Un rico fin de semana en Cuernavaca

This past weekend, I spent some time with my suegros at a friend’s weekend home in Cuernavaca with a group of my suegra’s best friends from college. They were all at our wedding in Los Cabos nearly two and a half years ago, so it was wonderful to see them all in one place again. And the last time I was in Cuernavaca was two years ago when we stayed at the Camino Real Sumiya for a short New Year’s vacation, so I was overdue for a visit.

Cuernavaca is nicknamed the city of eternal spring because of its pleasant year-round climate and is located about an hour outside of Mexico City.  There’s a little bit of something for everyone: museums, resorts and spas, ecotourism that includes national parks, and an abundance of historical architecture including a palace that belonged to Hernán Cortes. According to the Mexico Tourism Board, the palace is the oldest example of viceregal architecture on the American continent. The first time I saw it two years ago, I was in awe – to think of how long ago the palace was constructed and that it still exists today left an incredible impression on me.

At the home where we gathered in Cuernavaca, there was an abundance of food, dancing, chatting, food, swimming, fireworks… and more food. The fireworks weren’t ours, though; we just enjoyed someone else’s from afar. My suegro told me that it’s fairly common in Cuernavaca to see fireworks when there’s a wedding. In the food department, we had a little bit of everything: fruta, huevo con chorizo, barbacoa, tamales, paella, pollo, botanas, tortitas de bacalao, quesos, jamón serrano, flan, paletas, just to name a few things.

But aside from the food, one of the things I loved most about the house was the incredible garden with all kinds of fruit trees and flowers that I don’t get to see very often since I live in Chicago. There was an arból de tulipanes Africanos (an African tulip tree), grapefruit trees, lime trees, orange trees, nochebuenas (poinsettias) and more. And the bugambilias! ¡Ay, las bugambilias! Something about their deep purple and magenta color stirs my soul and makes me want to write.

And I must admit: I’ve also been on a refresco de toronja kick that has come out of nowhere, but I can’t get enough grapefruit soda to save my life. It was a perfect thirst-quencher with the warm sun (and the little bit of sunburn I got). Now that we’re back in Mexico City, I think I’ll need to trade the soda for ponche, chocolate caliente or an atole to keep warm!

Click on the filmstrip below to see the rest of my photos from Cuernavaca.

• Have you ever been to Cuernavaca? Let me know which of the photos from my weekend is your favorite!