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Welcome to Nostalgic Travel Talks! Iâm a former Spanish teacher turned travel advisor, passionate about curating unforgettable experiences. My expertise lies in European adventures (with a special love for Spain), cruising, and all-inclusive Caribbean getaways. I specialize in creating tailored trips for families, multi-generational groups, and teachersâwhether theyâre traveling solo, with colleagues, or leading student groups.
In this podcast, we celebrate the joy of travel, uncover hidden gems, share practical tips and tricks, and embrace the spirit of adventure. Each episode features inspiring conversations with fascinating guests from all walks of life as they share their unique travel stories, lessons, and favorite destinations. Whether you're planning your next getaway or simply love to dream about the possibilities, this is your place to explore the world from wherever you are.
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Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please. Ready for an adventure? Whether you're revisiting cherished moments or planning new escapades, Nostalgic Travel Talks is here to inspire your wanderlust. Let's take off. Hey there travelers and dreamers, welcome back to Nostalgic Travel Talks. I'm Cheryl. And I'm Brittany. Today we're taking you somewhere truly, truly special, Cuernavaca, Mexico. It's known as La Ciudad de la Eterna Primavera, or the City of Eternal Spring. And that nickname fits. Cuernavaca has this magical spring-like climate all year round, and it's honestly one of the most relaxing places I've ever been. My memories escaped me a little bit so I'll have you take the wheel on that. Okay, sounds good. Well, Cuernavaca started off as a settlement within the Aztec Empire and after they took it over they renamed it Cuauhnahuac and that means a place near the forest. And then the Spanish conquest is when it gets a little bit intense because Hernan Cortes took himself, he just decided that he was going to make it his. And so because the people of, the people at the time, the Aztecs had not seen people on horseback before, and it kind of fed into their into their lore. And so they believed that this was a god because he looked like half man, half beast. And so they thought he was a god. And so they were obviously wanting to appease him. And they gave him gold. And that was the mistake. That was the first mistake they made, because when they gave him the gold, he just got greedy. And he was just like, where there's this, there must be more. So they welcomed him in and they did not see him for what he was. And so he just truly, he just took advantage. And he, you know, there's so many atrocities that we could go on forever. But that happened in 1521. He built a palace. And so you can actually visit that palace to this day. It's still standing. Yep, the Palacio de Cortes. And Yeah, it's a must-see if you love history. So with Palacio de Cortes being built that, you know, clearly indicates that there must have been a lot of resources in the area that were being exploited, unfortunately. Aside from Hernan Cortes, were there any other countries or people that came to try and colonize? Well I'm going to skip ahead a couple of hundred years to the 1800s because that's when the French came along and you know right now we as Americans celebrate the we celebrate every year Cinco de Mayo. Well that came about because Napoleon wanted a foothold in the Americas. So you kind of have to keep in mind that at the time, the United States couldn't help Mexico to defend itself against France because they were fighting a civil war at the time. So Napoleon was successful in getting Maximilian and Carlota placed in office. So they became the emperor and empress of Mexico. in getting Maximilian and Carlota placed in office. So they became the emperor and empress of Mexico. And so you can see their summer retreat. It's still, it still stands. So this takes me back to 18, the 1860s because the battle of Puebla is what makes the, is what makes Cinco de Mayo happen. The Battle of Puebla took place in, I want to say 1862, and the Mexicans were heavily outnumbered by the French. And so the French just really underestimated their abilities. So they over, they, they just hid behind cacti, actually. And that sounds so silly, but they were, like I said, they were outnumbered. They were, they were outgunned, but the French lost that battle. They did eventually win the war, but they lost that battle. And that was, and that's what, what is celebrated for Cinco de Mayo. That's the real reason for the celebration, um, coming together against the odds and and defeating an enemy. Even though eventually they did lose and Carlota and Maximilian became the emperor and empress, Mexico. And he died and his son took it over and did some renovations. Eventually Maximilian and Carlota decided to take it over and it became their summer retreat. And it is