I wish I could say that arriving in the colonial city of Puebla was dejavú, but the truth is, nothing looked familiar. I first visited Puebla in 1973, staying in a boarding house for the first month of studies at the University of the Americas in nearby Cholula. In August 2017, it is a bustling modern city that’s kept much of its old-world beauty and charm. We were pleasantly surprised.
The convent of San Francisco one of the oldest churches in Puebla circa 1535
I had reserved an Airbnb in the historic district and spent a bit more money than usual. We were not disappointed. In Mexico it is common to walk an unremarkable street of high privacy walls and intriguing doorways. We stepped through one of those doors to inner city paradise.
During our stay, our hosts directed us to the best mole (MÓ lay); is there any OTHER reason to go to Puebla? We wandered exquisite old churches, artist markets, homes converted into museums, and even a free concert. I did not expect to fall in love with Puebla. This city is definitely a contender for retirement locations.
Tres moles – poblano, rojo and my new favorite pipian (pumpkinseed)
No trip to Puebla would be complete without a visit to La Estrella de Puebla, the Star of Puebla, a very large ferris wheel. After some deep breathing I joined Lisa the adventurer and I’m so glad I did. No fear!
The weather made this adventure challenging, but we did not give up.
Puebla was so much fun and worth the time. Our AirBnB hosts certainly added to the experience.
Luis and Malu (who fed us many local delights).
The world is filled with many delightful people and places. Puebla unexpectedly is near the top of our list.
DOS TORTAS
the adventures of dos tortas 
You had me at mole!
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We had good mole in Ciudad de México and Oaxaca as well. I ask for the enchiladas stuffed w veggies instead of chicken bc I’m vegan. The waiters look perplexed but the chefs seem to have no problems. Mmmmm mole.
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What a fun trip for you. We only spent one night in Cholula in a lovely artist district, having found a reasonable hotel that would allow dogs. We missed the beautiful sites in Puebla during our cross Mexico drives, we will have to do that someday.
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We too have always been going somewhere with no thought for Puebla as a destination. The hotels along the highway are overpriced and god forbid you take the wrong exit. You could loop in traffic forever. We were taking buses and colectivos. The best way to get around.
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We spent just over a week in Puebla and Cholula this year and are eager to return and spend extended time there and in the nearby mountain villages. It is easily the equal of Oaxaca culturally and culinarily but without Oaxaca’s seemingly near-terminal dysfunction (i.e. constantly running out of water while never having a shortage of bloqueos to ruin life in centro for locals and visitors alike).
I think Cholula would make a better year-round home base as it is now essentially a suburb of Puebla but has far mellower traffic and good access to nature. I suspect the reason there are so few expat visitors, let alone residents, has to do with lack of promotion, though long-time expat friends also point out that it is quite cold in the winter there and air quality gets poor frequently due to ash from the very active nearby volcano.
When planning our visit we found this blog, though a couple of years old, to be by far the most useful resource (next to asking locals once there of course!).
Thanks for your great writing!
http://www.puebla-mexico.com/category/eat/
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Thanks for the information. Next blog will be Cholula. We spent a week there. And you are correct, it gets cold here and that dang volcano and the occasional temblor could make one nervous.
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Yumm!! and what a fun city…we will definitely put it on our travel list! Sending love to you three – 🙂
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