18th Sept. 2016
Not a good start to the day as Skype is rubbish, access to the tourist information is cordoned off and the coffee shop is shut. We need positives so head to Mercado de Dulce for sweets. Dave selects cocadas (coconut slices covered in toffee) and I go for frutas cubiertas (cubes of sugared fruit obviously) and we are each happy with our choice.
So, to explain, the poor Internet performance in the hotel meant that we had frustrating Skype calls to both our parents with voices breaking up so we could not hear a full sentence to have a conversation. We went out in search of coffee but the café around the corner was shut until 11am and even after the wait was not good coffee – where is Café Tal when you need it?
The road between the cathedral and the government building opposite is shut off with barriers, as well as some side streets, including the one where we think the tourist information is in. 
A queue of locals are patiently waited to pass through airport like scanners to enter an area full of chairs covered by a large marquee. Men are dressed in their best suits and again the ladies in the highest heels I have ever seen (however I would say Mexico is one place where I am taller than most men and women which is good for seeing in a crowd!!!). We skirt around this area all morning glancing at the big screens to see various dignitaries giving speeches.
To continue the Independence Day theme we head to casa natal de Morelos and see the eternal flame in the place where Morelos was born. This was the wrong Morelos museum so we try again and find the one I was looking for (casa museo de Morelos) with the exhibition of the involvement of Morelos in the War of Independence. It was in English as well as Spanish so we learned a lot about the five campaigns he was involved in as well as how he came from humble beginnings through priesthood to being in command of his own army. The last board explained how Morelos was tried and executed by firing squad. What! leave me on a cliffhanger, Mexico is not independent and our hero is dead.
I would like to say we planned our route around the history of the Mexican Independence Day but I would be lying! Our travels will take us to Puebla where Guadalupe Victoria was born and then Oaxaca where Vinciente Guerrero was born and hopefully tell us about the next phase in the fight for independence.
With all this history we have worked up an appetite and head for the restaurant opposite the museum. Continuing our theme of Mexican food we choose panuchos as Dave found a picture and explanation of it in his favourite search engine. Crunchy tacos covered in the usual refried bean paste but covered in tasty shredded chicken. A very tasty choice washed down with fresh lemonade.
We returned to the hotel via the main square and could now walk through as the clearing up began. The usual entertainment was continuing in the Plaza with the “stampy dancy people” as Dave called them. These seem to be a local “thing” as we keep coming across miniature figurines of these folk so I am sure there is a story behind their masks and costumes – but we are all historied out for today so they’ll have to be for another time.
As we rest in our room we hear drums beating so rush to our balcony to see what is going on. The road is closed again and we see a parade. Not as big as the Independence Day parade we saw in Guanajuato. I stay in the balcony for an overhead view while Dave heads outside. Another unexpected surprise. All this excitement calls for a beer! Luckily there is an Oxxo supermarket opposite the hotel.
As the day turns to evening we head out again to see the remains of the 7km long aqua duct which is now reduced to a still very impressive 253 arches and runs parallel to the road. We had heard it was lit at night and so thought it worth a look. It is a short walk out of the centre which did not take as long as we expected so we meandered around the local park and Callejon de Romance, Morelias equivalent of the kissing street with still time to eat in a local restaurant watching the sun to go down.
I tried the Arrachera which Dave translated as hanger steak but I was none the wiser. It turned out to be a thin steak well cooked with a few undercooked chips. Not the best meal and certainly not good value for money in Mexican terms. After all this exercise we decided to catch a collectivo back into town. Being tall (in relative terms) there is an art to climbing in and out without banging your 
head or treading on others toes before squeezing as many people on the bench seats as possible, but it is a cheap and easy way to get around especially after so much walking. Now for the earplugs for a good night sleep. The hotel is fantastic but being on the main street is noisy.