Hola! Bienvenidos! Welcome to Heroica Veracruz!
Buenos dias! Good morning country collectors! Today we are going to be exploring Heroica Veracruz,
Mexico's oldest port city here on the Gulf coast. We can't wait to show you around before we get
started make sure to hit that subscribe button and ring the bell so you don't miss out on any of our
future adventures. Let's start with how we got here! At orizaba's ADO bus station we bought tickets
heading to Veracruz for 264 pesos each. The 130 kilometer bus ride took a bit over two hours. Once
in Veracruz we gathered our bags and got a secure taxi to El Centro for 40 pesos. Now that we're here
let's check out our place! We found this spot on Airbnb for $37 USD a night. Our room is equipped with
two double beds, a dining table, tv, fridge, microwave and coffee maker. And they even left us some
welcoming gifts which was so sweet! Now that we're settled in let's get exploring! We are starting our
day today here in the zocalo. It's a very lively place and the social center of the city. Here you
can find many restaurants, bars and cafes. And every time we have been down here we have had
the pleasure of listening to some live music! I especially love the bright tunes of the marimba!
We were down here on Sunday and this place was packed! There was a cultural show going on
with people dancing and singing. It seemed like the place to be. Surrounding the zocalo you will
find the municipal palace as well as the Veracruz cathedral which is very striking as it's painted
all white. I read that it started as a small parish but had been expanded to this size in 1731 and
that it was built out of marine coral and quarry stones. And the tiles you see on the dome were
brought from the neighboring state of Puebla. And if you keep those peepers peeping people you might
even see full pieces of coral protruding from some of the buildings like this one right here. There's
even a little shell sticking out of it. Wow! All right who's hungry? Me me me! I knew that was coming!
Our friend Araf knows the way to our hearts and he sent us a recommendation that is located nearby
so let's go taste it out! It might be a little loud here because we are standing on this street
corner. We are on Avenida Independencia and the cross street is Arista and Araf are you
kidding me with this right here! This is a volovan plural I believe is volovanes. We had our
first one of these when we were in Oaxaca and it was filled with blueberry and cream cheese, right?
But basically it's puff pastry and on the inside they can put sweet filling savory or both. Wow and
this is the chico! Whoa! But yeah let's break it open and look inside! Oh my goodness look at that!
We got it con pollo. And he said it was asada, so it's grilled chicken. This looks so so good!
Incredible. Savory goodness! And Adam got... El grande! Oh my god that's like a brick!
It weighs like a brick! It's ham and philadelphia cream cheese. These people are definitely baking
this world a better place! I am amazed by this. I can't wait to jump in! It could honestly be a weapon
Wow! The flake is absolute perfection. You get a little sweet from the philadelphia cream
cheese and the ham is nice and warm. Man I can eat this for two days! I love it! What an experience. We
definitely recommend heading down here. We just learned that they've been right here for over
30 years. Make sure to get here early though because it's not even 11 am and they're already
out of a lot of the options. The two of them cost 60 pesos so I think the large one is 40 and the
smaller one is 20 pesos. Thank you so so much Araf. Love you! All right let's keep this day moving!
Just a couple blocks down from the cathedral you're gonna find yourselves on Mario Molina and
across the street here is Plaza de las Artesanias. Great place to pop in find yourself a souvenir.
They have some coffee from the region and lord knows you need yourself another bottle opener!
This is also where you can find the tour buses and they have quite a variety ranging from the Turibus
we see in a lot of cities just some pretty unique ones like this pirate ship on wheels right
here. It seems like they range from 60 to 100 pesos and take about 40 minutes to an hour. Could be a
great way to get an overview of the city! I know we just had a snack but I am jonesing for some
caffeine and I know just the place! So many people told us when we were coming to Veracruz that we
had to head here, El Gran Cafe de la Parroquia, as it is the oldest cafe in Veracruz dating back
to 1808. They're known for their cafe lechero or coffee and milk which sounds kind of normal right?
But we hear it's all about the presentation! I just ordered some up so let's see how it is!
So it starts out with a third of a cup of some very strong hot coffee and then I DLING, DLING,
DLING, DLING the bell. I mean... DLING, DLING, DLING, DLING the cup and the waiter comes over with a kettle of hot milk
and pours it up and down for me while elevating the kettle! Let's check it out!
Gracias! Look at that! That looks delicious!
