you get the point!

Every few months, we pack up those suitcases -- often with "help" from the cats -- and head for our next destination, where we again live out of messy suitcases!

Connect to Messy Suitcase on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube -- and watch for our YouTube channel to get a lot busier.

Thanks for supporting Bob and Lisa in our travels ... because life is short & the world is big!

Do you recognize Ellie Smoit, the Adventure Cat, in our new logo?