Mexico City, Part Two

Toluca, the capital of the State of Mexico, is the site of a botanical garden with a magnificent stained glass installation – the Cosmovitral, designed and built to express the relationship between humankind and the universe. And the flowers and plants were nice too..

Definitely worth a side-trip!

Some friends and acquaintances expressed concern about our trip to Mexico – the thugs, the cartels, the victimization of innocent tourists! Even the US State Department issues dire warnings about travel there. We honestly felt quite comfortable, even with our unescorted wanderings in Mexico City; that said, it is always wise to be aware of your surroundings, keep a low-key profile, and respect the integrity of the people and places you encounter. And Mexico has such beautiful places, sweet people and gorgeous scenery…. A shame to pass it up.

We stayed in three distinctive but centrally-located neighborhoods in the City….

• In Roma Norte, a lovely quiet neighborhood… mostly residential but with diverse intimate eateries and shops – many catering to dog-lovers. The bed and breakfast was small, in a turn-of-the-century townhouse on a pedestrian alleyway – with a pretty breakfast table.

• Near Chapultepec Park – which contains lots of attractions, including the anthropological and other museums, a huge castle, fountains and monuments – and dog walkers! Also the Voladores de Papantla, acrobats who perform an ancient Mesoamerican ceremony by climbing and then descending from a 100-foot pole while sacred music is played on flute and drum. (It is thought the ritual is meant to bring rain from the gods. Sometimes they comply.)

• The Zona Rosa… a popular neighborhood with a vibrant street scene and some historical and cultural points of interest

A thrill of going to a big city for those of us from the sticks is the availability of different kinds of food. One cuisine that is abundantly available in East Texas is Mexican and Tex-Mex (in addition to hamburgers and BBQ). One thing we don’t often find at home is inventive vegetarian fare!

And so, spirits renewed and enlightened, we head home, where a couple of faithful canines wait for us…..

We are grateful to have found a fabulous home/dog sitting couple who kept everything together beautifully in our absence. Our next foray will be to Western Europe this summer…to be joined part of the time by Henry’s daughter Holly and her family.

Thanks for reading, and hasta luego!