CHRISTMAS EVE IN SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE

We didn't make any plans for Christmas Eve. We decided to be spontaneous. That was a bit risky for Sam while Bob was happy.  Abut 5:30 p.m. after having a glass of wine on the patio, we decided to take a walk into town. We were surprised by the lack of car traffic. The other day, it was bumper to bumper traffic.
Our first stop was too see our good friend, Juan Carlos at Baile Cafe. We also had the pleasure of seeing his wife, Rebeca. Baile Cafe was just about ready to close as the owners, were having a private family Christmas dinner at the restaurant. We enjoyed a glass of wine with Juan Carlos. He and Rebeca were going to have a nice quiet dinner at their home. This is their first Christmas as husband and wife; they were married in May.

We were off to find our next stop. We didn't know what restaurants would be open for walk-ins. We didn't want to go to a restaurant that had a pricey fixed menu. In the back of Bob's mind, he was thinking about eating at Tio Lucas. We ate there a couple of years ago and enjoyed the Chateau Briand for Two. When we walked by, it was closed for the evening. It was still a little early for dinner. We walked to the Jardin and enjoyed all of the holiday decorations.

There was a beautiful nativity set in the middle of the jardin with live animals. There was a donkey and several sheep. The sheep were so still that they didn't look real. It was amazing.

In the background we could hear Christmas Carolers. A group of people, both gringos and Mexicans, were singing. Sam joined in singing quietly as we strolled through the jardin. The jardin was beautifully decorated and the church, La Parroquia, was stunning.

We decided to walk a few blocks to see if a restaurant, Socialitte, was open. Right next door to the restaurant is one of our favorite delis, La Cava. We stopped in to see the owners and wish them a Merry Christmas. By the way, La Cava just moved to this location within the last two weeks. They were closer to our home. They are now located right next door to Socialitte. Their grandsons own and operate the restaurant.

Sure enough the restaurant was open and serving off their menu. Our waiter from last year, Jorge, was still there, and he was our waiter last evening. We had a wonderful dinner. We shared a ceasar salad. Sam had veal marsala and Bob enjoyed a filet. Both were tasty with a nice bottle of Malbec.

After dinner, we strolled back to the jardin. We sat on one of the benches and just enjoyed people watching.  A short time later, we saw some of our friends, John and Lyn and John's brother visiting from Toronto. We chatted and decided to head back home. On our walk back, we saw a beautiful nativity set made out of polished aluminum. It was in front of a small store. The family was standing on the sidewalk greeting the passerbyers. The guy on the left was the designer and craftsman. As a side note, when we were walking to town earlier in the evening, we saw a couple of guys moving the piece of furniture that the nativity set is setting on. We admired it due to the detailed painting on it. The same guy also painted it.

We enjoyed our stroll home, read our books in bed, and had a good night's sleep.

Merry Christmas!!