My Guided Walking Tour of San Miguel de Allende

On day two of my guided tour, I led a walking tour of the historic center of San Miguel de Allende.  The first stop was to the jardin (the town's main plaza) where we toured the Parroquia, the main parish church.  The entrance was recently decorated with the large Xuchile in honor of Saint Michael, the patron saint of San Miguel.

On the other side of the jardin, we popped into Galleria San Miguel, the oldest gallery in town, and visited with the owner and my friend, Sylvia Samuelson.  She has quite the stories to share for she has had this gallery for 48 1/2 years! Next we headed next door to ONO, a fabulous boutique featuring exquisite textiles and clothing.  Matina is modeling the pretty pink blouse that she ended up buying.  A few others did not leave empty handed either.

 The ceramic plates were so colorful and unique.

ONO is really known for it contemporary wood designs;  boxes, coasters, games, sculptures (that remind me of Miro & Picasso)...  the furniture is exceptional.

 I loved these bracelets.  I don't know why I did not buy a few for gifts.  Next time...

ONO has a wide variety of scarves and rebozas.  I have quite the collection that I have bought over the years.  One can never have too many scarves.

After seeing a few other churches, galleries, shops, the huge market... we took a break in the courtyard next to the Oratorio Church.  From left to right:  Laura (Chica), Susan, Cheryl, Alex, Alice, Phoebe (with her "swell" pink Converse sneakers on), Ronda, Bobbi, Dudley (by the way, he loved being the only man in the group and we loved having him on the tour along with his wife Ronda), Rosie, Dianne and Matina.  Just two blocks away, our table was waiting for us at Casa Blanca.

We had a fabulous comida (lunch in Spanish).  We ended the meal with a choice of three yummy desserts.  Every dessert plate was decorated differently.  This was an apple crepe with a little vanilla ice cream.

With a margarita down the hatch, you would think that Alice was playing with her food.  But no...  She was taking instructions from her daughter, Susan, on how to make the decorations that graced our dessert plates. 
Everyone in the group hit it off magically from the start.  It was the beginning to a perfect week together!