Mexico City: Day 1

Since we lost 2 hours in the airport, Ruth had to rush me through the first day´s sightseeing plans. We took the easy, very cheap (2 pesos per ride) Metro to Chapultepec Park to see the Castle with famous paintings. The Park is the Mexican equivalent of Central Park in NYC, and the view from the top of the Chapultepec Castle, with its landscaped terrace and fountain, reminds me much of the view from the top of the Metropolitan Museum--the park, lake with paddleboats, and city skyline (complete with Mexico's Six Flags rollercoasters in the background).

We walked down the steep hill from the Castle (I was feeling the altitude change already) and through the park to the statue of Ninos Heroes, the boy heroes who, rather than surrender to Spanish forces during the Spanish-Mexican Revolution, wrapped themselves in Mexican flags and jumped from the top of the university tower to their deaths. They are now memorialized as diving stone statues in the middle of Chapultepec Park.

Next, we walked down a wide, tree-lined city street to the Angel statue which stands on an island in the middle of a many-laned roundabout. We saw several young women dressed in colorful dresses (bridesmaids? quincinera dresses?) taking pictures on the steps, and then holding up traffic as their rides pulled up to the island to pick them up. It was fun to watch, but it would have been even more exciting to see them try to cross 6 lanes of traffic in their poofy dresses!

We traveled on to the famous Anthropology Museum, getting soaked in an afternoon thunderstorm. Ruth tells me it wasn't raining like this since she's been here, so I am to blame for bringing the rain with me. I told her the guide book says July-October is the rainy season, so Julio is to blame, not me! You will be able to see some pictures of the Anthropology Museum as soon as this very slow computer uploads enough for me to add them to my blog.

Saturday evening we met Ruth's friend, Peter, for dinner at Sanborn's (Mexican equivalent of Denny's). Peter says it is one of the few "American-safe" restaurants- you can even get salads without regretting it later. I don't know that I'd say Denny's is always a safe place to eat in the U.S., but at least Sanborn's has colored photos of the dishes so you don't have to ask too many questions, and there are specials of the day that include fruit/juice and a drink. I had yummy Doraditas del Rey (nothing like Doritos) y limonada. Other firsts for day 1 include my first ride on a Mexican "collectivo" (cross btw a bus and a trolley) and first taxi ride (it was still raining, so Peter hailed a taxi and sent us off in the right direction).

It was an eventful first day! Me gusta la Cuidad de Mexico. Hasta luego, mi amigos!