Author: backpackingbill

This morning we went to the Frida Kahlo museum. Actually it was the house she and Diego Rivera lived in. There was not very much of her and Rivera’s art work. Even though, it was very interesting and well worth the stop.

The James’s went to a soccer game while Emma Tina and I walked around the shops in Coyoacan. Then back to Condesa and our last hotel in Mexico City, The Red Tree House. The Red Tree House is a really nice place.

Went to an Italian restaurant with Emma and the James’. Afterwards we got together with a number of their friends from James’ school and others that we had met when we went to England with them. Another late night, glad to call it a night.

Today we are leaving Mexico City and traveling to Coyoacon. First, we will meet the rest of the gang at Emma and James’ apartment. Son James is staying with them. We will be able to see Noodle as well. Evidently Noodle has been extra excited to have Jim as a companion the last few days. Coyoacan is supposed to be a beautiful area. Coyoacan was also the home of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. We are planning to visit the Frida Kahlo museum tomorrow. But, first we will have to say goodbye to our little hotel.

One thing that I am reminded of here is that the altitude is around 7200 feet. It makes for heavy breathing on inclined terrain.

This is the art market area.

We met a friend of Emma’s who gave us an impromptu tour of the area and took us to the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo studio.

Had a late lunch at a great restaurant

At our B&B for one night. I think all are pretty bushed. I for one plan to have an early night. Then on to the Kahlo museum tomorrow.

I find the images that Frida Kahlo paintings to be unsettling. I am hoping that they have some Diego Rivera as well. It seems to me that Frida Kahlo has risen in popularity while Diego Rivera has waned. We have tickets to the Frida Kahlo museum tomorrow so I guess I will find out if they have any Rivera.

One thing that fascinates me is the preoccupation with death in this culture. Even the motif in some bars.

Another B&B with a strange entrance.

We continued eating across the cultural and historic landscape by having dinner at a traditional Mexican restaurant. I had a great mole dish.

Afterwards we walked around the plaza that was crowded to overflowing. The James’s went to a sports bar to watch a soccer game while the rest of us retired after a long day.

The place we are staying is a really nice small boutique hotel in the Roma Norte neighborhood. It is where the movie “Roma” was filmed a number of years ago.

Started the day with breakfast at the hotel. As usual we will likely eat our way across historic and cultural sites of wherever we visit.

On the way to the Anthropology Museum noted a shop that looked interesting.

Made it to the Museum of Anthropology. The place is huge. Well worth a visit but I would suggest getting a guided tour. One is immersed in the rich Mexican history and culture. Some descriptions are in English but most only in Spanish. The transition software on my phone made the visit much more meaningful. I did come away with the impression that the pre-Columbian cultures were fixated on human sacrifice. Hard to relate to that.

Next we walked through one of the great parks here.

Went to dinner with Emma James and James to a trendy Mexican/Indian fusion place.

Ended the evening at a jazz club.

Well we managed to get up early, the Uber driver “Krishna” was on time and we made it to the airport.

On the first leg of the journey. Air travel certainly hasn’t improved over the years. A pretty scruffy bunch of people in the airport and on the plane. My observation is probably highly influenced by my age. It is certainly a fact that I don’t miss being in an airplane most every week as was the case when I was working. However, all that being said, the seat is comfortable, leg space good and there is some nice jazz on the entertainment system.

Flight to Atlanta was packed and the one to Mexico City is overbooked. Airlines must be doing well.

We made it to Mexico City, Emma met us at the airport and we had a long Uber to the hotel.

Had dinner with Jim and Emma. Staying with Mexican food. This was a seafood place – really good.

Soon we will be off to a new adventure. We will be meeting Emma and her husband, James, at their new home in Mexico City. Son James will meet us there and travel back to Connecticut with us at the end of our visit. Looking forward to seeing Emma and James, seeing some of the archaeological sites, and sampling some great food.

One downside is that the US State Department has warned travelers to rethink their travel to Mexico in light of some recent attacks on US citizens at border states. Emma says that we should be OK. Additionally we will attempt to avoid doing anything stupid.

This is a couple days after I wrote the paragraphs above. Ready to go: pesos received from the bank, passports in hand, bags packed, checked in for the flight and an Uber reserved for the morning.

Jim is already in Mexico City having flown there from LAX. Jim was visiting Penn State friends for a few days. He told me about the flight; the worst he has ever had. Midnight flight that was an hour late, cramped seating and high temperature. My hope is that we do not have a similar adventure. I have paid my dues for the bad flight club.

