Beating Insecurity: Why Not?

Have your insecurities ever stopped you from doing something you really wanted to do?

It's happened to me countless occasions.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, my insecurities were a driving force in my life.  Or, better said, they were a paralyzing force in my life for far too long.  Fortunately, for some time now, I've gotten better and better about pushing myself into uncomfortable situations, if, at the end, it gets me to do something I've really wanted to do.

However, every once in awhile, insecurity still gets the better of me.

Two years ago, it almost robbed me of a chance to take advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  Looking back, I´m still surprised by the series of events that led up to this opportunity.

Twelve years ago, my husband left Mexico for a year to study his master's degree in Sweden.  (Thank you, Sweden and your marvelous system free higher education--we will forever be grateful!)   After he finished his classes, he came back to Mexico with the intention of finishing his master's thesis while he was working.

Ten years later, his university decided that it was time he finally finished and presented this thesis.

Therefore, two years ago, we spent two weeks in Sweden in June, so he could FINALLY finish that degree.

Sweden is a lovely place to be in June.  His university was in Linköping, two hours southwest of Stockholm.  (It's pronounced "Lin-sho-ping" NOT "Link-o-ping."  If you need further proof of the goofiness of the Swedish language, check out this video, explaining Swedish pronounciation.  When Mexicans complain that English pronounciation is hard to learn--which it is--throw this video into the discussion!  See--English isn´t the only goofy language!)


Anyway, in Sweden in June, the grass is green, the flowers are in bloom, the trees are lusciously, leafy green, the sun is ALWAYS out, the birds are singing, and--in Linköping--a river runs through it.

Yes, a river runs right through the downtown area.  There is a system of locks, so people can take boats on pretty extensive river tours.  On the north side of the downtown area, the city put up a beach, so those sun-loving Swedes can enjoy the warmth and the outdoors as long as they possibly can before winter locks them inside again.

But since I was there in June, people were taking full advantage of the river area.  Of particular interest to me--a man was renting kayaks one of the first afternoons I was exploring the city.

I am pretty well-versed in canoe (for being a suburban girl).  But I had never had the chance to kayak.  I really wanted to.  I love the feeling of floating on the water, skimming the surface as if I were flying.  Pushing myself through the water with a paddle, the effort is usually minimal for the amount of distance I can travel.  (I´ve clearly never gone against a strong current.)

And kayaks, being so much smaller than canoes, make me almost positive that that feeling of weightlessness and flying could be enhanced.  I decided that yes, I wanted to kayak.  In Sweden.  Under the leafy trees lining the river in downtown Linköping.

Then, in walked insecurity.

1)  Maybe this was more expensive than it was really worth.
2)  Or maybe I had better wait until next week.  After all, it was my second day exploring the city--that was exciting enough, right?
3)  Or maybe the rental guy didn't speak English.  (Oh, please--Sweden continued to floor me not only about how all Swedes speak perfect English, they also didn't seem to mind that my Swedish vocabulary consisted of five words, of which only two ever found their way out of my mouth.)
4)  Or this . . . Or that . . . and maybe this again . . . ad naseum!

So I sat on the bank and did what I do best--observe.


Then something that caught my attention.  The kayak rental guy looked strikingly similar to Levy, a guy I spent a year volunteering with at NPH in Morelos.  Furthermore, rumor last had it that he was in Sweden.  There was a carseat this guy's car, for a girl who was probably just about the same size of Levy's kid.  And renting kayaks and sponsoring other outdoor recreational opportunities would be EXACTLY the kind of thing he'd love to do.  (Having very few personal funds when we volunteered, he managed to start a successful tae-kwon-do program at the children's home, which he kept running for at least five years on his volunteer's stipend.)  He gets things done, and he does what he wants to do.

I realized that if this guy really was Levy, he'd roll his eyes at my indecision, then look me in the eye and tell me, "Jill--get your ass in that kayak."

So I bit the bullet and decided I was going to do it.  Plus, the more I watched, the more I was convinced that I knew this guy, and I´d regret it if I didn't go and find out if it really was him or not.

