Bienvenidos a Merida!

We took a bus from Cancun airport to Merida last Thursday, which was a very pleasant 4.5 hour trip. Super relaxing and comfortable! We checked into our Airbnb and have been enjoying this peaceful and relaxing spot ever since.

We’re staying in a traditional style home in the Centro, or city center. The neighborhood is called San Juan, and here are some views from walks we’ve taken.

The house is so modest on the outside and so much more in the inside! We’re always amazed by this contrast in Merida. The lots are very deep, so there’s a really small street presence, then a huge amount of space behind the wall. We’ve been hanging out in the courtyard nonstop. And taking dips in the plunge pool as needed to cool off. It’s pretty amazing. Note how high the ceiling is – super effective at holding the heat way away.

On Saturday we took a food tour and cooking class that was really interesting and a lot of fun. Our guide Sebastian and chef Reina were great!

On Sunday we went to the grand museum of the Mayans- it’s a big new museum in the north part of Merida. Really good exhibits about the history of the Yucatán peninsula and the Mayan people. And very cool building.

We have also been exploring other neighborhoods. Just south of us is La Ermita, which is very quiet and picturesque. We even saw a fashion shoot there, with a model strolling in front of a brightly painted residence! also below is a mural from near Santa Ana and an informal house marking / symbol in the Centro. Sebastian pointed these out to us and said they were a way people designated specific buildings and intersections, without always referring to the rigid number system in the grid. All streets are numbered, in both directions. Even as a fans of the grid that’s intense!

And food – we’ve had a lot of good food but this fried zucchini blossom with goat cheese and mahi mahi tartare we’re worthy of photographing before we gobbled it up!

Off to dinner shortly at Catrin, which will be a repeat visit from last year!