Our final morning in Jerusalem would consist of a visit to Yad Vashem, Israel's official Holocaust memorial and museum. The 45 acre complex consists of various sculptures and memorials, a synagogue, publishing center, research center, and several other things. It was established in 1953 and sits atop the Mount of Remembrance. Running on probably 12 cumulative hours of sleep since arriving in Israel, the morning was a bit of a struggle, but I do love Holocaust-related things so I persevered. The actual museum's layout was a winding trail of multimedia displays tracing the history of the Holocaust, though I will say they seemed to bounce around a bit from the Warsaw uprising to the death camps to the rise of anti-semitism, etc. Adding to the confusion were literally hordes of what looked to be Israeli military ... read more

Last night's concert went relatively well, though it wasn't particularly well-attended. Then again we were performing in a kibbutz in the middle of a desert so I'm not sure how many people would realistically have been able to show up. Once that was done with we basically stormed the hotel bar since they told us they'd keep it open until 1:30ish just for us. I'm pretty sure they were wiped clear of any and all alcohol - nicely done boys! The following morning was definitely a bit of a struggle, but at least we had the smorgasbord breakfast to look forward to again. At 8:15 we were off to Masada! Around 30 B.C. King Herod built a palace complex and fortress on a fairly remote desert mountain - l have no idea why anyone would want ... read more

While Friday was super fun, it wasn't worthy an entry unto itself. Chris, Alex, and I prepped brunch for Alex's friend Nancy and her friend Julie, both of whom we'd also gone to Xochimilco with. An avocado, grapefruit, and fennel salad and baked eggs with spinach and mushrooms were among the food items, washed down with plenty of cava, cider, and carajillos. It was perfect out so we brunched outside on Alex's terrace and managed to get some color. After brunch we drove back to Coyuacán so we could get some more pottery - Alex got herself a number of nice plants as well. For dinner we stayed in the historic center of Coyuacán at Los Danzantes - I had a steak with fries and Chris some kind of duck tacos. Unfortunately that afternoon I'd come ... read more

Wednesday morning we did the usual routine. I fried up some nopales with an egg for a breakfast taco, and we were out the door by 10. We stopped at Café Punta del Cielo for an espresso frappé, then headed to the Anthropology Museum for real this time. Constructed in 1964, the structure itself is very cool - the exhibits all surround a courtyard with a pond and concrete umbrella supported by a single slender pillar over which water cascades. The exhibits are likewise surrounded by gardens on the outside, many of which contain exhibits themselves. We spent a good two hours exploring. The first floor is everything ancient, beginning with an introduction to anthropology and many pre-historic remains and artifacts. The most interesting exhibits were those showcasing the civilizations of Teotihuacan, which we had visited, ... read more

Feeling well-rested after yesterday's diversion we showered and headed to Mercado Roma in the Roma neighborhood, which is known as D.F.'s bohemian neighborhood. The market itself is higher-end and consists of two floors of food stalls from various local restaurants and businesses. The third floor is a beer garden. While the market was open at 10 when we went, many of the vendors didn't start serving until 11:30. Luckily El Moro Churrería was serving, so we sat down to café con leche and some churros with cajeta (a thick, Mexican syrup of sweetened caramelized milk)for dipping. I'd never actually seen how churros were made - they pump the dough through a contraption similar to a sausage-making machine and directly into a vat of oil for frying. They then cut them into smaller pieces. We are hoping ... read more