I am in Seattle this week, and I’m already starting to think about Mexico. It seems a little early to be fantasizing about my winter travels, but the weather this week helped me along. Cold showers soaked Seattle all day last Sunday, reminding me of why I first headed to Mexico.

I’d been to Cabo and Cozumel before, but it was my sister Missy who told me I should try experiencing real Mexico. I started in the old part of Puerto Vallarta in what is called the Zona Romantica (Romantic Zone). I learned that it was one of the last in a line of Colonial towns that the Spanish had built across the center of Mexico, and I decided to follow that trail to see if the other towns were as charming. They were even moreso.

I took a bus to Guadalajara and began a journey through Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, and Queretaro. I arrived in Morelia the day before a festival called Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). I’d only experienced it in America as a time to dress up in a skeleton costume, but in Mexico it is a much more reverent traditional event.

People I met in Morelia told me I had to go to the nearby town of Pátzcuaro, where the tradition started. In the afternoon, I took a ferry to Janitizio, which is a small island village opposite Pátzcuaro. It reminded me of Italy with steep narrow streets climbing to a statue at its peak. I was surprised to find when I got to the top that it was not a statue of Jesus but José María Morelos. Morelos was a revolutionary leader during Mexico’s quest for independence and was executed by the Spanish government.

In the evening, I took the ferry to Pátzcuaro and headed for the cemetery. You see, that is where the tradition of Day of the Dead started. Mexican families prepare the favorite foods of their deceased and head up to the cemetery in the evening. They set out a blanket next to the grave and have a meal in honor of them. Like the Irish wake, it is a celebration of the life of that person. Food, stories, and even the favorite drinks of the dead are shared through tears and laughter. It is not at all the costumed affair I’d thought it to be.

There is, however, decoration. In the week preceding the event, shrines are made up for the dead. These are usually framed pictures of the deceased, which are adorned with flowers and candles. Sometimes articles of significance to that person are placed in the shrine. While some of these shrines are simple table decorations, others can take up the entire doorway of a building and spill out into the street.

The year in Mexico is riddled with celebrations, and Day of the Dead is one of the most colorful times to visit the country. This year, I’ll be leading a tour to Mexico City to take in the celebration. It is a little different in the city. While there aren’t any cemeteries in the city to go dine in with your deceased relatives, there are plenty of places where you can see the shrines in parks and storefronts. One peculiar celebration that we’ll attend is the Dia de los Muertos parade.

As I mentioned, Day of the Dead is traditionally more of an intimate family celebration, but in 2015 that all changed in Mexico City. The beginning sequence of the James Bond film Spectre starts with a parade of skeletons marching through the streets of the historic district. This was Hollywood’s projection of how Mexicans celebrate day of the dead, but before that, Mexicans had no such parade. Being a people that love celebrations, they quickly adopted it, and now every year there is a parade that runs through the city.

It should be noted that it was also a wise economic decision as airlines and hotels can charge much more that week, and they usually sell out by the time the parade weekend arrives. I found this out a couple years ago when Joan and I visited Mexico City that week, not remembering it was the week of the festival. I couldn’t figure out why prices for hotels were three times their normal rate, and I couldn’t find any availability in the city center.

This year, I’ve partnered with one of my tour companies to offer a 5 day Day of the Dead tour, and the good news is that there is still space available. We’ve already reserved a hotel in the center of Mexico City on the parade route. In addition to enjoying all of the Day of the Dead celebrations, we’ll be exploring what I call Mexico’s New York City. In fact, I learned a couple of years ago that Mexico City has more museums than any other city in the world.

Every year, I spend more time there. In fact, the last time I visited, Joan and I spent a month there, which only whet our appetite. For the tour, we will visit the Zocalo, Mexico’s historic center, considered the heart of the country. This is the area where the Spectre movie was filmed.

We’ll also visit museums and neighborhoods, including Coyoacan, the charming neighborhood where Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera conceived their works. Outside the city, we’ll make a trip to Teotihuacan to visit some of Mexico’s best preserved pyramids. If you’re a believer in extraterrestrial life, it is also rumored that this was built by aliens so bring your foil hat.

One of the most unusual things we’ll visit are the canals of Xochimilco (pronounced SO-CHEE-MEAL-CO). They are all that’s left of a vast lake from which the Aztecs ruled the country before the Spanish arrived. Today, it is a series of canals through farms and flower nurseries right on the edge of the city. On weekends, Mexican families rent boats to cruise the canals while eating food and listening to music from the Mariachi bands floating by on their rafts.

Our tour will attend the La Llorana show which adds to the mystique of the canal trip because it is a night show performed on an island in the middle of Xochimilco. I’ve visited the unusual Isla de las Munecas (Island of the Dolls) in these same canals, and it adds an extra level of mystique to the experience.

It’s all in fun though, as Mexico is a culture of warm friendly people. On my first visit to Mexico City, I got lost, and 5 different people offered to help me find my way. I have continued to find that most people I meet in Mexico are wonderful ambassadors to their country; proud of their culture, their history, and most importantly their families. I look forward to once again witnessing this celebration of family, both past and present.