La Casa Azul

It's been a jam packed few days in Mexico City.  I've met K, a friend and former travel partner of many years, and we have rooms in the Hotel Fleming, a centrally located abode and an excellent value at around $35 for a single and private bath.

This K's first time in the DF, so I've acted as sort of an unofficial guide to getting around to points of interest of her choosing.

On Tuesday we immediately hit the metro for the trek out to Coyoacan to check out Frida Kahlo's Blue House (La Casa Azul).  Unfortunately the museum hadn't even opened by the time we arrived at 11.00.  A visibly annoyed local woman told us "the guy said he would open the door in a few minutes, but they are supposed to open at 10.00!"

We decided to kill time by going to the Trotsky Museum--my second visit in less than a year.

By noon not only was the Blue House open:  it also was very crowded with Europeans, North Americans and locals.  This is the house where Frida grew up in the 1910s, and where, in 1954, she died in her bed.

The museum has preserved many of the household rooms including the large kitchen, some bedrooms, studies, and sitting rooms.

Other rooms are devoted to galleries that feature Frida's works, other pieces she was inspired by, and pictures by some of her contemporaries such as Paul Klee.

One highlight of the Blue House is the massive garden which feature stone masks of "the dead"--a subject of lifelong interest to Frida--and life size paper mache models of Frida and husband Diego Rivera as skeletons!

Digital photo loops help complete a portrait of Mexico's "odd couple" as the vivacious core of a circle of friends which included many international luminaries of the 1930s--1950s.

Friday & Saturday in Queretaro

I'm keeping my fingers crossed now that I appear to have found a decent high speed internet shop in Queretaro, about a three hour bus ride northwest of the DF.

After puttering around near my Zocalo hotel on Wednesday--and taking a couple hundred photos of the vibrant street life in the area--I found myself held over in the big city for another day to take care of some housekeeping (laundry, to be precise).

With Thursday afternoon at my disposal, I decided to make the return trek out to Coyoacan to take photos and check out the museums.

It was another long walk from the metro stop to Frida's Blue House, and there was a long line of tourists at the ticket counter, so I continued my way back to Trotsky's house.

The admission, at 55 pesos--which includes a 15 peso "permit" to take photos--was reasonable, and I can confirm that history buffs would enjoy a visit to this museum since apparently nothing has been drastically changed since 1940 when the Soviet exile and mortal enemy of Stalin was knocked off in his study by a mysterious Spanish NKVD assassin.

I made full use of my photo permit.

Back at Frida's house I found I had to give it a miss for another day because of a temporary cash shortage.  At 120 pesos (including photo permit), the admission charge was a bit steep for me, and the museum didn't accept credit/debit cards.

Friday morning I managed to tear myself away from the comforts of the capital and set out for Queretaro--a town I visited once before.

Queretaro is a well-kept colonial city with many pedestrian walkways and the usual high number of strolling musicians.  Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende are both but a short bus trip away, and I'll probably head there tomorrow.

Walking Tours in the DF

Once again, I have to acknowledge Jim Johnston and his "opinionated" guide to the DF.  At first glance, I didn't think much of this slender volume, but when I realized he maps out several suggested walking tours of select neighborhoods, I decided that his book is almost written for me.   Since I really enjoy walking miles through Latin American colonias, I've found his book to be an indispensible companion for my visits yesterday to La Condesa and my trip to Coyoacan this morning.

Nine stops south on the Metro from my hotel near the city center, the ride to Coyoacan is the equivalent in length to a trip on Chicago's El train from the Loop to Rogers Park.  And from the Metro station it was another 20 minute hike to the center of the colonia, which feature's Frida Kahlo's Blue House and the fortress-like compound where Leon Trotsky lived out his final years of exile from the Soviet Union.

I had intended to pay 40 pesos to see the bullet scarred walls of Trotsky's villa--now a museum--but for some strange reason it was closed when I arrived.  History fans will recall that the Russian former resident of the place couldn't escape the long reach of Stalin's arm, and this is where he met a very gruesome end--by icepick.

Johnston gives a special mention to La Guadalupana, a rustic old cantina which was the local hangout of Kahlo, her husband Diego Rivera, and their friends (including, presumably, Trotsky).  The facade of the building today looks exactly as it did in the 1930s--offering a very real time-warpy feeling.

I have to give Johnston a big round of applause for his recommendation of Condesa tacqueria El Tizoncito where I thoroughly enjoyed a meal last night.  The tacos al pastor (spiced red pork) were absolutely to die for:  a huge plate of them, with about half a dozen different green and red salsas, for around five bucks.  I must revisit the place soon!