The Austins' Travel Blog: February 2016

Blog I - Mexico City - Out and About

Yes, we're finally here…in Mexico City.

It wasn’t until we were seated comfortably in the plane, reading a glossy travel magazine, that it all became clear that Mexico City is having a moment.

All of a sudden, or so it seems, the largest city in the Americas has absolutely captivated international news and taste makers.

And now, the ink is flowing, extolling its historic architecture, booming arts, gastronomy, and cutting-

edge cultural scene.

Even the pope has just made his way to this 2 km. high city.

There is no question that La Ciudad de Mexico is this nation’s undisputed centre of gravity....

....with much of the country's best being drawn to this sprawling metropolis like a river to the sea.

Mexico City's population of over 20 million people makes it the largest metropolitan area in the western hemisphere...

....and the largest Spanish-speaking city in the world.

People here tend to call it D.F. (pronounced: Day F-EEE), a term of endearment stemming from the Spanish letters that stand for Federal District (like Washington, D.C).

Both the oldest capital city in the Americas and one of only two founded by Indigenous peoples, the other being Quito, Ecuador,......

...the Aztecs began building the city they called Tenoctitlan, on a swampy island in one of the 6 lakes that covered this big valley high in the mountains.

The Centre of the Aztec capital: Tenoctitlan

In less than 200 years, they created their city, with all its temples, and empire...

Called Zocalo today, Tenoctitlan,, is the heart of Mexico City,

and the home of the world's second largest square.

...only to see conquered in 1521 by the Spaniard, Cortez. In short order, Tenochtitlan was almost completely destroyed, and on its ruins, rose a drained, redesigned and rebuilt Mexico City.

And so, because Mexico City is virtually on a lake bottom, it has been dealing with the problem of sinking up to 20 cm a year.
In fact, in just the past 100 years, D.F. has sunk about 10 meters.
Mexicans assure us, and from all the new construction, I take it to be true, that they have it all in hand.

Where we live: Linda and I have rented a place near “Paseo de la Reforma”. It is central, in that in this huge city of 2,000 neighborhoods, we can get almost anywhere either on foot or by Metro. Should you be curious, you can see our digs at:

https://www.flipkey.com/mexico-city-condo-rentals/p696725/

Don't mind the pictures of the naked women. We've become house-blind so no longer see them. The price information is irrelevant as well.

The apartment hasn't been lived in for about a year. Unwittingly but necessarily, we ended up helping the property manager get the place back up to snuff. It was win-win for sure.

To get around, Linda and I use the following means of transportation in this order: our own two feet, the Metro, and Taxis.

This city has to be one of the cleanest we have ever been in. Smokers and litterers are few and far between. The sweeping and cleaning never ends...all done by hand to create employment. These folk are hard-working people.

The Metro here is very functional, clean, and busy....and the cars are the same vintage and make as those you find in the Montreal subway system.
Why you ask? Why, they're all made by Bombardier....good Canadian technology.

Over the past while, we've been blessed with some wonderful visitors, including Goyo, an amazing Arts teacher...

.... Jennifer, our daughter, whose currently working in Querétaro, a city three hours North-West of here. In a short while, we'll be visiting a fascinating city called Puebla together. We will, of course, be visiting her in Querétaro in a month or so too...