Jordan and I were able to sleep in a little bit on Monday, because the first thing we had to do for the day was go downtown for a walking tour of the city that Lolly had recommended. The tour started at 11am from the zócalo (city center, main square) downtown and would guide us through the historic downtown district of CDMX (Ciudad de México).
Before the tour, though, we needed something to eat. After locating the pickup point for the tour, we walked around downtown looking for something quick. We stumbled upon a pastry and sandwich shop called Esperanza. We grabbed a couple pastries and sandwiches and ate them on the street before the tour.
Pastelería Esperanza
Pastries at Esperanza
After our makeshift meal, we headed back to the square to meet our tour. There still weren’t many people for the tour and we had some time to check out the inside of the cathedral. There’s a huge cathedral off the main square and it’s pretty ornate. It looked like a few different additions had been made throughout the years and several parts were in various states of repair.
Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral
Inside of the cathedral
More views inside the cathedral
More people had shown up at this point and they split us into groups. Our tour guide was named Vlad and he was really cool. I guess he was a historian who had just finished grad school at UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico).
Vlad at the beginning of the tour
Vlad believed in Making Mexico Great Again!
The walking tour was great, albeit a little long at over three hours. Vlad took us all around the historic district. Stops included the Templo Mayor (Mexico City is built on top of an ancient Aztec city and this was the main temple, with the ruins exposed), el palacio de bellas artes (art museum), a famous mosaic house, the first post office and some other government buildings, one of which had an incredible, hanging stained glass ceiling.
Ruins of Templo Mayor
Palacio de Bellas Artes
One of the first theaters of the city
Municipal Building
Mosaic House
First Post Office in Mexico City
Another shot inside the post office
El Caballito (The Little Horse), a famous statue by Manuel Tolsá
Stunning stained glass roof in a repurposed mental hospital
After the tour we were pretty hungry, so we went to a place nearby that Vlad had recommended. When we were there, we ran into a group (two couples) of Australians that had been on the tour with us and they joined us for lunch.
We both ordered huaraches (base of corn flour, with beans, meat and cheese on top). The huaraches left a little to be desired, but the drinks we ordered were great and super refreshing. Jordan got a large mug of horchata and I got one of jugo de Jamaica (a juice made from hibiscus).
The company was great too, and we learned that they had just gotten to Mexico and would be in the country for at least three weeks (one couple was planning to stay for several months).
Horchata and jugo de Jamaica
After our late lunch, Jordan and I wandered around the city some more and checked out some stores. We even stumbled upon a small Chinatown near the city center.
Mexican Chinatown…
City center starting to fill up
Jordan and I posing by the flag in the zócalo
Sinking building that looks ready to fall over…
Cathedral from the other side of the square
Modelo!
Flan went well with our beer…
We ended up meeting Lolly and her boyfriend at a pretty swanky hotel, called the Hotel Condesa (apparently, the Condesa neighborhood is a pretty nice neighborhood).
Outside of Hotel Condesa
Part of the rooftop bar at Hotel Condesa
After drinks, we walked to an Italian place nearby that Lolly liked. It was called Cancino. Jordan and I split an incredible pizza that had, among other things, anchovies on it.
Cancino Italian Restaurant
Dining room at Cancino
After dinner we all went home and passed out. Jordan and I were heading to Puebla, a city nearby, the next day and had to be up early to get a bus.