But, It sounds like Jim is having a great time with Emma, James and Noodle

These are some photos I selected from those taken by the photographer.

What a great time. Emma and James’ friends and family are a real hoot. They all could not have been more welcoming. The food was great. The entertainment was great, there was a violinist for the cocktail hour and a duo for after the meal. The Scottish in me was very pleased that I was able to keep the open bar going long into the night before we got near our budget. Needless to say, the guests were pleased with that as well. I do not believe I will make more commentary, just let photos tell the story. One more thing, I was able to get through my introductory toasts without my mind going blank, a true fear I had, the best man’s toasts we’re truly grand and James made a most touching toast.

Just to mention it again, the purpose of this trip is to have a celebration of Emma’s and James’ marriage. The celebration is tomorrow but today is the day to get the venue prepared. The event will be at a place called “The Blue Ball Inn” in the town of Sidford. Sidford is just a little over a mile inland from Sidmouth. Along the Side river.

On the way we stopped for “Cream Tea”, a tradition in Devon. This consists of tea and a scone with clotted cream and jam. In Devon the clotted cream goes on the scone first, then the jam. In Cornwall the jam goes on the scone first then the clotted cream. In Devon the practice of jam first is considered to be not at all proper.

On the way to the Blue Ball we went across the Ford at Sid Creek. Why build a bridge if it isn’t necessary

Well, we got to the Blue Ball. It is truly a lovely place and the owners are fantastic and accommodating people. We met the Reeves and had a great time decorating the venue.

This evening Tina and I kicked back in the cottage we rented while James, Emma and Jim went out with friends for pizza. The big day is tomorrow.

Today we are taking an excursion to the “Jurassic Coast”, to the town, “Lyme Regis”, known as the “Pearl of Dorset”. It is called the “Jurassic Coast” because it is famous for some significant fossils that have been found here. There are large cliffs formed in the Jurassic on the coast that expose fossils as the shoreline cliffs erode. Also, it is a very picturesque town. The bus trip was interesting, many small villages reminding me of British mysteries I have seen at home. The roads are not wide enough for traffic in both directions in many places. There must be some kind of code as to who backs up when vehicles encounter one another on a particularly narrow section of road. Probably the biggest vehicle dictates who backs up. Also, bikes have the right of way. Bikers can slow traffic for miles.

It was a lot of fun taking a double decker bus to Lyme Regis. I also appreciated the fact that none of us had to drive. We didn’t have to figure out driving on the wrong side of the road and deal with the mystery as to who has to stop and back up on the narrow roads. We met James’ parents in Lyme Regis and spent a great few hours with them and had a great “al fresco” lunch. This is the town where “The French Lieutenants Woman” was filmed. There is a protected harbor with a large sea wall. Lyme Regis is larger than Sidmouth more crowded with tourists and a more “touristy” atmosphere.

We made it back to Sidmouth without incident. It is interesting to me that the shops and restaurants have such limited hours. The earliest coffee shop opens at 8:00 am and at 9:00 pm all the restaurants are closed. The shops are open until 5:00 pm at the latest. I suspect that some of this is due to Covid. The service industry here is having a hard time finding help as is the situation in US. Funny thing, the shop I go to in the morning to pick up coffee (Café Americano they don’t do filter coffee here) is a space converted from a place called “Trump”, he’s everywhere.

One somewhat surprising issue are the Seagulls. I realize that this is a coastal area and that this is their habitat. However, what is with the nocturnal racket. All night long there is a continuous riot among the Seagulls.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, Sidmouth is a gem of a town. The population is about twelve thousand, not including tourists. It seems to me that most of the tourists here are English people on holiday. Unlike London where most appeared to be international. The pace here is definitely slower. The exciting thing about today is that we will be able to meet James’parents. Really looking forward to that, I hope they are as well. Today we are enjoying a kickback day after the hustle of the last couple of days. Plus the weather is cooler.

I am starting to notice a lot of small differences. There are few paper products such as paper towels. A loaf of French Bread is called a “French Stick”; I would call it a “Baguette”. I also found a brand of potato chips (crisps) with my grandmother’s name Tyrell. The family name has gone through several spellings over time in the US.

I previously mentioned that the local specialty in Sidmouth is hard cider. The true local stuff is called “Scrumpy”. Evidently the name comes from the fact that it was originally filtered through straw where it picked up various other particles of stuff. So, it looked “Scrumpy”.

We met James’parents for dinner. They are a truly nice couple. We feel blessed that our daughter has such nice in laws.