Early Evening in Jalapa

It's been a long time since I have been in Jalapa.  As I have written previously, my friend Irma was born and raised in Jalapa.  Her late husband was one of my Spanish professors at Baldwin Wallace College in Berea, Ohio, and she has lived in Berea since the 1970s.  In my junior year of college I studied for one quarter in Mexico, and I made my first trip to Jalapa during that time.  There I met Irma's father, her brother, and her niece and nephews.  After that my trips to Mexico would often include a couple days in Jalapa to visit Irma's family.  After her father, and then her brother passed away I no longer went there.  Only her nephew Javier and his wife Bobbi still live in the family house. 

Irma is currently in Jalapa visiting her nephew, and since I am here in Mexico City at the same time, she had urged me to come for a visit.  So that is why Alejandro and I went to Jalapa last weekend. The last time I was there Irma's nephew Javier was a teenager.  He was a nice kid then, and he is a nice guy now.  His wife is a charming, sweet lady.  They truly made us feel welcome.

They picked us up at our hotel, and we went out for dinner at a restaurant downtown in an old, traditional house.  "Chiles en nogada" were featured on the menu.  I had just had that a couple days ago, so I ordered something different.  Everyone else however had the "chile en nogada".  I had a taste of Alejandro's, and it was excellent... right up there with what my favorite restaurants in Mexico City serve.

I suppose that I should have ordered the "chile"... after all, most restaurants only serve it in August and September... but I was very satisfied with my chicken in a very tasty "salsa poblana".

While we had dinner it rained heavily, but by the time we were done, the rain had stopped.  We took a stroll through the center of town.  Jalapa has changed a lot since I was there last.  It is now a city of over 400,000 people, and there are new developments and shopping centers all over.  The downtown area, however is much as a remember it.

Jalapa's Cathedral was built in the 18th century, but it was never completed.  The second bell tower was never built.

  
Across the street from the Cathedral is the government palace... Jalapa is the capital of the state of Veracruz.  Like so many government buildings in Mexico, it is adorned with mural paintings.

Next to the government palace is Parque Juárez, an attractive park built in terraces along the hillside.  

From the park there are views of the city.

In spite of the cloud cover, the silhouette of the "Cofre de Perote", the 14,000 feet high mountain overlooking Jalapa could be seen.

On a sunny day the views, which would have included Mexico's tallest mountain, Pico de Orizaba, would have been spectacular.  Nevertheless, there was a beauty to the clouds and mist which hung over the mountains and the city.