Viva la Vida!

When my mom had an opening in her travel schedule and suggested we go somewhere for a vacation that had culture, good food, good weather, a good vibe…..I suggested Mexico City!

We planned to stay in the Condesa neighborhood near Roma Norte & arrived into Mexico City on Monday, November 11 late afternoon. After a snafoo with the Uber, we arrived at our beautiful city apartment and unpacked a bit before we popped downstairs to La Quilla Insurgentes for a lovely dinner. The neighborhood vibe was vibrant and bustling. It was going to be a fabulous week!

Tuesday

I had signed us up for a group tour of the Xochimilco & Coyoacan neighborhood with the highlight being Frida Kahlo’s house. First stop was Xochimilco where we took a traeniera (boat) down the river. Mexico City actually used to be a lake, and this section of the city still had a canal that led into a huge lake. A mariachi band hopped aboard and sang a few fun songs and we stopped at a floating garden to see the poinsettias. Afterwards, we headed to the Universidad, where Mexico City residents can attend for very little if they get in. We learned that in 1519 the Spanish came to Mexico & in 1857 they created a new constitution. Next stop was the Coyocan neighborhood – where we popped into the San Juan Bautista Church, stopped and had an amazing churo – and the Coyocan market, where we saw people selling everything from spices, to nuts, to clothes, to tacos! Our guide took us to several taco stalls where open grills were sizzling with al pastor & beyond. We chose a spot and had a wonderful lunch!

Afterwards we headed to The Blue House – Frida Kahlo’s Blue House. What a tragic story she had, with multiple injuries, surgeries and sickness. Her family was well-off though, so she was able to receive care and when she was older met Diego Riveiera (much, much older than her) and had a tortured love affair with him. She was a fierce woman, who did what she wanted and seemed to stand tall for what she beleived in. Amazing experience to be there! Afterwards, we got dropped off in our apartment and swam at the beautiful heated pool before wandering to a neighborhood resteraunt, Special, for dinner.

Wednesday

Today, we would visit the pyramids of Teotihuacan! Our private tour picked us up early and we headed slightly over an hour to the pyramids. Although close to Mexico City, Teotihuacan was not a Mexica (i.e. Aztec) city, and it predates the Aztec Empire by many centuries. The tour lasted several hours, where our guide explained the importance of the positioning of the Sun pyramid (3rd largest in the world!) and the Moon Pyramid, the Avenue of the dead and the stadium, where the common folk played sport. It was incredible and definitely a highlight of the trip.

We got dropped off – having walked a few miles within the site – and heading into the Parque Mexico to wander the glorious tropical trails. Although we were in the middle of a city, it felt lush and so green! We found Santa’s Conchas Loncheria for our lunch spot and it was fabulous – the food in this city is everything they say it is! We headed back to the apartment to hang, first stopping at the corner wine shop La Naval (did you know Mexico makes it’s own wine, but only exports about 5%?) and had some munchies and wine for dinner. Another fabulous day!

Thursday

After having breakfast & coffee in our cozy apartment, we headed out for a day of exploring the history museums. First stop was Museo Nacional de Antropologia, a huge museum that walked through the history of the people in Mexico. I was very glad we had the private guide at Teotihuacan, as it gave a great context for a lot of what we saw. After almost 3 full hours, we were starving and ready for more delicious Mexican food! Heading into the Polanco neighborhood near the museum, I found Cabanna, a chic seafood resteraunt with amazing flavor! Sitting in the window seat, enjoying a refreshing white wine and fish tacos, we were in heaven!

After the glorious lunch, we walked to the Chapultepec Castle, the home of Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico and his consort Empress Carlota during the second Mexican Empire. It sits atop a hill and is surrounded by acres of Chapultepec park. All presidents up until 1934 inhabbited the castle, so it was filled with original furniture, beautiful stained glass and art. A very cool museum! We walked home, several miles, and hung out before getting ready for another neighborhood dinner at Nonnas, an Italian restaraunt. Spectacular service & food!

Friday

Templo Mayor Museum was first on the docket today! This was once the religeous center of the ancient Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, where the main temple used to stand. Human sacrifice took place here and there is a wall made out of skulls! It was destroyed after the Spanish won the war of Conquest over the Aztecs in 1521 and built over. In 1978, a group of electricians discovered it and the unearthing started. The ruins are in the middle of the historic part of the city, so it looked very different than Condesa, with beautifull and ornate buildings surrounding the square. After walking through the ruins, we got ushered into the museum that houses items found during excavations. So, so cool!

After the ruins & museum, we walked around the historic part of the city – much, much busier – and popped into the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, a gorgeous church, then walked around until Azulisimo opened. It was a gorgeous resteraunt with a beautiful open courtyard where we ate a scrumptious lunch! We strolled the colorful streets home and wen to the pool, then ate leftovers in our cozy apartment.

Saturday

Saturday came and we had all day to explore. We started the day with a glorious breakfast at Lardo – an absolute dream of resteraunt with beautiful food and atmosphere. We ate a very big, muy authentico meal and then strolled the gorgeous Roma Norte neighborhood. The Casa Guillermo Tovar de Teresa was the next stop, a traditional Porfirian house with a beautiful lush courtyard. It was full of the private collection of the historian. After the home tour, we strolled the streets full of trees and lush veggetation, beautiful buildings, magnificiant statues. We wandered over to the Gallery OMR, a very contemperary space, then to Cafebrerira, a three story book store that had live string musicians playing. We browsed the store, listening to the music, then wandered home and went to Filigrano for dinner.

Sunday

Our last full day in Mexico City and we wandered over to Alameda Central, a beautiful park with fountains all over! After wandering, we headed to the National Art Museum and enjoyed a few floors of art. We really enjoyed walking, so afterwards walked all the way back to the Roma Norte neighborhood and found an amazing lunch spot – Blanco Colima – with gorgeous food and views of the street. The rest of the afternoon, we pooled and read, soaking in the last of the city before dinner at Nonna’s again.

This was such a wonderful trip, with amazing museums, culture, art, history, food and people. Highly recommend and hopefully will be back again one day!