Walking Tour of Cuernavaca

After four days of class, we were given the privilege of taking a walking tour of Cuernavaca which included the Cathedral, Palacios and the Robert Brady house. Our tour guide, Arturo, was very knowledgeable in all aspects of this tour. We met in front of the Marco Polo restaurant, and walked in the cathedral compound. A lot of the history of Cuernavaca involves the conquistador, Hernan Cortes. The Spaniards, when they set out to conquer Mexico, built their Catholic Cathedrals on top of the temples the indigenous peoples had built over the ages. It was a way to discourage the practices of the native people and to convert them to Catholicism. This compound existed of two small churches and the larger cathedral and ex-convent.

Arturo Hernandez Martinez, was also trained by the International Guide Academy, and if you ever go to Cuernavaca, I recommend him as your tour guide. He not only provided the commentary for this walking tour, but he also accompanied us to Xochicalco and is very knowledgeable in the history and etchings at this fabulous Mayan archaeological site.

I found this statue of St. Christopher looking up at the baby Jesus beautiful. St. Christopher is known as the "bringer of Christ" to the new world.

The Altar's in these cathedrals are gold leave and very ornate. Although this church is not as "ornate" as the cathedral in Taxco, it is still very impressive and colonial.

After this stop we went to the Robert Brady house, which is in exactly the same condition it was in when Mr. Brady was alive. The house itself is an old XVI century Franciscan Convent. The house is an eclectic collection that was assembled by Robert Brady (1928 - 1986) during his world travels. He has original works of art from such famous artists as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. He also has an extensive collection of pre-Columbian art and African Masks.

Robert Brady was quite eccentric and our guide, Sergio, was very well versed in his history and life. In Mr. Brady's bedroom, are a set of mirrors strategically placed so that when he was looking in one mirror, he could see his backside, and if he turned his head to the right, he could see his profile. He wore silk kaftan's on a daily basis and they were quite luxurious. This museum is a must see while you are in Cuernavaca.

Our next stop was the Palacios de Cortes, the oldest non-religious building still standing in Mexico today. In fact, the building appears to be built on a pre-Columbian temple, based on the stones found at the site, including the famed Peidra del Legarto. But the most famous part of the museum is the 1930 mural on the second floor, painted by Diego Rivera with the help of Frida Kahlo.

Certified International Tour Manager

I just completed two beautiful weeks in Cuernavaca, Mexico, but fellow readers, it was not all play. I went to Mexico to get trained to be an International Tour Manager, and I succeeded. I not only succeeded in getting certified, I meet some of the most incredible, wonderful people ever. Frank Slater and Daniel Slater, CEO and President, respectfully, of the International Guide Academy in Denver, Colorado were the main instructors for the two weeks. We also had two Tour Managers from Denver, Donette Stroberg and Connie Dineen.

I guess I should explain how I found this great school. Back in 2003 0r 2004, I attended a class instructed by Gina Henry. The class was called, Travel the World for Free, and she still instructs this class all over the country. Google her and you will find the website. Anyway, one of her suggestions was to check out the website, http://www.bepaidtotravel.com. So I went and checked it out and decided then and there that this was my calling. Whoa, I know, that was 2004, well what can I say, Life Happens.

But back to the story. I registered to attend a March 2005 class, sent in my registration fee, but then discovered that since I had a 12 year old son, this wasn't going to happen for me at this time. I called and spoke to Daniel and he assured me that when I was ready, he would have my registration fee.

So along comes 2009 and I am finally ready. My son is 17 and off at military school. I am living in Dallas and the current occupation is just not what is was supposed to be. So I called Daniel and requested info on the Cuernavaca class. Then I asked the impossible, "Will you still honor my registration fee from........gosh, 2004???" And he did. So I signed up and prepared for the trip.



When I arrived in Mexico City, I met Daniel and Frank in front of the Baron Rioja just as explained. We had a little time till the van was to leave for Cuernavaca, so I asked one of the other classmates, Kirk Speer, if he wanted to grab a bite to eat. So we went to one of the Airport restaurants and had a very nice conversation. Kirk is from Colorado Springs, and a photographer, and a very nice funny genuine person. We caught the van to Cuernavaca with some other classmates, Jane Wittkopp, from Michigan, who turned out to be my roommate, Allison Bitten, from Chicago, Mike Tartaglia, from Washington State, and Frank. Wonderful views and my first view of PoPo, officially known as, Mount Popocatepetl.







When we arrived in "La Cuidad de la Eterna Primavera", we were shown to our rooms, but first we had to walk through the wonderful courtyard at Rosita's house. Now who in their right mind could ask for a better start than this.


The rest of the class arrived that evening:
Koba Tilet from California, Kathy Hill from Houston, Rene Ostberg from Chicago, Gabriella Iona from Las Vegas, Michael Trant from Florida and Paul Bjork from Colorado Springs.

The next day, we met the rest of the class, Juli McCormick from Minnesota, Bara Robertson from Washington State, Chris Todaro from Miami, and Carla Gardenia from Brazil. We were a range of ages from 20 to in our 60's. And we had a wonderful time. More to follow.........