Saturday, February 20, 2016

The Austin's 2016 Travel Blog: Mexico City and About

                            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:


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...


....and long-time friends, Jim and Beth Bissell.

We'll have more on their visits later.




Bye for now.

Remember to look for the next blog. The Pope is dropping in.

In the interim, enjoy some pictures of the wonderful sites of this amazing city.


Monument to the Revolution


Chapultepec Park - a 15 minute walk



Chapultepec Park


Catedral Metropolotina


Linda loves this church near Zocalo,
which like many is sinking.





Two of my favourite pics

Linda's favorite outdoor piece in this city of art.



Dog walkers are few and far between. 
Not like Buenos Aires.



Oh, the weather!!!


Yes, that is a helicopter on top of someone's condo.




The hardest workers in this very clean city.


Wait for it!!!


Ain't love grand!!!!


On the left, the most unique bookstore I have ever seen in my life.  On the right, guess who with guess who.





Chinese New Year in D.F.


Reflection from Starbucks



Linda and Jennifer at a market.



Our new favorite contemporary artist:
Jimenez Deredia


By, for now! Get along little donkey.













1 comment:

  1. Truly enjoyed reading your blog. Please stay healthy and continue sharing your adventures with us!
    Best wishes from Nikta!

    ReplyDelete