Veracruz: the Third Invasion

Some random thoughts from Veracruz:
There are flocks of birds that hang out in the trees in the main square during the daytime. Their "chirping," or whatever it is that birds do, is almost deafening! The birds are of pretty good size, smaller than a pigeon, but not by much. They are all black, with a long black tail, and shriek away all day long.
Today I went on a boat tour of the harbor. This is a great way to beat the heat and humidity in the mid-afternoon. The breeze off the water was refreshing. There were terrific views of the waterfront and the great fortress of San Ulua which is just offshore. One can´t help but wonder how come this great imposing fortress, built by the Spanish way back when, has been so totally useless in repelling foreign invaders.
A young student, trying to make some extra money from tips, boarded the boat dressed in full costume as the infamous French pirate Lorencillo and effectively scared the pants off the bunch of little kids that were with their straight-faced parents for the voyage. He had a number of great nautical expressions, which I half picked up on at the time, but have since forgotten. Now I´m dying to learn how to say in Spanish "Shiver me timbers!"
I kept to the aquatic theme today by going to the Veracruz aquarium. It´s terrific! If you ever make it here, I wholeheartedly recommend it. They have one tunnel you walk through with a glass top. The tunnel is at the bottom of one of the large fish tanks. Sharks and manta rays go gliding slowly inches above your head. For a bunch of extra pesos, you can get into a glass cage and descend into the shark tank during feeding time.
There was a large "Amazon Jungle Room," all fitted out to make you think you´re in the middle of the Amazon jungle (obviously). Inside, toucans and red macaws fly around at will, cawing away. There are more silent inhabitants like turtles and snakes (the latter fortunately behind glass). As fascinating as it was, I don´t think I´d want to spend the night there. There were many other rooms with fish tanks and all sorts of exotic fish.
This afternoon I celebrated my last day in Veracruz by buying a passionfruit ice cream (maracuya, which I think is passionfruit). Yum, yum. I sat on a bench in the main square people-watching. There are many beach towns to the north and south of Veracruz. I think, if I ever return, the thing to do is rent a place on or near the beach in some little town and take the bus into Veracruz for all the action that the city offers at night. As you know from my earlier blogs, Veracruz really comes alive at night with music and dancing.
Well, tomorrow, I´m off to Xalapa! Hasta luego!