PUEBLA (& ATLIXCO)

After flying from London to Mexico City and spending almost a week in there, I then took a coach to the nearby city of Puebla (officially Puebla de Zaragoza) which only took a few hours and is located within the state also named Puebla. I chose to visit Puebla as I had decided to do a three-week intensive Spanish course at a popular language school in the city, and whilst a lot of my time was spent in the classroom, I also had an opportunity to really get to know the city as well. Mexico in general seemed like a logical and iconic place to start my Latin American travel journey, and I was particularly attracted to the school in Puebla not only because of its reputation and its proximity to Mexico City, but also because of the city's subtropical highland climate and picturesque setting amongst volcanoes.

PHOTOS COMING SOON

It really is a charming place and I would highly recommend a visit. I haven't visited many parts of Mexico but it felt extremely authentic. The Centro Historico had a buzz to it but it wasn't overwhelming, and despite it being one of Mexico's largest cities a lot of the streets were nice and quiet and I felt very safe walking around on my own. Don't get me wrong, you can find yourself in queues of traffic in some areas, like if you want to travel to some of the more modern parts of the city, but the centre is very walkable so it's not always necessary to travel by car.

One of my favourite experiences in Puebla was going for a run around the park 'Zona Historica de Los Fuentes'. It is elevated and it gives the most amazing views over the city and the two volcanoes that surround it, one of which is active! I also got a nice daytime view of the football stadium that looked so good illuminated in the night sky on my visit to an evening game. The only negative from the often-constant blue skies in Puebla are that everything seemed very dry when I was there, and I imagine that the park and surroundings would look even more stunning after the annual rainy season. The dry weather can also cause the ash from the nearby active volcano, Popocatépetl, to be more noticeable. For example, you see lots of locals wearing facemasks in the streets and people sweeping a light covering of ash from outside their homes. I probably wouldn't have noticed unless people had pointed it out, but these things considered I would love to go back one day at a different time of year.

I also don't think you can talk about Puebla without talking about the nearby town of Atlixco, also located in the state of Puebla. I took a coach there from Puebla city and the journey probably took around an hour. When I arrived, I soon realised why it is such a popular destination. It is absolutely stunning! Almost as if it were constructed for a film set, and I think some of my photos will provide a better reflection of its charm. There are also plenty of lovely places to eat and drink, particularly in the main square, and the live Mexican music in the square really put the icing on the cake! Whist there I also took a walk up to the church that stands out on top of the hill. It is a bit of a workout! But it provides a more intimate view of the volcanoes in such an amazingly tranquil environment.