I weaved my way through the kayaks on the beach and groups of twenty-somethings getting their lifejackets on.  Finally I got over to Levy and got his attention.  I was within arm's length of this guy.

He was shorter than Levy.

Then he started talking--definitely not Levy's voice.

But his English was excellent, and he was clearly happy to have another kayaker for that hour's tour.
After a very basic round of paddling instruction (all in Swedish, which I could mostly follow--thanks Duolingo and body language!) we threw the kayaks in the river, got in, and headed downstream.

It was every bit as wonderful as I imagined.

The freedom on the water, the effortless slice of paddle through the water, the blue sky and the sun glistening off the river--kayaking down the Kinda Canal was hands-down the highlight of my two weeks in Sweden.

These kayaks were only out to be rented on Thursday.  I had considered waiting until the next Thursday.

It turned out that it rained all day that next Thursday.

I'm so glad I took advantage of the opportunity I had when it presented itself.

It's easy to get bogged down in numerous reasons not to do something.  Had I listened to all my doubts, or even the benign "let's put it off until next week", I would have missed out on what turned out to be my most memorable experience of that vacation.

Traveling is a great chance to seize the day.  Let's all channel our inner Robin Williams and "CARPE DIEM!"

Traveling is also a great chance to get overwhelmed.  Everything is different, everything is new.  While the vacation may have been the source of dreams while at home, it can be exhausting to live the experience.  But, so many times, experiences we can take advantage of while on vacation are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

Don't prioritize comfort so that it eclipses growth and joy.  Seize the day.

As a friend of mine, who got talked into a cross-country camping trip with her husband and six kids said recently, "Why not?  It´s the new theme for my life."

Ironically, asking that question rhetorically diminishes the pull that all the reasons "why not" have on our decision-making processes.

I think I´ll adopt that motto, too.

Why not?




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This month, the South of the Border Sisters Bloggers are having a blog hop with the theme "Travel".  I meant to keep my post south of the border, but it IS certainly about travel!

And let's face it--insecurities keep us from traveling.  But if traveling--even south of the border--is what you want to do, go for it!

Why not?

An InLinkz Link-up

Destination: Veracruz

The port of Veracruz (otherwise known as Veracruz, Veracruz) is one of my favorite cities in Mexico. When I lived in Puebla, we drove the five hours to Veracruz about once a month, leaving after Mario got off of work and arriving about midnight.  We´d first stop at El Gran Café La Parroquia and have a café con leche under the stars while watching the cargo ships in the port.

Taking the kids this time, the malecón (boardwalk) is still the best place to enjoy Veracruz.  The main reasons for this:  nieves and café con leche at the Parroquia are both very near the malecón.


El Gran Café La Parroquía


Café con leche at El Gran Café La Parroquia is a bit on an institution in Veracruz.  One waiter brings a tall glass, filled with just a shot of espresso.  Then they ring for the milk man, who comes to the table armed with a kettle of steaming milk.  He then tops off the glass.  Mexicans generally prefer their coffee insanely sweet.  So don´t be shy--go ahead and add those three generous spoonfuls of sugar, and enjoy the Parroquia´s café con leche as it was meant to be enjoyed.


Nieves

Nieves (sherbets) are Veracruz´s other taste sensation.  Decent sherbet is easy to find throughout the country, but the jarochos take their sherbet to a whole other level.  Furthermore, they have flavors that aren´t found readily elsewhere.  The nieve stands are happy to combine flavors in one cup, and that really is the way to go.  Try a coconut and passionfruit combination, mamey and strawberry, or vanilla and lime.  Trust me, vanilla sherbet is not at all related to that ho-hum vanilla ice cream!  My mother fondly remembers a peanut sherbet that she had in Veracruz 15 years ago--these sherbets are that memorable!

The road leading to the malecón from the zocalo is dotted with nieve stores.  Most have employees out on the sidewalk, trying to attract customers, belting out, "¡Güero, güera--nieve, nieve, NIEVE!"  At first that´s a little overwhelming, but it´s another of those decidedly Veracruzian touches.  May they never change.


