CDMX
Three words, four letters, one capital. Ciudad de Mexico, also known as La Ciudad also known as our third trip (tip). Telchac flirted with the idea of going to CDMX even two years ago when we were in Mexico for the first time. His suggestions did not meet my idea of sunbathing on the beach so we "agreed" to leave it in his head. And here we were, going to CDMX with almost no warmer clothes (it was supposed to be around 23 degrees there and colder at night). Well, we hoped it was going to be sunny.
There are plenty of flights to CDMX, so no problem there - we chose the cheapest ones and that was that. Then it came to the hotel, or hotels - it doesn't get old, really :D - so we chose two, one in Roma and the other at Av. Reforma. We chose the first one because:
a) we just saw the movie Roma :D
b) we wanted to see different parts of the city
We chose the second one because it was at the right spot when it came to our itinerary.
The only thing that we had to do was packing and it was a bit more challenging than it usually is. For example, I did not have ANY (literally) long pants (not counting one long sports leggings that I do not consider to be pants and I would not have liked strolling through the city in them). Basic clothing instinct had to be employed and I somehow managed to pack a 4-day wardrobe (still hoping it was going to be sunny) for both of us.
Useful tip: Wear sunscreen! You might not feel it but the sun is pretty aggressive here. Ladies, your make up might save you from the worst but I am sure you will have sunscreen in your baggage when in Mexico ;)
We chose some must-see places that we felt we could see and enjoy without running from one place to another. So when we arrived (10 pm approximately), our first destination was Churreria El Moro, conveniently located just a minute walk from the hotel. It's quite popular meaning there was a queue even this late. Anyway, the interior is really nice so the time passes quickly. We thought we could get a little warmer (started to be a bit chilly for my bare legs) but there were no windows (no glass, just holes) so that was just our wishful thinking. We came back with an armful of churros and hot chocolate - #fitnessjunkie at 11 pm - that's us :D.
Our first destination next day was Plaza de las Tres Culturas with Tlatelolco ruins and Tlatelolco massacre monument (it's a bit farther from the city centre but there's nothing stopping you with those Uber prices). The ruins were quite extensive but in a completely another way than the "classic" pyramids or palaces, you might see in Yucatan. There were hardly any tourists and we got to see other (more local) part of the city which was great. Moreover, you can really feel the bitter taste of the massacre in the names on the monument. If you don't know anything about it, google it when there, you'll understand how real it was, and is (no joking now).
Useful tip: We spent three full days in Mexico and felt like there's still plenty to do. However, if you find yourselves fed up with it, I'll give you two tips from our book of tips: Teotihuacan (ideally bird's view balloon tour) and Popocatepetl. You're welcome!
We then continued to Condesa where we had a quick lunch at the Molino El Pujol which is equally famous but less formal brother of THE Pujol. For the first time, we got to try Elotes (sold everywhere in Merida but more about the food later ;)) and some amazing tacos. We walked back along the Avenida Oaxaca which turned to be perfect because we encountered one of many great taco stands there. Yes, it was shortly after eating at Molino but when you're in Mexico and you see a taco stand full of people, you have no choice but to eat there (btw the tacos were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, corner of Avenida Tamaulipas and Alfonso Reyes). After maybe half an hour we reached Fuente de Cibeles where we took some photos with this amazing fountain and trees, bought a bottle of rum and went back to the hotel :). The end of the first day.
Our second day was more about typical must-see places without any pointless wandering. We walked to the Palacio de Bellas Artes which was unbelievable and even more unbelievable from high up - from the Latino Tower. Then House of Tiles, the Cathedral, Plaza de la Constitucion and the highlight of our day - Pasteleria Ideal which is basically heaven on earth full of carbs. You want to buy everything (even after eating at two different places before that) and then you want to eat everything. And then you see the queues, say to yourself that you are not hungry and you should not eat pastry and leave - full of joy and with the phantom taste of pan dulce in your mouth (Lalo from Ruta de la Garnacha recently did a Pan de Muerto guide where he went to this particular Pasteleria - oh, sweet memories).
