Road Trip (kinda) - Day 7 & 8: Mexico City

We traded in the Jetta for a 747 and traveled the 1,500 miles to Mexico City. I had never really strongly considered going to Mexico City, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. It is a huge city, I was surprised at how clean it was for a city of its size. There is a ton of really cool architecture and cultural things to do - we would find ourselves lost and turn the corner to a beautiful plaza or statue. It was also cold and rainy, which we were not expecting. We did avoid the rain for the most part, on the last day it did get us...

We were shocked when Alejo, the groom, was at the airport to greet us, we almost missed him. I think my last words were, "you ready to get screwed by a taxi driver?" We drove to Roma, which is a really cool neighboorhood that is a bit hipster, but really cool with great cafes and restaurants.

Hipsters everywhere!

We met up with Meng and Max and Alejo took us to the Mueso Nacional de Antropologia. It is huge and really cool. Only 1/5 of the signs are bilingual, so we did a lot of looking, not necessarily understanding what it was or if what we were looking at was original or a replica. Turns out most of it was real.

The Aztec section was massive

This is the 25 ton Aztec sun dial, it was incridible in person

Why not

I mentioned there are amazing cafes and restruants in Roma - great outdoor spaces and laid back feel. Most of the time we could get by on our broken spanish, but I definitely ordered the wrong dinner, oops. In Mexico City lunch is eaten at the earliest 2 PM and dinner around 8:30.  

Two story dinner spot with awesome outdoor seating and a beer garden, it across the street from plaza

Popular brunch spot 

We need these purse/jacket table side holders in the states, I mean in Australia, they were amazing! 

We went downtown on our second day. Here are a few pictures - definitely go to the palace and get a tour guide for the 14 Diego Rivera murals. The murals are really cool, but you appreciate them so much more with an explanation. He basically painted Mexico's entire history in these murals, the building is also beautiful.

One of the churches in the main square

There is soooo much to look at - its all organic materials, no paint

The white color is from milk, the other colors mainly from vegetables and insects 

This is a prostitute, showing her leg for the arm offering. In Aztec time, prostitution and tattoos were reserved only for nobles and high class 

Chris and Max enjoying some street food

See what I mean about beautiful buildings around every corner

Then on the evening of day two, the soon to be bride and groom shocked us agin by joining us for dinner at San Angel Inn. If you are in Mexico City, don't miss this place. Its an old hacienda, the food is excellent, but the hacienda steals the show!

I am bummed the pic came out this way, but they are seriously the cutest. Marcela left right after diner for her beauty rest

The whole gang, minus Marcela - Max, Meng, SK, Brad, Alejo, Chris, me, Katie and Jessie.

Dark and raining, but you get the idea of how cool this place was! The power did go out at dinner, apparently it happens a lot, but always come back on in a minute

Next up the wedding!