Mexico City

Mexico City 25 to 29 May 2018

Mexico City

We had a short break at the end of May and decided to discover Mexico City, a new place for us. I get very motivated and inspired with the prospect of discovering a new destination. Destination chosen, we head to Mexico City for 3 nights. I’m a huge fan of the “city break weekends”. They give you power and make you feel alive!

I’m going to keep this blog pretty raw because I want to share my real experience with you all. I don’t like when I see bloggers who only have good things to share about every single destination they visit. Authenticity please!

We flew in from Boston directly to Mexico City in an overnight flight. Once we landed in Mexico we were upset because we had to wait for our luggage to come out for hours. I can assure you that after spending the night in a plane, that’s the last thing you want. Surprisingly enough, when we asked what was going on, they just told us that there was not enough personnel available to take care of the bags. The fact that the airport was dirty and full of cockroaches didn’t help. Come on Mexico, you need a better airport! I was so happy when I had my luggage and left that airport.

An Uber driver was waiting for us and took us to our friend’s place. Nice apartment in a good neighbourhood. Since we didn’t sleep much in the plane (you can’t really sleep in planes) and it was still early in the morning, we slept a little bit before starting the day.

The most exciting thing about this trip was meeting my Mexican friend who I hadn’t seen since 2013 in Barcelona. After all these years, we met each other again. She was so sweet! She came to pick us up with her boyfriend and invited us to have a brunch at “Ojo De Agua” in Condesa neighbourhood. The place is pretty cool. I ordered chicken chilaquiles, an acai bowl and a fresh juice. I would have brunch there every morning if I lived in Mexico City!! Everything was delicious. Prices are very affordable too. It was perfect to go there before starting our visit. I definitely recommend it to you.

After the brunch, we started our visit by “Museum Soumaya”, we didn’t visit the inside we just walked around it and watched it from the outside. The building is a beautiful and interesting modern structure. We took some pictures of it and we headed to Polanco Plaza, I wouldn’t recommend to visit this area if you are staying only for a few days, but if you want to do shopping or have lunch/dinner, then it might be the right place to go.

Afterwards we went to “Chapultepec Castle” which is a beautiful and historical place that offers great views of the city. In the castle surrounding there are lovely and calm manicured gardens with magnificent fountains. Once inside, first you go through a museum that tells you the story of Mexico and then, you go up to a beautiful garden with black and white tiles and a beautiful stained glass corridor. Then you go through the rooms and while you’re up there you have an amazing view of Mexico City. So much worth it!

The next stop was Madero avenue. My first impression was “This street is packed with people “. My friend told me that it was always the case, day and night.

There were lots of people wearing costumes looking to collect some money while you shoot a photo with them. I particularly liked the Mariachi couple. There were also a few kids playing guitar and singing and people were surrounding them. Tbh, I couldn’t tell if the kids were sad or loving what they were doing. Mixed feelings, but there was definitely something off.

You can’t miss this road street which connects Palacio de Bellas Artes to Zocalo square. You’ll find many kind of stores, from typical art crafts to modern and designer stores. You can also find lots of bars and restaurants. We were very tired of walking all day, and my husband suggested to stop by to have an ice cream and relax.

After the ice cream, we visited the cathedral in Zocalo Square, which is a beautiful and very spiritual place. Then we walked around the square. There were performers, musicians and some people doing their magic to purify people from their sins and bad luck using ancient aztec rituals. It was interesting to see that live.

It was time to get some food and we had dinner at “El Balcon De Zocalo”. The restaurant has great views of the Zocalo square, and yummy food. I had Agua De Chile, it was so spicy that my eyes started crying, but no complains, I ate it all.

The first day was a very nice day. First because I met my friend who helped us organise the day, showed us Mexico City around and explained us the history of every place we went. She was such a sweetheart, she even gave me a gift at the end of the day! Second, because we were impressed by how organized, livable, pretty and clean are the areas of Mexico City that we visited. You definitely must add it to your bucket list!

Our plan for the second, Sunday, was to have breakfast, visit Frida Kahlo Museum and then head to Coyoacan neighborhood.

First stop was “Lalo” restaurant, a stylish, modern and colourful breakfast place! I think it was ‘okay’ place when compared to Ojo De Agua. If I had more days in Mexico City I’d go to Ojo De Agua everyday! hahaha

From Lalo’s, we ordered an Uber and headed to Frida Kahlo’s Museum. Important recommendations: GET YOUR TICKET ONLINE! Don’t make same mistake we did. We showed up there without buying a ticket, and we had to stand in the line for 3 hours and a half!! That sucked! And, honestly the museum is interesting but it is not worth a 3 hour waiting line.

The museum was a special house with historical, beautiful and meaningful art. Frida’s house reminded me of YSL house in Marakesh, it has similar colors and vibe. We spent an hour exploring the museum, and then we went out to visit the neighborhood. It is full of vendors, in case you want to buy some souvenirs. From the Museum, ff you walk towards Coyoacan big square, there is a church that is interesting to see.

Some friends were also in Mexico City, and we joined them to have a drink in a rooftop at Condesa DF hotel. I won’t recommend this place to have lunch. Food was not good. We had Sushi because it was the only thing they had, and quality was poor. Drinks were okay and the place is nice, but do not eat there.

Afterwards, we said goodbye to our friends and headed back to our place to get some rest. I don’t know what happened to me in Mexico, but I felt sleepy and tired everyday, especially at night! It was so weird. Maybe the altitude? Who knows… Anyway, I took a nap (power nap!) for a couple hours, and then we went out to have dinner.

Our friend took us to a restaurant called “Brasserie”, a classy nice place with live music! It had a great vibe. Afterwards we got back home to get some sleep. We had a long day waiting for us the next day!! So sleeping was the best option.

Mexico City was a very short visit,  but we both agreed to come back and visit other parts of the city. I am SO SO glad to have had the opportunity to see many things and learn so much about the city’s history. It truly is a unique place!

Our last day’s plan was to visit the Teotihuacan Pyramids. If you are curious to know how that visit went, sign up to my blog. You will get an email when I post a new blog-post!

See you!!

Xoxo.