A Day in Merida, Mexico

Picking the right shore excursion is part of the fun when cruising. I lean toward history and, fortunately, my traveling companions usually do too.

Last year while on a Carnival Cruise, one of the ports-of-calls was Yucatan (Progreso), Mexico. For our shore excursion, my daughter, 4-year-old granddaughter and I headed for historic Merida for the day.

Located a short 22 miles from the cruise dock, the city is a combination of Spanish Colonial architecture dating to the 16^th century and modern buildings. We are, of course, interested in the historic areas including beautiful squares, cathedrals and a convent.

In addition to the historic areas we explored, our excursion included a horse-drawn carriage ride, a delicious and authentic lunch and shopping.