Huh. I just checked out my blog entries from 2022, and it looks like I didn't write a single thing about the two days we spent in Xalapa (pronounced Jalapa) on that trip. Surprising! It was one of the highlights.
Xalapa is located in the mountains between Mexico City and the Gulf Coast, is the capital of the state of Veracruz, and is home to the University of Veracruz. All of that makes the city of roughly 800,000 a bustling place with a moderate climate. The historic centre of town is pretty, there are a lot of parks and greenery all over, and, as Harvey likes to say "the town is clean and the people look happy".
Parque Juarez -- Xalapa's central square
Central church getting a touch-up
Historic State Government Building
Busy downtown street in the evening
Random residential street
Courtyard with restaurants near our hotel
Honestly, while the city has some things to offer tourists, mostly Xalapa just feels comfortable -- not too big, not too small, lots of cultural events, some appealing-looking bookstores (if only I read the language more fluently), a big central library, posters for yoga classes, lots of coffee shops and bakeries, and a superfluity of pizza restaurants.
Biblioteca Carlos Fuentes
I don't know how to capture this visually, but the number of Italian restaurants in the centro is truly ridiculous! We kept searching google maps for places to eat, particularly for dinner in the evenings, and most of our choices were coffee shops, Mexican places that closed by 5:30pm, and pizza places. Honestly, there are at least 3 within a block and a half of our hotel.
Despite the restaurant issue, Xalapa feels like somewhere that I could imagine living (if I and the world were different).