Beach

The beach at Boca del Río

Being on the Gulf coast, stopping at the beach was a must.  There are decent beaches north of the city, others within walking distance of the malecón, and others by large hotels on the south end of the city.  Being blessed with a nearly endless supply of gorgeous beaches, most Mexicans consider the beaches near Veracruz to be substandard.  However, after visiting other beaches, on returning to Veracruz this year, I´ve reaffirmed my opinion that Veracruz´s beaches are still my favorites.  The sand might not be as pristine as the Yucatán, the waves are certainly calmer than on the Pacific (thank goodness), and in Veracruz there´s the ever-present cargo ships on the horizon.  But I think that´s precisely what I like about Veracruz.  Beachgoers don´t have to drive very far (if at all) from a busy, thriving city.  That, and the fact that crabs pop their heads out of the sand and scurry off sideways, fleeing curious children.  As ubiquitous as picture books make them, real, live crabs are hard to find on beaches today!

History

San Juan de Ulúa

Veracruz is one of the oldest cities in Mexico.  In fact, they´re gearing up to celebrate their 500th anniversary in 2019--they´re already selling commemorative T-shirts on the malecón!  But throughout history, Veracruz has been a great foothold for invaders coming into the country.  The Spanish established the port here, as they began their march to Mexico City, on their way to destroy the Aztec empire.  The French used the same port when they invaded in 1862, as the the did US when they invaded Mexico in 1914.  Pirates were also attracted to Veracruz.  So early on in Veracruz´s history, the fort of San Juan de Ulúa was built.  It no longer serves as a fort (or a prision), but is now a museum, giving visitors a glimpse into Veracruz´s history.  

Veracruz is a great place to visit, offering a little something for everyone--a modern city with a well-preserved colonial past, surrounded by accessible beaches, and filled with delicious restaurants and sights for visitors.  On the zócalo, it´s likely visitors will catch groups of older couples dancing danzón.  The cathedral´s stations of the cross are worth a view--they capture the passion of Christ with pictures of only Christ´s hands--impactful in its simplicity.  And for families, Veracruz boasts Mexico´s largest aquarium!  There´s something for everyone.

¡Viva Veracruz!

The Juárez Lighthouse

The Port Authority

Watching ships load while enjoying nieve.  

The road from the zócalo to the malecón.

Destination: Papalote Children´s Museum

Since we have kids, and we frequent Mexico City, I´ve been itching for the day I could take my kids to Mexico City´s Papalote Museo del Niño (Children´s Museum).  This year, with my older two being 6 and 4, I figured they were the perfect age to go.

Yes, they were the perfect ages.  (Kids around 3rd grade and older probably won´t enjoy this museum much.  It´s perfect for the preschool, early-elementary set.)

However, the museum was under construction.  They only had 3 big rooms open, plus the IMAX theater, of course.

Downside #2--we went during Christmas vacation.  Everybody and their cousin wanted to go to the Children´s Museum during Christmas vacation.  (Heads up for those thinking of going over Spring Break--I bet you´ll run into the same issues.)

Now, three big rooms full of children´s museum activities don´t sound too bad.  Except that the museum was filled past capacity.  We found a bit of breathing room in an area that was for kids 6 and under.  Joey could have spent all day with a magnetic fishing game (and threw a fantastic fit when we insisted that other kids needed a turn).

They also had a little grocery store where kids could get a cart, fake money, and were told that they could check out 10 items.  I didn´t hear the directions, and Joey didn´t follow them, so he filled that cart to the brim!  Then we had to go back and put all but 10 items away before he could check out.  It was interesting to note which items he hung onto the longest (milk and meat) and which were the first to go.

Around three o´clock, we were ready to give up.  But guess what happened?  Lots of other families gave up, too.  We hung in there a bit longer.  Clara was determined to get in on a kite-making workshop, and, after looking all afternoon, we finally found it by the IMAX.  



