Two "Magic Towns" in one day

In my previous post, I talked about our visit to "la Peña de Bernal", the huge monolith of rock in the state of Querétaro.  From the flank of the "peña" we could look down at the town of Bernal.

After finishing our hike along the path that goes part way up the rock, I suggested to Alejandro that we drive into the town of Bernal and find a place to eat.  I am so glad we did because we both thought that the town was thoroughly charming.

We found a place to park the car not too far from the town square.  As we walked toward the plaza, I was thinking to myself, "This is such a pretty place.  It should be declared a Magic Town."  (If you have read many of my posts, you already know that the Mexican tourism department grants the status of "Pueblo Mágico" or "Magic Town" to towns that are of outstanding scenic, cultural and historic interest.

Obviously the tourism department agreed with me, because when we reached the town square I saw a plaque commemorating the town's status as a "Magic Town."

The plaza is very picturesque.  On one side is the town hall, built in a rather whimsical style of architecture.  

 

On the other side is the little, 18th century Church of San Sebastián.  Next to the church is a small park filled with flowering jacaranda trees.

 

From the park there is a view of the towering Peña de Bernal.

 

Besides the jacarandas, there were lots of bougainvilleas and other flowers.

I didn't see any American tourists, but both the rock and the town seem to be quite popular destinations for Mexican tourists.  There are a number of hotels and restaurants in the town, and I found some high-quality shops selling local handicrafts.  In one shop I found some very attractive pottery done in a style that I had not seen before.  It is produced in a nearby factory.  I couldn't resist buying a couple pieces.

It was time to eat.  There were a couple restaurants that offered rooftop views of the Peña, but after looking at several menus, we chose a little courtyard restaurant that turned out to be a very good choice.  The food and the service were very good.  There was also a quite talented musician playing the keyboard.  His repertoire was very eclectic... ranging from Chopin and Mozart to Broadway musicals to ragtime.

For dinner I ordered Querétaro-style enchiladas and "cecina" (a type of dried, salted beef that is a specialty of the area).  Alejandro had a steak served with "cuitlacoche".  "Cuitlacoche" (also called "huitlacoche") is a fungus which grows on the ears of corn.  In the U.S. we call it "corn smut", but in Mexico it is a delicacy.  I am not big on trying foods that to our standards seem bizarre (like grasshoppers, ant eggs, or cow brains), but I have tried "cuitlacoche", and it is not bad.  Our name, "corn smut", makes it seem unappetizing, but really it is nothing more than a type of mushroom.

    
By this time it was early evening.  But we made another stop before heading back to Mexico City.  Just down the road from Bernal is Tequisquiapan, another "Magic Town".  We stopped and spent an hour strolling through the center of the town.  The lively plaza with its colonial church and the pedestrianized streets around it were very pleasant.  However we were both of the opinion that Bernal is much more "magical".

Escape to the big rock

Saturday Alejandro and I planned to take one of our one-day excursions outside of Mexico City.  However, we had our doubts that we would be able to escape the capital.  Holy Week is the favorite time of year for Mexican families to take their vacations, and the great exodus out of the city had begun.  We expected to find every highway leading out of the metropolis to be paralyzed with bumper to bumper traffic.

We got a late start on Saturday morning and hit the road at around eleven o'clock. We were very surprised that traffic was not too bad.  In fact, we have experienced worse on some of our other weekend excursions out of the city.  Traffic was heavy, and in some spots slow, but it never came to a standstill.

Our destination was one of Mexico's natural wonders, "la Peña de Bernal" (the Rock of Bernal).  It is located about two and a half hours to the northwest of Mexico City in the state of Querétaro.

The "Peña" is a huge outcropping of sheer rock.  A sign at the entrance to the ecological park said that it is one of the world's largest stone monoliths, surpassed only by the Rock of Gibraltar and Sugar Loaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  However after returning to Mexico City I did some further research of the "Peña" on the internet.  I found an article which said that there was a recent study by the National University of Mexico that more accurately calculated the height of the rock.  With a revised height of over 1400 feet, it is now being said that "la Peña de Bernal" is the tallest monolith in the world...higher than either Gibraltar or Sugar Loaf.

At the base of the rock there is a path leading part of the way up the "Peña".   I wrote in an earlier post that it seems that every time I come to Mexico to visit Alejandro there will be an excursion that involves some sort of climbing... either pyramids or mountain trails.  That comment continues to hold true.  Before beginning the climb you must sign in with the park authorities.  I would say that it is a moderately difficult climb, and, with frequent stops to catch my breath and to take pictures, the ascent took us about an hour.  

 

To climb all the way to the top, up the sheer face of the rock, you must be an experienced rock-climber and have the necessary equipment.  Alejandro is a rock-climber and on a previous expedition with his group of climbing friends made it to the top of the "Peña"

Needless so say, I was not going to do any rock-climbing. But we made it to the highest look-out point of the path.  The view is quite spectacular.  At the foot of the "Peña" is the small town of Bernal.  It is a very picturesque town, and I will write about it in my next post.

The descent, although less physically taxing, is more difficult since you must carefully judge your footing on the rocky path.  My legs felt like rubber by the time we were done, but it was a fun adventure... and I burned some calories after all that Mexican food I've been eating!