A vacation from my vacation: Day 2

Morning view out our hotel patio.  After a night of partying, most Veracruzanos sleep right through the morning.  It also makes sense.  The weather is really harsh during the day and even though it's still way too hot for me at night, it's perfect for them.

We only had one full day in this city so there was a lot to do and see.  First, there was breakfast.  Those dark brown things on the side are fried plantains.  Delicious.  

Their naval headquarters.  There were not so intimidating men to the side of this picture.

What I was most excited to see on this trip was the infamous San Juan de Ulua.  This structure is now abandoned but used to be a couple things.  Originally, it was built in 1565 on orders from Cortes as a fortress to protect from invading European forces.  It was also useful during the Revolution against Spain.  I'm not sure if I've said this before, but Veracruz is a really important city because it is a prominent and relatively easy way to get into Mexico from many countries, including all European countries.  Currently, it serves as a huge locale for import and exports, and consequently, there are a lot of successful merchants around the city.  But back to the fort.  In the twentieth century, the fort was transformed into a prison for many famous people, including Mexico's beloved president Benito Juarez and many others.  I seriously do NOT envy the prisoners.  The conditions were terrifying.  The rooms are tiny and most are in complete darkness.  Some prisoners would walk out and actually become blinded by the light outside that they weren't used to.  Well enough of me talking.  Take a look:

Trick escape paths that lead to sharks...literally (it's the ocean and the guards would make sure there were always sharks that were willing to kill escapees). 

This is a small cubby inside one of the rooms like above.  This is where they would squish as many men as possible when they were punished (as if the normal conditions weren't horrific enough).

The floor isn't even flat!  Walking in shoes was really uncomfortable.  I can't imagine being barefoot or even sitting.

This is actually unfortunate.  The city is spending a lot of money renovating the fort, but that means many of the original structures will be removed. 

After walking through the prison, we took a taxi back to the city.  The driver was super funny (really old) and had absolutely no filter.  I'm pretty sure at some point he proposed to me and also wouldn't stop asking me about California and Chicago.  I taught him a little English but after five minutes he just gave up.  Oh, he also gave us a taxi tour around the city center for free (I think he liked us a little too much) and then walked us to a bar he said was good.  And he wasn't lying.  They gave us complimentary "urchin juice" (I actually don't remember what it's called, but I do know what it is). It was actually surprisingly good.  But I really needed something colder and sweeter (the heat and humidity was close to unbearable).  

Urchin juice.  I wonder what it's actually called...

Pretty good pina colada. 

This goes on forever!  You can pretty much find anything you want in this street market...clothes, coffee, souvenirs.

Since we didn't have much time left, we did the tourist-y thing and boarded a tour bus.  I'm actually glad we did because although I got a mean tan, I got to see many important parts that make up the city and its history.

I was kind of taken aback at how restaurant servers actually go up to you as you're walking past their restaurant to lure you in.  And I mean they really get in your face.  Also, seafood.  Yum.

Love, Honor, Truth, Work

OMG. I thought this was so cool (not that I would ever be seen at one of these), but this is an ocean front gym.  Yes, you read that right.  A gym on the beach.  I have never seen this before.

I was there. Proof.  And, yes, I'm a tourist.  Veracruz is a very walkable city, so these plaques were all over the more visited spots.

Just what I needed after being outside all day.  I LOVE sangria. But this one is special.  It not only has wine, but it also contains melon liqueur and rum. 

I couldn't leave Veracruz without having seafood cooked in the traditional Veracruzan way.  And I'm glad I didn't. 

When the sun goes down, people start coming out and dancing!

We pretty much just spent the night watching the locals and their awesome dance moves, drinking, and taking in as much of the ambiance as we could.  I've got some pictures for our last day here that I'll save for a final post on Veracruz.