Kites in hand, we were about to head for the exit a second time, but we wandered into the first exhibit room, which had been packed wall-to-wall with people when we entered.  Now at four o´clock, that room had places to sit down and play, and material available to play with!  So the kids spent at least an hour in this exhibit about construction, putting PVC pipes together for plumbing, landscaping a yard, and making a habitat out of blankets and rope.

In the end, we did have a good time.  It was worthwhile.

But if we ever go again over a school holiday week, we will arrive at about 3pm.  The day we went, it was open until 8pm, which would have been more than enough time.

Then again, once their renovation is complete, it might take all day to get through there.

So we´ll try it again.  Just later in the day.  And we´ll buy tickets online, so we won´t have to stand in line for an hour.

Destination: Cuauntinchan, Puebla

Never heard of Cuantinchan?

No surprise.  It´s not written up in Lonely Planet.  Trip Advisor won´t be able to tell you much about it, either.

But we go there once every year or two.  It´s a place I look forward to visiting.

There isn´t much to the town.  Like most towns, they have a lovely plaza, and, with their larger-than-usual fountain and normally-empty benches, Cuauntinchan´s plaza is more inviting than most.

But the real draw to Cuauntinchan is the former convent.  There are traces of some seventeenth-century murals, next to the main church.  The convent, its walls and patios, are clearly centuries old,  I love the feeling of being immersed in history when I´m there.

But it´s also well-maintained.  On weekends, the church is sometimes opened for weddings.  (We crashed one there, once.)  And it´s the type of town that wedding parties parade through town on foot.
Apparently the town throws a huge party for New Year´s.  We haven´t been to that, but they were full-swing into setting up massive tents around the zocalo and in front of the convent.  But they did advertise tours to the convent´s bell tower.

All in all, it´s a lovely, quiet place to wander through history, thanks to that convent.

Doors to history

Pieces of a mural 

Monks on a mural

Arches guarding the murals

Side entrance to the church on the plaza.

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Where is Cuauntinchan?

      From the city of Puebla, follow the road to Tecali.  It´s pretty close to Tecali, but there will be signs announcing Cuauntinchan.

24 Hours in San Antonio

We had a long weekend in mid-December.  We like to get out of town for long weekends.  However, if I haven´t mentioned it before, my only real complaint with Saltillo is the lack of accessible destinations for a weekend away.  Of all people, Mario came up with that weekend´s plan of going to San Antonio, TX.  We had never been and I´ve wanted to go ever since we moved here.

However, Mario didn´t realize that San Antonio is three hours north of the border.  We are three hours south of the border.  And one can never tell exactly how many hours one might have to wait in line at the border on a given weekend in mid-December.  One three-day-weekend, 6 hours each way, no driving in the dark in Mexico--it made for a quick trip!

But it was well worth it.

What does a family with small children do for 24 hours in San Antonio?

Get a hotel very close to the Riverwalk.  I asked people who had been there, what exactly we should see.  Every answer?  The Riverwalk.  Mario also wanted to see the Alamo.  Fortunately, the Alamo was right between our hotel and the Riverwalk.  Perfect.


We arrived in the evening on Friday.  We knew we wanted to take a Riverwalk boat tour.  The hotel had all kinds of helpful magazines and pamphlets, so within a half hour, we bought our tickets and were standing in a short line to board the Miss Laura (Bush), piloted by Captain AJ.  Oh, yeah . . .

I have a feeling that the Riverwalk is pretty at any time of year, but they light luminarias along all the sidewalks and bridges during December.  Those lights, combined with the Christmas trees and other Chrismas lights glittering on the river, made for a particularly lovely ride.


Furthermore, the weekend we were there (December 12, 13, 14), the Riverwalk was hosting an arts fair.  Hundreds of artists and crafters--spanning the gamut from oh-la-la to string bracelets--set up booths along the Riverwalk.  It made walking tricky in parts, but I love me a good art fair, anywhere.

Living in Mexico, we had no need for Tex-Mex food (which seems to be a must in San Antonio).  We came ready for real Texas barbecue.  It did not disappoint.  Word to the wise--there are oodles of excellent restaurants lining the Riverwalk.  I´m sure they´re all lovely.  But if you dine just off the Riverwalk, both your wallet and your belly will stay full.

