When I decided to retire, I knew I wanted some kind of an adventure offering different prospects of activity. When in college, I studied French; it seemed a natural, as after all, I was an art major and in love with the French Impressionists! When I moved to California and encountered the Spanish Missions built by Friar Junipero Serra, I found another love; this time in Spanish! I had one of those “déjà vu” moments that made me think I’d been there before. It was a very interesting sensation that continued in my mind and continues still to this day. I took some trips to different places in Mexico and always felt like I wanted to stay longer.
I began to think about moving to Mexico and learning Spanish. Now that’s an adventure, I thought! I started to study a bit of Spanish. And suddenly, I was packing and calling movers to arrange for a definitive move to Mexico before I could say much more than “gracias”! I have never regretted the move and now I know much more Spanish!I found Morelia! Then, my adventure began to take off! You know the expression, “different strokes for different folks”, well it looks to me like the possibilities to find what you may be looking for in Mexico are numerous. To me, Morelia is most satisfying. If you like classical music, it has an excellent symphony orchestra and chamber music groups. There are art museums for contemporary art and shows of old masters.
I first moved to Tepic, as I had a contact there, who could help me out with my limited Spanish, but Tepic didn’t offer any of the cultural activities that I knew were available in Mexico and it was too hot and humid. In spite of that, Mexico was most appealing to me, especially the people I met, so I set out to find another city that offered the things missing in Tepic.
Morelia, itself, is a work of great architecture with the old buildings dating from the late 16th century being dutifully and beautifully maintained. Here, as in many places in Mexico, you will find the plazas and parks are always beautifully maintained, as well. It is a joy to go walking in them.
In the areas around Morelia, such as Patzcuaro or Zirahen with their lakes and hills and mountains, you find some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world! Mexico has begun to think in ecological terms to preserve the forests and lakes. Builders are planning alternative energy sources using solar, wind and other forms to conserve natural resources and cut down on toxic energy wastes being spewed into the air. Yes, Mexico is going green!