Plaza de la Constitucion is not to be missed. It's huge, the cathedral is beautiful and you can see the Aztec Templo Mayor if you're interested but you can also get your soul cleansed by an Aztec shaman. Or you can take some turns and find yourself in a not touristy (and a bit sketchy) area where you will be trying to pull your boyfriend away from and then you end up buying a fresh orange juice and you see a two-meter tall statue of the Virgin Mary and everything starts to feel normal again :D. By the way, food-wise, we ended the day in the China town where we had some dim sum.
We reserved the last day for the Castle of Chapultepec and Chapultepec Park. If you read any of our posts, you know we always say to get everywhere early. And we were pretty happy we did so this time as well. As it was Sunday, there was an immense number of people on the winding road to the Castle. In front of the gates, there already was some queue as well but when we compared it to the one when we were leaving, we could basically say there wasn't any. The Castle itself is very nice, you feel like you were teleported to Italy. Also, the view from the terrace is amazing, you can see the sharp contrast between human and nature represented by skyscrapers and the park.
You can easily spend the whole day there as there are (Mexico's typical) food stands. You can also go for a boat ride on a lake there or just watch families and couples enjoy the weekend. The last thing we did was a walk in the Polanco district. And our wandering brought us to a nice Italian restaurant where we freshened up with some wine and cheese. Then a little further we came across Lincoln Park where we had a look at the aviary (birds + Telchac = happy Telchac = happy me :)). And for the third day in a row, we came back to the hotel happy and exhausted from everything we got to see and taste and laugh about.
Useful tip: When departing from CDMX to somewhere east sit on the right side of the plane if you want to see Popocatepetl - and trust me, you want to see it!
Even though I tried keeping it brief, it looks like you've got to really stick to it to get this far. Thank you for that! Next time, I will tell you more about our home - Merida - what to do, see and what not to miss there. C U then!
 |
| Chapultepec Castle |
There are plenty of flights to CDMX, so no problem there - we chose the cheapest ones and that was that. Then it came to the hotel, or hotels - it doesn't get old, really :D - so we chose two, one in Roma and the other at Av. Reforma. We chose the first one because:
a) we just saw the movie Roma :D
b) we wanted to see different parts of the city
We chose the second one because it was at the right spot when it came to our itinerary.
The only thing that we had to do was packing and it was a bit more challenging than it usually is. For example, I did not have ANY (literally) long pants (not counting one long sports leggings that I do not consider to be pants and I would not have liked strolling through the city in them). Basic clothing instinct had to be employed and I somehow managed to pack a 4-day wardrobe (still hoping it was going to be sunny) for both of us.
 |
| Palacio de Bellas Artes |
Useful tip: Wear sunscreen! You might not feel it but the sun is pretty aggressive here. Ladies, your make up might save you from the worst but I am sure you will have sunscreen in your baggage when in Mexico ;)
We chose some must-see places that we felt we could see and enjoy without running from one place to another. So when we arrived (10 pm approximately), our first destination was Churreria El Moro, conveniently located just a minute walk from the hotel. It's quite popular meaning there was a queue even this late. Anyway, the interior is really nice so the time passes quickly. We thought we could get a little warmer (started to be a bit chilly for my bare legs) but there were no windows (no glass, just holes) so that was just our wishful thinking. We came back with an armful of churros and hot chocolate - #fitnessjunkie at 11 pm - that's us :D.
 |
| Churros to die for :) |
Our first destination next day was Plaza de las Tres Culturas with Tlatelolco ruins and Tlatelolco massacre monument (it's a bit farther from the city centre but there's nothing stopping you with those Uber prices). The ruins were quite extensive but in a completely another way than the "classic" pyramids or palaces, you might see in Yucatan. There were hardly any tourists and we got to see other (more local) part of the city which was great. Moreover, you can really feel the bitter taste of the massacre in the names on the monument. If you don't know anything about it, google it when there, you'll understand how real it was, and is (no joking now).