On Saturday morning, we wandered through the Alamo.  In the 1930s, the Alamo was entrusted to the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.  Thanks to these lovely ladies, this piece of history is preserved and is open to the public, free of charge.  It is a simple little museum, but well put-together.  I was glad I had read up on my Texas history last year.  (I highly recommend True Women by Janice Woods Windle, although the Yellow Rose of Texas series by Gilbert Morris is also entertaining.  Yes, I still learn history through historical fiction.  I´m not ashamed.  And I bet I can beat most people in historical Jeopardy.  So there.)

The kids were not as excited about the Alamo as Mario and I were.  There were carriage rides parked off the sidewalk by one of the exits and Joey happily spent nearly an hour watching the horses.  Then he discovered the the koi swimming in the canal.  Clara was just not amused.  Can´t win ´em all.

So we finished off our tour of San Antonio by heading to LaVillita.  It´s a tiny neighborhood which is now composed of art galleries.  Having somewhat grumpy children by that time, we didn´t venture into any of the galleries.  But the neighborhood was charming, reminding me of my time in New Mexico.  Plus, they had a Coffee Expo in La Villita´s square.  Coffee shops from all over San Antonio were boasting their wares.  It smelled amazing.  But I was not willing to stand in the long lines, so we just smelled the loveliness.



Cutting through the Riverwalk once more, we ended our 24 hours in San Antonio with lunch at Shilo´s deli, celebrating central Texas´s German heritage.  You thought the German immigrants mainly congregated in the midwest?  No, my friends--Texas was a big draw for Germans in the nineteenth century.   Shilo´s deli has a fantastic sausage selection to prove it.  They even offered imported German beer.  No small feat in the land of Shiner.  And don´t get me started on their interior decorating--they opened shop in their present location in about 1920, and I don´t think they´ve changed a thing.  Floor tiles, ceiling moulding, high-backed booths--I could have just sat and stared.  But their food was excellent.  And so were their prices.  If you need a meal in San Antonio, please go to Shilo´s.

Unless you´re a vegetarian.

San Antonio, we will be back!  24 hours were just not enough.

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Where is Shilo´s?

424 East Commerce St.  Not far from the Rivercenter Mall and Menger Hotel.

Winery Tour--Queretaro

For years, Mario has been telling me that I needed to see Queretaro.  That it´s one of the most wonderful cities in all of Mexico.  So colonial, so full of trees and flowers, so full of culture.  And we were almost there this last weekend.

But we went a half hour out of our way and went to Bernal, instead.

Queretaro may indeed be charming.  I sure don´t know.  But I´m pretty smitten with Bernal and the area surrounding it.  And at under 7 hours from Saltillo, we´ll be back for another long weekend.  (That´s Mario-drive-time, of course.  Normal people will not make it from Saltillo to Queretaro that quickly.)

Did you know that . . . Querétaro is one of the most important states in wine production?
(I´m guessing that it´s second--behind Baja California, of course.)

Our point in stationing ourselves in Bernal was to take advantage of the Wine and Cheese Trail.  Places in Bernal do offer guided tours to wineries and cheese makers, but we made our own tour.  On our list, Freixenet Vineyards, Azteca Vineyards, and Redonda Vineyards.  For cheese, we were hoping to find a variety of cheese makers, but El Hostal de los Quesos was well stocked and we couldn´t ask for anything more.

Patio at Freixenet

First on our stop was Viñedos Freixenet.  I´ve had their wine before, and it´s good, but not exceptional.  And stopping by the vineyard, it became clear that while they may be in the wine business (and doing a pretty good job at it) they are also very much in the tourism business, and take full advantage of their proximity to the hordes from Mexico City, looking to get out on the weekends. They offer a variety of tours--basic tours cost $60 a person, tour depth, length, and price expand from there.  Every other weekend, they offer wine pairing classes, which include full meals.

Their buildings and grounds are beautiful, making me almost feel like I was in Napa instead of Queretaro.  Like I said, these guys have wine tourism down pat.   I would have been happy to stay and get to know the place better, but we were on a mission, and had to stock up on more wine.

