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Published: March 18th 2011
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Leslie in DF
What a treat to have her visit and experience Mexico City What a wonderful surprise! My daughter, Leslie, is working with a company that has a clinic in Tijuana, and they decided to fly her in to spend a week at the clinic. So she called and said "What would it cost to fly from Tijuana so that I could come and see you for a few days?" Two weeks later, I met her at the airport Wednesday evening and we cabbed home and got her settled in. Her goal, she said, was not to rest but to see all she could in the four days she had here. So Thursday morning, with that in mind,we were off to Chapultepic Park and a visit to the castle, the only Royal Castle in the American Continent What a huge and grand fortress it is. Now the National Museum of History, construction began in 1725 to build a home for the Spanish monarchal representative, then became a garrison, then it was used as a military college before becoming the home of Emperor Maximillian 1 of Mexico and his wife Carlota in 1864. We then walked around the park, took in the lakes, and enjoyed the quiet, the squirrels, and the birds. You would never
First stop Chapultepic Castle
A huge castle built around 1724, it is impressive know we were in the middle of a city of 27 million people. We then headed to the metro and Leslie experienced her first underground subway ride. We went to the Mercado de Technologie near the center of the city. What a zoo, thousands of people crowding the sidewalks and the market, we have never seen so many cellphones in one place before, they sell them, they repair them, they sell accessories of all kinds, and they do the same with computers. I wanted her to see that this is a city of contrasts, that you can have tranquility one minute, then the chaos and noise that one expects in a city of 27 million people. We then headed back towards home but made a stop at the Balderas market, a great place to buy Mexican crafts of all kinds. We got home just in time to welcome Linda back from school, then went for an ecobici ride down through Parque Mexico. Leslie was amazed by the number of trees, and the birds singing all the time. We have huge trees called Jacarandas, that lost their leaves in November, and have now broken out in beautiful purple blossoms which fall
Capultepic Park
2nd or 3rd largest urban park in the world, I wanted Leslie to experience the tranquility in the midst of 27 million people to the ground on a regular basis. They are spectacular, and it is surreal to be walking through the pedals on the sidewalks. We had tacos and beer at Lindas favorite restaurant, and then headed home for an early night. On Friday morning, we ran an errand for a friend that took us to the Canadian Embassy, then we cabbed over to our local Friday street market where I regularly buy fruit and vegetables. Oh, and by the way, we enjoyed the sunshine and 26-27 degree weather. And with night time temperatures of 12-14, we can stroll down the street at ten in the evening without needing jackets. Then it was Friday Happy Hour, and a bunch of our friends joined us at a bar a couple of blocks from home. What an experience for Leslie, we were about 10 of us at a large outside table right on the sidewalk with the vendors coming by regularly selling individual cigarettes, candy, candles, pottery, offering to shine your shoes, serenaders playing and singing then asking for a few pesos, and more. What a blast. So after 3 hours of that, we hopped in a cab and off we went with Megan
Rooftop Gardens
The castle is set on a steep hill, so the gardens are on the roof, they manicure them using levels for preciseness to "Lucha Libre," Mexico's professional wrestling, with lights, loud music and scantily clad girls, and a loud and boisterous crowd made up of men, women and children all hyped up making for great television. This made for a long busy day and a late night! We had a tougher time getting going Saturday morning, it must have been close to 11 before we headed out by Metrobus to San Angel Market. Here, they feature lots of artwork being sold by the artists themselves, as well as a crafts market, a park, and many shops and restaurants surrounding the area. After a quick lunch, we jumped in a cab and headed way to the south end of the city to Xochimilco, where the colourful boats are poled down canals. We bought the required micheladas, of course, and then sat and enjoyed the view, the peacefulness and serenity of being on the water, the mariachi bands serenading us from adjoining boats, the trees and the birds, what a wonderful ambience! A little more shopping at the local outdoor bazaar before we headed out, again by cab, to Coyoacan where we found a quaint restaurant that served great Mexican food. Coyoacan is like
Dining Hall
One of the spectacular rooms on display within the castle a traditional Mexican village nestled in the middle of Mexico City. It boasts a huge craft market and a quaint Zocalo in front of the church. We strolled, ate ice cream and then took one of the "combies", older rattletrap small buses that ply specific routes throughout the city, to the nearest metro and home.
Sunday morning, Fran and Jo Anne joined Leslie, Linda and I, and we were off early, bike riding down Reforma to the Palacio de Belles Artes, arriving at 9 a.m. to take in the "Ballet Folklorido". What a stunning venue, the palace had been closed a year for renovations and has just reopened a few months ago. The 2 and half hour show was spectacular, very animated and colourful. We then headed for lunch at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the main Zocalo, enjoying an outdoor lunch while the church bells tolled and the Zocalo filled with visitors and tourists. After lunch, more shopping from the street vendors, then we showed Leslie the streets and streets of shoe stores, perfume stores and gown stores in the Centro Historico. To see so many stores selling so much of the same things is mind-boggling. Then, we headed
Stairway
One of the huge murals that decorate the interior back home so Leslie could pack, and finally headed to an exclusive restaurant that boasts a very unique ambience created by 8 parrots and 2 lions set in a secluded garden that boasts a fountain, shrubs, suptle lighting and walls covered with boganvilias and vines. We were pampered by the maitre'd and entertained by the lions who were definitely hungrier than we were. It was an enchanting and magical evening; both Leslie and Linda commented on how they felt like princesses.
And then, sadly, it was time to flag a cab to the airport and say farewell! Leslie's parting comment was to me was "Dad, we thought you were glorifying your life here to make us feel better, but now that I have been here, I see that you haven't been exagerating. It really is that fantastic!"
And today Friday the 18th, Linda and I are boarding a flight at 2:30 this afternoon to visit our freinds Marie and Bernard who are teaching in Lugano, Switzerland. We will arrive there tomorrow in time for supper! Another adventure!
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