Nice and frothy on top! What a fun little way to drink some coffee.
Let's taste it out! And I love that this is you know tradition for over 200 years here.
Wow that is some good strong coffee. The flavor is phenomenal. You know
Veracruz is known for their coffee so this is one brew-tiful cup of coffee!
I love it! So we're going to relax here and then head down to the malecon! Wow! As you can see we've
made it to the port! That boat, ship I should say... is huge! Chances are if you're coming to Veracruz
it's to learn about some of the history as well as admire the port, which you can see behind me
here. This is the most important commercial seaport in Mexico and for 250 years it was the only port
where goods could enter and exit hence why it's named, La Puerta de Mexico el Mundo or The Door of
Mexico to the World! And we have been lucky enough to see some humongous ships coming and going from
the port here. It's really impressive. This is also where the Spanish landed in 1519, founding the city
of Veracruz and beginning their conquest of Mexico, And as the city's name implies Heroica Veracruz
has been four times heroic in defending the nation's sovereignty throughout its history. This
place has been through a lot! Across the way here you can see the 16th century fortress of San Juan
de Ulúa which was built by the Spanish as part of their fortifications of the city to protect them
against pirates. Even though they were pretty much pirates themselves. Ironically the fort became the
site of their last refuge after their 300 years of colonial rule ended when they were defeated
by the Mexicans and forced to leave the country. And while you're here try to take a tour of the
fort. We tried a couple times and unfortunately it was closed as they seem to have very limited hours
so make sure to check the times online before you come. And if the port looks familiar there's
a good reason. It was the site of a favorite childhood movie of mine you may have heard of
called Romancing the Stone starring Danny DeVito, Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas. Just watch
out for those crocodiles! Across the way here you will find Faro Venustiano Carranza. I read that
this lighthouse stands 50 meters tall and when in working order it had a range of 150 kilometers out
to sea. It's definitely one of the most iconic buildings in the port and worthy of checking
out. And while we're down here enjoying this beautiful day with the former president of Mexico
we would love to give a big shout out to our newest patrons: Joseph, Cody, Connie, Lisa and Suzi!
You are the best! We appreciate you in helping to make this adventure possible! Yes thank you so so
much for all your contributions and just being a part of this! If you would like to join our Patreon
community we will put the link in the description below. And if you want to learn more about the port
and the naval history here in Mexico head down to Mexico's Naval Museum. It's amazing and humongous
inside! They have a ton of different rooms with very interesting information. We could have stayed
here all day. It's open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am until 4 pm and costs 45 pesos. But if you want to
go in free come on a Wednesday! And make sure to take advantage of these opportunities. I'm gonna
go fly this chopper! Yeah baby! Cutest chopper pilot I ever seen! And while you're down here listening
to the music, admiring the dancing and people watching you're gonna see this mix of cultures.
We have to remember since this is a port town it has attracted people from all over the world so
there is this beautiful diversity here ranging from Indigenous, Spanish, French Afro-Cuban and
more. And something else we learned is that this city is actually home to the largest Carnaval in
all of Mexico. It's supposed to even rival Rio and New Orleans. Can you imagine this place packed with
people singing, dancing, the musics going on? I bet you it would be a wonderful time to come and visit!
I think so too! And down here is where you're also going to find the Veracruz letters which you
know is a great place to snap a photo! We had to come over here in the shade because it is so hot!
Since being here I think it's averaged like 90 degrees daily. It's August right now so it's
summer and the humidity is at like 70% as well. And at night in like early morning there have been
some massive storms, like shaking the building thunder kind of storms! Scary! For sure.
I think it's time to go grab some air conditioning and I know a place that
may just serve some food as well. Ooo sounds good to me! Come along!
We have found ourselves down here at Tampico Mariscos, which is located in Mercado Hidalgo. We
came here the other day and it was so good we had to bring you back. One thing Veracruz is known for
is it's seafood and boy does it do it right! We are starting off with the shrimp cocktail. Look at this!
Doesn't it look so good? It is packed with shrimp! We got the grande which has the larger shrimp in it
with some cilantro, onions and that cocktail sauce which is a little sweet. We tend to add
some spice, some salsa to it to make it a little spicy. This one here is 80 pesos and we also got...
The Arroz a la Tumbada which is a local dish here that was created by fishermen. It's seafood, rice.