Azteca Vineyards is just on the other side of the street from Freixenet.  The gate was open, but as we entered, I noticed a sign that said that they only did tours by appointment.  No problem--we were just there to buy wine.  However, it was a sign that things at Azteca were a great deal different from Big Ol´ Freixenet.

Now, on September 15th (the day we were there) Freixenet was opening up an additional parking lot to accomodate all their visitors.  At Azteca, there was one other car besides ours.  They didn´t look open.  We drove around a bit.  Then a car came driving up like he owned the place.  (I think he did.)  We asked if they were open, and he told us to follow him.  We got to the store, where we were told they were not open.  But then boss-man said that we, and the guests he had with him in his car, were welcome to buy what we wanted.  Excellent.

Azteca´s tourism niche is that they also boast stables and a charro (Mexican cowboy) program.  Their grounds were filled with grapevines (of course) and ponds and horses and stables and old-style Mexican buildings--very appropriate to visit on September 15th.  I was in love with the place and wished they were open, so we could have spent more time there.  However, they had a big harvest festival that weekend, so their staff was understandably having a very deserved day off that Monday.  Now we know for next year--Independence Day weekend at Viñedos Azteca!

In short, Azteca seemed a little more serious about their wine and less serious about tourism.

Third and last on our list was Redonda Vineyards.  We had to wind our way through the town of Ezekiel Montes again (not fun), as they are on the other side of it.  They were also closed for tours, but their store was buzzing.  Redonda had plenty of picnic tables on their patio and a variety of play equipment for kids (thank you, thank you, thank you!).  For those hungry, they also sold cheese and cold cut trays, and plenty of families were enjoying a wine-laden picnic right there.

We spent a very relaxing half-hour there.  We would have stayed longer, but rain was falling as we were leaving.  And had we come on a day besides Monday, we probably could have had a tour.

But I´m looking forward to enjoying their wine at my leisure this week!

As for tasting rooms?  Freixenet offers tastings for a price, of course.  The other two did not offer tastings (nor does Casa Madero, here in Parras, so I was not surprised).  Just a word to the wise, if you´re used to California tasting rooms!  Even though I´m used to it, I still get disappointed.

Train Museum in SLP

 The train museum in San Luis Potosí is located just across the street of the Alameda (on one of the long sides).  It´s very hard to miss, given the enormous black locomotive in front of the building.

There´s not much to the museum itself.  I can´t say I learned much about trains.  They had a charming little display about circuses and circus trains.

But it was well worth our while for the trains on display behind the museum.  Not only could we touch them, we could go IN them.  We could sit in the seats!  My son was able to push buttons!  And, let me tell you, if you´re toting a transportation-loving toddler all around a beautiful colonial city, San Luis Potosí´s Train Museum is a must-see.

The adults in the group might not get much out of the experience.
But it will be the highlight of any two-year-old´s year!

Conductor Joe.  

Grandpa and Joey in the little, orange train.

Hello, from the Revolutionary wagon!

Family with that big, ol´ engine at the museum´s entrance.

Destination: San Luis Potosí--with the parents!

My parents were visiting for two weeks in March.  One of the weekends they were here fell on a three-day weekend, so we decided to get out of town.  Being in this area of the country, our long-weekend options are a little limited (Monterrey, Parras, Texas, San Luis Potosí . . . that´s about all the options on our safe list).  However, we´ve only been to San Luis Potosí once, and LOVED it, so it was high time to try it again. 

The view of Plaza Fundadores from our hotel room.

Sitting on the  steps of the theater.  OK, I sat.  The kids could have climbed them all morning.

The National Mask Museum.  It may get its own post in a few days.

Eating candy and enjoying the grass at the Plaza San Francisco.

Plaza de Armas

Our tour trolley!

As the capital of a very important mining region, San Luis Potosí boasts ornateness EVERYWHERE!
At least, downtown.  

Grandma and Grandpa being good tourists while the kiddos got a good nap on the tour trolley.