still something that you can visit to this day. Yeah, after looking it up, it appears it's now been turned into a botanical garden as well as an art gallery and museum. So lots of stuff to see there. Absolutely. So, why don't we talk a little bit about what you can actually do in addition to that? Absolutely. Let's get into it. Do you have anything that stands out to you still that you're like, oh my god, when I go back to Cuernavaca, I have to do this? You know, my memories about Cuernavaca have to do with, I would say definitely Las Meninas was a restaurant that we visited a couple of times. It's just a very, how do I describe it? It's just a really beautiful restaurant. There's just peacocks walking around. So it's like an outdoor garden basically that you can and it you know, they have beautiful plants and get to see a little bit of wildlife too. Yes, absolutely. And amazing food. So the food I guess is one of the things that stuck out to me. I remember, well when we were there, part of the reason for our, every time I went, part of the reason was to just immerse myself. And so there was a lot of, I remember just Mexican hot chocolate in the mornings because like I said, like we talked about, it's eternal springtime. In the morning it can be a little bit chilly, so you just have a little hot chocolate. Good way to start the day. Absolutely, it was just wonderful. Yeah, I remember one of my favorite foods. I don't know why I have such a vivid memory of this. The host family that we were staying with, I used to get SpaghettiOs made just for me, with the cutest messages spelled out. So I'd have to rank that among one of my favorite meals while I was there. Also, I remember going to the movie theaters. I don't even remember what movie we went to see, but I remember- Fantasia 2000. That's the one. And I just remember going to the soda station and there are a lot of bees around. So I mean, you know, it was good stuff. Good stuff all around. Absolutely. One of the, another speaking, we're talking about food. Another thing that's burned into my memory is every morning, there was a guy that was selling tamales and you would always hear him. You knew it was, it was like a rooster every morning. Tamales. Line up and get you one. That's right. Made with love. Absolutely. Hey, do you remember Teotihuacan? No, can you please remind me what that is? Well, Teotihuacan is not far. It's like a day trip. We went there. That's where you can visit the pyramid to the sun and to the moon. And as you know, nowadays you can't walk up on these pyramids anymore, but at the time, it was still something that was allowed. And I took you, your brother and sister, up those steps. It was quite a feat, but we made it up there. Was I complaining the whole time? Not at all. You loved it. It was a great time for you. And being a four-year-old, you were pretty adventurous and a good sport. We got to the top and we kind of had to boom boom down you know we had to sit down and and scoot down the stairs yeah that was that was the only hard part about it because you know just with your age I didn't want to have any accidents because that would have been horrific but but yeah I'm glad we got to do it because nowadays you can't do that because those are historical and closed off to the public and dangerous I'm sure. So I'm sorry that you don't remember it but you can always visit you just can't climb up. That's right seeing is believing. Yes indeed. So now that we've talked about some points of attraction, things to see, and great food to check out can you tell us a little bit about you know the best way to get there, planning the trip, you know making everything come together and happen considering you've you know been there five or six times. Sure I would say from any major city you can fly into Mexico City because it's a it's huge so that shouldn't be an issue at all and to get to Cuernavaca from Mexico City, it's not that far. It's probably about an hour and a half. I would take the bus or drive, however you want to get there. It's just a beautiful, it's a beautiful drive, as I recall. And one of the things that you can see on your way, if you're being very, if you're looking out, if you're looking out is the two and there, there, there's folklore written about these two mountains, Isashihwato and Popokatepetl, Ixta and Popo for short. And I'll put a link in the, in the notes so you can learn a little bit more about them, but it's kind of like a Romeo and Juliet type story because of, and you can tell the two because of the way they look you can you can just you'll see Ixtan and Popo when you when you drive on the drive and you'll understand where that legend came from. And when it comes to lodging boutique hotels are great restored haciendas are also great ideas there's something for every style so you can't go wrong. Nice. Always good to have options. So is there a best time? What would you say the best time of year to visit would be? Well, it's