We told you in the last post how our visit to San Miguel got off to a rough start. Happy to report that once we were settled things immediately improved.

Let’s first back up and tell you why we decided to visit this beautifully preserved colonial city in the Mexican highlands. San Miguel de Allende has been an expat magnet since former U.S. soldiers began flocking there to study art through the G.I. Bill after World War II.

Attracted by its temperate climate, low cost of living, proximity to the States, cultural opportunities, and low crime, San Miguel today is estimated to have up to 20,000 expats, over half of whom are from the States.

All those attributes are on our personal wish list, so we wanted to experience this expat hot spot firsthand.

The city rises up on all sides from the historic center, and our Airbnb was perched on a hillside with a magnificent view. From our terrace the first morning we were delighted to see a hot air balloon floating in the distance. “A good o...