For those of you not familiar with Mexico, DF is the Distrito Federal, or what we Gringos usually call Mexico City. Mexicans simply call it DF (pronounced Day Effay)as we sometimes call Washington, DC simply "DC".
On Friday, January 30, Linda and I boarded a first class ETN bus for the three and a half hour journey to DF.
Since we are five minutes from the bus station, the total travel time was less than three hours and forty-five minutes. Had we traveled by plane, we would have had a 20 minutes plane ride, but at least three hours of time to get to the airport, wait, get through security, wait, board the plane, wait, fly and wait to deplane in Mexico City. Cost of bus - 285 pesos (less than 20 bucks). Cost to fly - about 300 dollars. Not a difficult choice.
Unfortunately, there was a demonstration going on in Mexico City on our arrival, and many streets were closed. The normal 15 minute trip in from the bus station turned into a two hour ordeal.
We arrived - finally - at Casa Cranfill, the house/apartment we rented in the upscale Roma neighborhood of DF . Instead of a typical hotel room, we had a suite of rooms - two bedrooms, living room, dining room and kitchen.
At the corner was a juice stand where we bought fresh orange juice daily. A couple of blocks away was a branch of El Globo, a high end bakery where we obtained our daily pastries. And around the block were the typical street vendors, selling everything from soup to nuts (literally).
Local police patrolled on Segways!
We strolled through the elegant neighborhood, walking through a park with a fountain containing a full size copy of Michelangelo's David, (excuse the blurry photo...it was dusk).
The next day we started at a small antiques market, where we spent an enjoyable couple of hours (and not much money).
Helene tried on some sunglasses. Very classic!We had a noon appointment at Casa Barragon, the home/museum of Luis Barragon, Mexico's most famous architect. Two architecture students showed us through the home. Photographs were not permitted, but I managed to sneak a few.
A bellringer at work. Can you see the rope leading to the bell in the tower in the photo below?
Inside the Bellas Artes Palacio, a museum and theatre. Giant murals, art exhibits, and more.
The huge church in the Zocalo, Mexico City's massive main square.
The famous Sanborn's restaurant - Casa de los Azulejos - with a blue tile exterior.
and a classic interior....
This blog is not complete, but thought I should publish it before it becomes ancient history...
