Being in a funk has me daydreaming about other places. I stare out the window from my bed at the naked trees and grey sky and long for the escape of the recent adventures in Mexico. In particular, my thoughts drift to one special place, San Miguel de Allende. If you haven't been, I offer you this...
It's often hard to describe a place, each person has different sensibilities so just because I say it is great doesn't mean YOU will love it. But I do have to say I think I have excellent taste and San Miguel de Allende is a sparkling jewel in the huge country of Mexico. That is saying A LOT, I know, roll with me here. The small, historic town has kept the ancient tiny rock streets... literally which does make it ridiculous to drive or walk down in some places, but hey, it looks soooooo cute! A little background on me, I will often forgo comfort for adorable so this is no different. Something like the Prada, snakeskin heels I have in my closet that make me so happy to look at... and simultaneously bring tears to my eyes remembering the last time I wore them. In addition they have managed to add in comfort!!! Not the shoes, the town, the shoes will be forever stained in blood. It is literally dripping in charm as the waterfalls of bougainvillea shocks in wildly vivid colors and the stone structures mix with soft crumbling walls topped with rustic-chic signs for restaurants and shops. Everything is comfortable, yet fancy. 5 star accommodations, 5 star meals, 5 star shopping... all at bargain prices, especially during a pandemic. They have massive structure to their protocols and are topnotch in sanitizing. We were allowed into the town only by passing a temperature check for everyone in the car and showing our hotel reservations. It is not an option to decide if you want to wear a mask or be sanitized or have your entire person sprayed down, it is mandatory to enter even an outdoor space. I loved it!
The town claims to be the heart of Mexico and begs that you buy the Milagro hearts to remember it by or at least an embroidered jacket that reminds you that you left your heart, not in San Francisco, but in San Miguel. The many rooftop restaurants enchant you with glorious views and showstopper culinary delights and I haven't even gotten to the wine! It has been 10 years since we have been to Mexico, truly Mexico, not the just-over-the-boarder Mexico and the difference in the wines is astounding. I excitedly imbibed every beautiful Mexican wine I could find and by the end probably drank my weight, two fold, in vino... which is saying a lot.
Now not drinking, I scroll through photos of wine labels, luscious glasses of ruby drink beckoning me back. San Miguel is not only a charmed place that sits magically perfect in my memory, but also conjures up the feeling I had then as I anticipated treatment over a delicious glass of wine with a much more optimistic view. Only a few weeks ago, but a world away now, I anticipated starting chemo as a means to an end where I would be feeling so much better, restored even. I had been using the imagery of the treatment as a purification, like wiping the slate clean and starting fresh. I mean there really isn't anything else like a good dose of chemo to rid the body of ...well, everything. Maybe this will really be the end of the string of odd illnesses, I mused, and I will emerge on the other side a new vessel ready to move into the 2nd half of my life fresh and new.
As I try to meditate myself back into the lightness of San Miguel, my mood swings back and forth wildly, like the tone of this post. I feel the outpouring of love and support from all of you that have been messaging me and I glimmer the light at the end of that claustrophobic tunnel, thank you for showing me that it is there.
In memoriam for all the wonderful wines of Mexico I drank, please seek out one and pour a glass thinking of me, because you know I can't currently Wine First.
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