Saturday, 1 January 2022: Las Aluxes Hotel, Merida

I guess lots of folks are happy to see 2021 end.  Me?  I’m so happy to be welcoming in 2022 with Justin and to be here in Merida.  We celebrated our 8th anniversary yesterday and today a new year begins.  We are healthy.  We are happy.  We are doing just fine.

 We went to dinner last night at Bikiak Enoteca, a great Spanish restaurant in Merida.  We’d been there for lunch several years ago with Mimi and decided we’d go back for our special celebratory dinner.  The Lebanese sommelier was a hoot.  I was not too impressed with the use of antiseptic gel on the cork as he opened our bottles of wine.  I asked but as soon as I did I realized it might have just been that long since I had a bottle of wine opened by a sommelier at my dinner table...usually, that’s me or Justin in the kitchen.  Our charcuterie board of Spanish hams and cheeses was divine and the Valencia paella was good.  Thankfully.  The music was too loud and was certainly not suited to fine dining.  Are we just getting too old?  We moved into the restaurant’s bar where it was a bit more quiet as soon as we could.  

We rang in the New Year in a small park a few blocks down from our hotel when we were walking Gemma... pretty good timing to be outside for fireworks.  Or at least the sound of fireworks.  We didn’t have a display as much as the noises of revelry.  Gemma wasn’t too stressed.  Maybe that too is a sign of her hearing failing...no, she’s not the only one.

This morning we moseyed down to breakfast in our hotel.  Then, we watched the Rose Bowl Parade in English!  We Ubered to go explore in the market.  Mercado San Benito was empty. Kinda earie.

  

We often leave the TV on when we leave Gemma in a hotel room. It was a rookie mistake to leave the parade on.  Gemma barks at horses. The Rose Bowl parade was on a loop and there were lots and lots of horses in the parade.

Next stop for us was the Plaza Grande.  Yes, I found another little Mexican dress. 

 I just cant help myself.  Then, we took a buggy ride back to our hotel.  

We vegged in front of the TV.  We finished power watching Modern Family and then the movie Don’t Look Up.  We were good Texans -- I'd made Texas caviar and artichoke spinach dip. We should be good for 2022.  

The rest of the world was saddened as Betty White died right before her 100th birthday.  Meanwhile, Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty.