Obviously Val + I were very tired, since we didn’t emerge till gone 11. We sat around for quite a while in the dining-room, over a very leisurely breakfast cum lunch, + then set out to look at the attractions of Puebla. First off was the covered market – much like the others that we’ve visited in Mexico, but nonetheless interesting for all that. Next we moved on to the craft museum. It gave every indication of being closed, but further inquiry revealed this wasn’t the case. In fact, the senora took our money + then opened it up, just for us. Sounds perfect, but it wasn’t, since she led the way thro’, + so, to some extent, dictated the pace. Some interesting items, tho’ our lack of Spanish means we didn’t understand the labelling. They seemed to take craft across a very broad spectrum, including some obviously modern models, as well as the traditional tribal crafts – pottery, weaving. I think it would have been a lot better if they had concentrated more upon the how – after all, the end product is of so much less interest than its method of production. Best of all, I think, would be a living museum, with real craftsmen. But not as neat + easy, I suppose.
Moved on to the artisans’ market, but again I was rather disappointed, since all it amounted to was a series of shops aimed at the tourist. Again, I’d hoped to see artisans at work. Many of the blankets etc were also factory-produced, thus belying the name. Cathedral next – just one more disappointment. I found it cluttered. I like majestic buildings to have a majestic interior too, but this was chopped up into bits. Ho hum.
Returned “home”, + sat talking again for quite a while, then ate pizza + played a magnificent game, called “Cosmic Encounter.” It is a board game, but is blessed with almost infinite variety by the use of special power cards which change the whole complexion of each game. Graham won the first, Val (to many people’s surprise) the second. Finally finished + retired at about 3 am.
A day of sight-seeing, though without a great deal of excitement. Graham – I shall do as he had done, and try to move on from his uni nickname – was very keen to demonstrate Cosmic Encounter to us, without realising that Val is quite the dab hand at such things. We bought our own copy when we got home, and later purchased an upgraded version, though both now reside in our attic..
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