There's garlic, some cilantro in there I think. Some tomato broth. It might look like a paella but it's
way more soupy than you would traditionally get with that so I can't wait to jump into this! The
other day I actually tried some coconut shrimp and it was shrimply the best I've ever had! Now let's
do this thing! Wow it looks like there's shrimp, and some crab, maybe some fish in there as well!
Nice and warm? Wow the temperature is perfect. The seafood has that nice firm texture you're
looking for. A little bit of spice. You can taste the garlic and the tomato.
It's a winner for sure! And I thought this was fish right here but our server just told us it is
caracol which is a type of shellfish. It has a very firm texture. It's quite good. Um yeah we definitely
recommend coming down here when you are in the city. We are going to finish up and then head back
to the malecon. We'll see you there! Welcome back! We are now about two kilometers south
from the lighthouse. We took a stroll along the malecon. It took about 30 minutes to reach this
complex right here. This is home to the wax museum, Ripley's Museum as well as the Aquarium. So it's
a great place to come to have some fun! We popped in the Aquarium the other day for a couple hours
and had a great time. It is home to a variety of sea life from the Gulf region and beyond!
Next to the aquarium running down the malecon we noticed several beaches and while the city is not
known as one of the premier beach destinations here in Mexico it sure doesn't stop people from
having a ton of fun. You can see these people coming up and down to the beach behind me here.
But don't expect those crystal clear waters or the white sand that we get some other places in Mexico
as they are a little bit darker here. On Sunday we came down here to Playa Villa del Mar and let
me tell you it was packed! I don't know if I've ever seen so many people in such a small space
having so much fun. Along the melacon here you'll find a lot of restaurants and bars
as well as vendors selling some pretty unique looking drinks. We saw this one
by the name of gloria and Adam has been looking at it for days! They look delicious! Let's go get one!
Oooo! Wow! Gracias!
Wow! Look who's happy! Look at this thing! Wow! That looks increible! Let's go find
a place and sit down and try it. Oh man! It's so hot and this looks so refreshing. She started
out with a smashed plantain (banana) down in the bottom. Then she shaved
some ice by hand and put it on top. Then she added some grosella which is actually current extract
right here. Then she threw in some lechera, which is the condensed milk. And then she topped it off
with a little cookie and some cinnamon maybe even some vanilla in there. Yeah she did put
some vanilla in there. Oh my goodness that's so delicious! Sugar lover's dream? Watch your shorts
because that'll stain! Oh plantain's plugging up my uh my straw here! I'm just gonna have to go for it!
Oh wow it is like a sugar fiesta in my mouth! And I like it! The cherry on top of a wonderful day!
While Adam enjoys his nice little treat I just wanted to mention this place that we didn't go to.
Maybe when you're here you might want to check it out. It's called Boca del Rio it's just south from
here continuing down the melacon you will run into it. It's called like the new city. Where we were today is
referred to as the old city, like the historic center but we heard it's like a lot more modern.
It has some big malls, nicer restaurants, some nice neighborhoods. So yeah it might be cool to check out
when you're here. Absolutely! You know what? I like my little gritty part of the old neighborhood down
here. Yeah, yeah so do I! It has a lot of character. But something we did want to mention before we
left was just about that grittiness. Yeah you know where we're staying when you walk around
there are more buildings than we've ever seen in a city that are either
abandoned, dilapidated, for sale, for rent. It just kind of seems like people forgot about them and
we're not sure why. So if you do know please leave us a comment down below because we are curious.
Yeah but don't let that stop you from coming here. As you saw in this video this city does have a lot
to offer. And to be honest with you it's one of the cleanest cities we have ever been to. There is like
an army of people that are cleaning. Everywhere you turn someone is sweeping, picking up anything
that's on the ground including just some leaves from the trees. So you definitely will notice
that when you're here. Yeah for sure. But I guess this is a good time to say goodbye too. Man it's
always so hard to say goodbye to our friends! Yes thank you so so much for joining us today it would
have been nowhere near as much fun if you hadn't been here to share my gloria! Gloria! Gloria! Glorious!
What, where was I? I think we were saying that oh if you enjoyed this video please give us a big
thumbs up, comment, subscribe and don't forget to...
DLING, DLING, DLING, DLING
the gloria!
We'll see you, next time! Adios!
That sugar's kicked in!