Does your golf ball go further in the mountains?

When we started planning our most recent adventure a good friend of mine asked me if golf balls go further at higher altitudes. I promised I would try to find out. We were headed to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico (up in the mountains) to visit some new friends.

During our recent trip to Egypt we met JD and her husband PD. Although they were long time residents of Chicago, they also own a home in San Miguel and have been visiting or living there for over 15 years. If you are a reader of my blog, you might remember that they appeared in my story about our last day in Cairo when we visited Tahrir Square.

After we returned to Florida from Egypt, we invited them to visit us in Florida. They have been considering a move back to the States and specifically Florida. They came to visit us in March and we had a really, really lovely visit. We played a little golf, watched sunsets sipping drinks on our pool deck, went out to eat and showed them around Viera. We also introduced them to our friends at Suntree Country Club. But as hard as we tried, they went on to visit friends in Sarasota and made the decision when they move (after selling their home in San Miguel) they will move to Sarasota.

Oh well, at least they will be close enough we will see them often.

After they were in Florida, they invited us to visit them in San Miguel and we decided August might just be the perfect time. We were so correct – while our home in Florida was experiencing closed golf courses and rain, rain and more rain, San Miguel was BEAUTIFUL!!!

San Miguel de Allende is the principal city in the municipality of San Miguel de Allende, located in the far eastern part of Guanajuato, Mexico. A part of the Bajío region, the city is 170 miles from Mexico City.

The city's name was taken from two people: 16th-century friar Juan de San Miguel, and a martyr of Mexican Independence, Ignacio Allende, who was born in a house facing the city's central plaza.

The city is a destination for people from around the world and a weekend getaway for many wealthy people living in Mexico City. There is a very strong Expat community that started after the Second World War when the G.I. Bill allowed U.S soldiers to study art at the Instituto Allende, one of many art and cultural institutes in the town. This growing enrollment at the schools began to build the town’s cultural reputation.

The many Baroque/Neoclassical colonial structures give the town a very quaint yet exotic appeal as well.

We arrived at their beautiful villa in mid afternoon just in time to enjoy the view from their rooftop terrace. To say the view was stunning would be an understatement. It was just fabulously stunning.

A very unusual storm came up and before long hail rained down on the terrace.

PD had prepared guacamole and corn chips to go along with our cocktails. It was the best guacamole I have ever eaten AND trust me, I have eaten a lot of guacamole.

And, very quickly the storm passed and we were treated to an amazing sunset.

The next morning we were awakened to the sound of church bells and birds chirping in the beautiful fountain courtyard just outside our bedroom.

We went upstairs to the terrace off the kitchen for big mugs of wonderful coffee and fresh yogurt with berries for breakfast. JD even served fresh orange juice from Florida (LOL). Hubby D and I both agreed the coffee reminded us of Bahrain as it had a wonderful froth on top. YUMMY!

Out over the city, we could see a hot air balloon rising over the cathedral. JD told us they drift over the golf course while she is playing. After our wonderful breakfast we ventured out for golf.

Seeing the balloon rise over the city really surprised me. 

Malanquin Golf Club was a mountain course - very steep and  challenging!

Very few of the fairways were flat and strait.

To answer my question in the subject line of this blog, yes, golf balls do go further at high altitudes: The air is less dense, so there is less friction to slow the orb's forward motion. There are even web sites to help you calculate your yardage to figure what club to use adjusting for the altitude. And, you might ask if I experienced this (ha ha). No.  Please, don't ask any more questions. LOL It was a very, very difficult course.

After a full day of “mountain” golf, we enjoyed a superb evening meal in downtown San Miguel and came home to enjoy the night view of the town.

Sitting on their terrace was a fantastic treat. In fact, their entire 4-story home was a treat. Around every corner was something whimsical as well as beautiful artwork.

This was the terrace off the living room and kitchen on the third level. We had meals out here often. it was WONDERFUL!

This is the fire pit on the fourth level terrace. The view from here was just amazing!

This bird was made entirely of newspaper - Asian newspaper!

This metal scuplture was at the front entrance. I just thought it was amazing.

There were several paintings by this artist throughout the house.

The front doorbell was an antique bell and chain. 

JD had these cabinet doors custom carved locally. They were truly unique.

Vases of flowers filled the house.

The fountain courtyard on the main level of the house is surrounded by a tall flower covered wall. On the other side of the wall is another lot that PD and JD have purchased so that no one can build a tall villa and block their view. These are really smart people!  After all, the view is everything.

The wall at the far back is the other side of the wall of the courtyard garden at PD and JD's villa.

This gate leads into the flower filled lot from the other street. 

All of the gardens were full of the most beautiful flowers. I had so much fun taking photos and editing for this blog. I just love flowers!

These blossoms were trailing down in front of the coral wall at the back of the courtyard. I thought it made for a dramatic photograph.

Bougainvilleas were my favorites.

The private courtyard off the master bedroom was covered with flowers.

On the Saturday evening of our visit, PD and JD threw a party. It was a very special and enjoyable evening for us. It was clear that PD and JD have a strong social network of great (and extremely interesting) people in San Miguel.

This was the view looking down to the courtyard from the 3rd level terrace. There were over 40 people at the party - what a treat!

One of the appetizers served was fried squash blossoms. I had tried to cook these once when we lived in Northern Virginia but could never find blossoms. Here in San Miguel they sell them in the markets by the basketful. They are so delicious! I might search again in Florida to see if any market carries the blossoms.

There were baskets of fresh blossoms in the market.

JD grows these beautiful limes on her terrace. They were delicious.

Several times during our visit we walked around the town and enjoyed seeing the stores and historic sites. There was a myriad of restaurants with every kind of cuisine imaginable.

This giant bride is used to lead parades through the town after a wedding.  There was a giant groom with her but he ran off when we approached.  LOL 

This is a typical street. They are all made of stones. AND, there are no stop signs just bumps in the  road or roundabouts to slow down traffic.

The morning of our last full day in San Miguel, we had an authentic Mexican breakfast at a local restaurant within walking distance. It was a real taste treat for me, as I love Mexican cuisine.

On our stroll home we wound our way through the neighborhoods. I was obsessed with the doorknockers.

 

The hand shaped knocker was very popular. We found these for sale at a local market.

That night after an early dinner of enchiladas and fajitas at one of PD and JD’s favorite local restaurants we had a different experience. We attended a concert by Lady Zen. What a hoot!

Lacy Zen specializes in singing Aretha Franklin songs and she was amazing. The San Miguel Theatre was a very interesting space and the people in attendance were obviously big fans of Lady Zen.

After the performance we wound our way back to PD and JD’s lovely home down the narrow stone streets of San Miguel. It was so fun to pass the restaurants and stores in the evening light. Many small stores opened their doors and had cooking stations set up near the street. It was a delight for the eyes and nose.

Back at the house, we climbed up to the roof top terrace and once again took in the night view of San Miguel. Fireworks were going off all around as we enjoyed the last moments of a great trip to get to know PD and JD better and visit San Miguel for the first time.

The book with the most stories should be your passport. United Airlines

This quote was plastered all over the walls as Hubby D and I walked through passport control in Houston on our way home. Our trip to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico to visit PD and JD will definitely be one stamp in our passports we will remember fondly.

Cheers,
Brenda