beautiful year-round, but I would say October through April is really nice because it's less rain. That's not the rainy season, so that would be perfect. Sounds a little less humid too. Yes. Absolutely. Good time to go. Mm-hmm. So that would be perfect. Sounds a little less humid too. Yes, absolutely. Good sign to go. Okay, it's time for rapid fire questions. All right, you wanna kick it off or should I? Why don't you? Okay. What's one word you would use to describe Gwennawaka? I would say picturesque. Solid choice. Yes. Poolside or garden walk for you? A tough decision. I would do both, but I think in this case, I'm gonna go with garden walk. I hear ya. Garden walk sounds really nice. They have so many beautiful plants. To see, especially, yeah. Yes, plants and flowers. Things that are exclusive to the region. Mm-hmm. to see especially yeah yes. For you would you rather do a cathedral visit or museum visit? Definitely a museum visit there are so many museums not just in Cuenavaca but in Mexico in general in like a day's drive away so I would definitely do the museum visit. What about you? I'm with you on that. The cathedrals are beautiful. Always there's something nice to see, but the museums just have my heart. I love an art gallery. Yes, I know you do. Cause we've visited quite a few of them together. So I enjoy visiting art galleries with you. Absolutely. Would you climb the pyramid to the Sun at Teotihuacan? If you could, obviously you can't do that now, but would you if you had the opportunity? I want to say yeah. I think I'd be a little bit worried about the condition of the steps, but if I could, I would. Because how many people can say they've done that? Absolutely. Especially now. Yes. I would do it again if I could, I would. Because how many people can say they've done that? Absolutely. Especially now. Yes. I would do it again if I could in a heartbeat. It was a good workout. Yeah. And I love a good workout when I'm on a vacation. I know. That's right. So mom, if you had to answer, what would you say are the reasons that Cuernavaca should be on your travel list? I would say because you know the thing that drew me to Cuernavaca in the first place, the reason I went there the first time was to study Spanish in a you know in an immersion setting so it's definitely that is definitely still a reason that I would visit. I would go back, I would take some classes. They have classes for everybody. There's this school that we went to was called Kualnawak, which was, as I mentioned earlier, was the original name of Cuernavaca. And, you know, they have classes for every ability group. When you get there, they test you, they give you like a language test. They talk to you to kind of gauge what your ability level is. They give you a written test and then they place you in classes and they're always small classes like four people or less and and so they just do a really great job and it's so picturesque. It's just a great way to learn because you can be outside you can learn outside by the pool. There are just different kinds of classrooms and things like that. I would say, and also the proximity to Mexico City and other places. Like there's Mexico City to visit. There's the floating gardens of Xochimilco. We didn't talk about that earlier. There's, as we talked about Teotihuacan a few times, there's Taxco. You can buy silver in Taxco. There's Tosco, you can buy silver in Tosco. There's so many museums that you can visit. There's, Acapulco is not that far. So there's just so many things. Cuernavaca all alone is worth it, but it also has all of these things. In the surrounding areas. Yes, absolutely. So those are my reasons. We'd love to hear it. Yes, indeed. And speaking of things we love to hear, we would love to hear from you, our beloved listeners. Absolutely appreciate you guys tuning into our episodes and hearing what we have to say. But let us know, have you ever been to Cuenavaca? What'd you like the most about being there? And if you haven't gone, does this episode make you want to visit? Drop us a message or you can also tag us in your travel pics. Don't forget to follow us for more dreamy destinations, more conversations, funny banter, and if you need any help planning a trip to Mexico or really anywhere in the world, don't forget to hit us up. Visit Nostalgic Travel and let us help you craft a journey full of memories and great times. And thank you for joining us. And get ready because next time, we're diving into something else really special. Don't forget to subscribe, make sure your notifications are turned on on whichever platform you're tuning in so you don't miss anything from us. We appreciate you guys tuning in so you don't miss anything from us. We appreciate you guys tuning in and until next time, hasta luego, adios. Thank you for tuning in to Nostalgic Travel Talks. I hope today's episode inspired you to dive deeper into your next journey. 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