Useful tip: We spent three full days in Mexico and felt like there's still plenty to do. However, if you find yourselves fed up with it, I'll give you two tips from our book of tips: Teotihuacan (ideally bird's view balloon tour) and Popocatepetl. You're welcome!
 |
| Tlatelolco |
We then continued to Condesa where we had a quick lunch at the Molino El Pujol which is equally famous but less formal brother of THE Pujol. For the first time, we got to try Elotes (sold everywhere in Merida but more about the food later ;)) and some amazing tacos. We walked back along the Avenida Oaxaca which turned to be perfect because we encountered one of many great taco stands there. Yes, it was shortly after eating at Molino but when you're in Mexico and you see a taco stand full of people, you have no choice but to eat there (btw the tacos were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, corner of Avenida Tamaulipas and Alfonso Reyes). After maybe half an hour we reached Fuente de Cibeles where we took some photos with this amazing fountain and trees, bought a bottle of rum and went back to the hotel :). The end of the first day.
 |
| Fuente de Cibeles |
Our second day was more about typical must-see places without any pointless wandering. We walked to the Palacio de Bellas Artes which was unbelievable and even more unbelievable from high up - from the Latino Tower. Then House of Tiles, the Cathedral, Plaza de la Constitucion and the highlight of our day - Pasteleria Ideal which is basically heaven on earth full of carbs. You want to buy everything (even after eating at two different places before that) and then you want to eat everything. And then you see the queues, say to yourself that you are not hungry and you should not eat pastry and leave - full of joy and with the phantom taste of pan dulce in your mouth (Lalo from Ruta de la Garnacha recently did a Pan de Muerto guide where he went to this particular Pasteleria - oh, sweet memories).
 |
| The view from Torre Latino |
Plaza de la Constitucion is not to be missed. It's huge, the cathedral is beautiful and you can see the Aztec Templo Mayor if you're interested but you can also get your soul cleansed by an Aztec shaman. Or you can take some turns and find yourself in a not touristy (and a bit sketchy) area where you will be trying to pull your boyfriend away from and then you end up buying a fresh orange juice and you see a two-meter tall statue of the Virgin Mary and everything starts to feel normal again :D. By the way, food-wise, we ended the day in the China town where we had some dim sum.
 |
| Iglesia Metropolitana at Zócalo |
We reserved the last day for the Castle of Chapultepec and Chapultepec Park. If you read any of our posts, you know we always say to get everywhere early. And we were pretty happy we did so this time as well. As it was Sunday, there was an immense number of people on the winding road to the Castle. In front of the gates, there already was some queue as well but when we compared it to the one when we were leaving, we could basically say there wasn't any. The Castle itself is very nice, you feel like you were teleported to Italy. Also, the view from the terrace is amazing, you can see the sharp contrast between human and nature represented by skyscrapers and the park.
 |
| The view from the Chapultepec Castle |
You can easily spend the whole day there as there are (Mexico's typical) food stands. You can also go for a boat ride on a lake there or just watch families and couples enjoy the weekend. The last thing we did was a walk in the Polanco district. And our wandering brought us to a nice Italian restaurant where we freshened up with some wine and cheese. Then a little further we came across Lincoln Park where we had a look at the aviary (birds + Telchac = happy Telchac = happy me :)). And for the third day in a row, we came back to the hotel happy and exhausted from everything we got to see and taste and laugh about.
 |
| Casa de los Azulejos |
Useful tip: When departing from CDMX to somewhere east sit on the right side of the plane if you want to see Popocatepetl - and trust me, you want to see it!
Even though I tried keeping it brief, it looks like you've got to really stick to it to get this far. Thank you for that! Next time, I will tell you more about our home - Merida - what to do, see and what not to miss there. C U then!