By Layla
We touched down in Mexico City with pre-emptive "oh no, our holiday's nearly over" sorrow, but then realized it was only Friday, pulled ourselves together, went to a local deli for a cheer-boosting cake, then to a vegetarian taco place for lunch, and then took a cab through the horrible traffic and into the Centro Historico.
We hopped out at this really cool pedestrian street called Calle Regina, full of hipster bars and cafés, and buildings with grass lawns and bicycles on their walls. Great fun. Then up to the main square, the zocalo, where we spotted buildings that feature in Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna. Next up, a visit to the obscure Museo del Estanquillo which featured political cartoons entirely indecipherable to us... But also a rooftop cafe with a really amazing view of brilliant adjacent rooftop architecture. We sat in the sun surrounded by cool buildings and read our books and felt very cheery indeed.
Afterwards we kept walking, past a very cool building, the Palacio de Bellas Artes, across the pretty Centro Alameda Park, and then, ignoring Roz's previous quiet comment about a blister, for miles up Reforma Avenue, with the plan of walking all the way home to avoid the hideous traffic (we didn't live near a metro). Luckily we were diverted, first by a hipster type pizza and beer place, and then by a really brilliant bar called Gin Gin, where we imbibed some of the best cocktails we've had all year in the very cool surroundings of exposed brick, quirky lighting, and random decor. It was fab. And thus it took us rather longer to get home that we'd expected... But by the time we collapsed into bed, our Jawbone pedometers were very pleased with us indeed.
They were even more pleased on Saturday. We walked through this huge, cool park called Chapultepec Park and then a ridiculously long way (at one point inadvertently arguing with a policeman to let us take a shortcut through what turned out to be the President's house...) and eventually got to our destination: the bike tour office! Soon we were off, with a bizarre guide who had no road sense at all, down into the park, along Reforma, into the zocalo, and through the Zona Rosa, Roma and Condesa neighborhoods. My favorite part was going into a tiny hidden "auditory garden" which was like a little grotto, with music, lounging chairs, and a random selection of books for people to pick up and relax with. Delightful.
We loved the tour route, but given our guide's precarious cycling skills, we were relieved to get him back in one piece. Then we grabbed a cab to a very cool vegetarian cafe for lunch, the type with exposed brick, tables made out of reclaimed wooden doors, and all that hipster fun. Lunch was delicious. And we'd chosen it to be near the park we cycled past... Because I had spotted a rowing lake. I LOVE a rowing lake. Sadly, given the choice between a rowing boat and a pedal boat, I chose the latter as Roz had never been on one. The lake was brilliant, with lovely views, a fountain, and cafés on the waterfront - but I'd forgotten our legs had just done a 3 hour cycle! They protested bitterly, so eventually we conceded that they might deserve a rest, and instead we walked to the Modern Art museum. Some really cool things, including the famous Two Fridas painting. And a cool building too. We had a lovely hour wandering in the museum and sculpture garden before grabbing a cab back to our hotel. That evening how could we resist... We went back to Gin Gin. Mmmm. And then to a cool bookshop cafe. Before going home and admiring the 35,000 steps our Jawbones reported we'd taken that day.
There is nothing more melancholy than the last day of a holiday. Especially when it has a weird ending: I had to leave for the airport at 11:30 while Roz stayed in Mexico for work for an extra few days. We determinedly got up early and were eating apple cake for breakfast in our local deli by 8:15. Then onwards to the park, where a stroll past a local Nike marathon, and through the park itself, returned us to the boating lake. This time we opted for a proper rowing boat, and had a really delightful hour rowing around the lake in the perfect sunshine. While we did so, the marathon ended and instead the road was closed to cars, and filled with bicycles. This was lovely, even if it did make it tricky to find a cab. But find one we did, and it was back to the hotel for brunch, before I bade a sad farewell to Roz and we got into separate taxis, mine to the airport and hers to another hotel, to start the work portion of her trip. But not before she fit in a final trip, taking a metro to Museo Soumayo, which she reported as quirky, cool art, with some enthusiasm for a Sophia Loren exhibition...
And now I'm home in Washington while Roz prepares for her conference. We loved Mexico City. It's changed so much in the decade or so since I first visited. So many cool bars and restaurants. It feels much safer. And of course the brilliant park, great neighborhoods, fab museums... I hope I get to visit again soon! In the meantime, back to work.
Books we read during our week-long holiday:
Roz: The Dog by Joseph O'Neill, Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, Us by David Nicholls, The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell, and good progress into Tom Jones by Henry Fielding and The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver.
Layla: The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion, Echo Boy by Matt Haig, The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, part of When You Are a Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris and most of The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell.
