Aloha Everyone,
Our day began at 8:45 am when we slipped into the backseat of Claudio’s taxi.
The first stop, Museo National de las Intervenciones (National Museum of the Interventions) is located in a former monastery. Like so many important monuments, this too was built on top of an Aztec shrine. The ground floor of the museum is dedicated to when the place was used as a monastery. The upstairs rooms are reserved for displays of artifacts from different military conflicts that have taken place on Mexican soil. A multitude of exhibits tell stories of how these conflicts shaped the Republic of Mexico. The museum and the main garden are immaculately maintained. Museo National de las Intervenciones is one of five museums that are operated directly by the Instituto National de Antropología e Historia.
Museo de Frida Kahlo was a 90 minutes stop. This includes 45 minutes waiting in line to purchase tickets. While waiting, I had the pleasure of meeting Blanche & Len from Virginia. Very interesting fellow world travelers. We exchanged contact info and promised to stay in touch. Frida Kahlo museum definitely merits a separate blog entry.
Personally I was disappointed with Mercado Coyoacán. Located in the same neighborhood as Museo de Frida Kahlo, we heard much about this market and its food stalls. Handicrafts being on displays were nothing special and the food stalls were unappealing. After buying fruits, we left.
Claudio, realizing we wanted a better looking establishment, recommended El Bajío, an upscale Mexican restaurant located in Patio Universidad. Food and service was excellent, and as a bonus, J.J. and I found a large supermarket in the basement of the shopping mall. Very grateful with our good luck, the two of us made a quick purchase of vegetables, English tea and snack items including Mexican chocolates. Mexico is a cocoa producing country tracing its roots to the Aztec period. I bought some chocolates for my Mother.
I also purchased Cream Cracker, made in Portugal, imported by Mitsubishi Foods to Tokyo, Japan and then exported to Mexico. I believe that our friends in Japan would be amused to hear about it.
We concluded the day at Xochimilco located about an hour drive in the southern section of Mexico City. This destination also merits a separate blog entry.
No we did not see everything on my list, but Claudio was an excellent driver, English speaking guide and a quasi bodyguard. After 8 hours on the road, we were happy to be safely deposited at the front entrance of our building.
Aloha -- Cathi
