Saturday i was a little under the weather so Linda and Max went off on their own adventures while I stayed home to have a rest day. On weekends, the hotel restaurant offers brunch (in the courtyard which our room faces). I was trying to block out the violinist apparently hired to play muzak-esque versions of American 80s Pop when all of a sudden he started a lovely rendition of Bach's Air on a G string. He played it beautifully and it swelled my heart after all that crap. It occurred to me that perhaps he was as pained to play the other stuff as I was to hear it. So I stepped out to the courtyard to request another crowd-pleasing, but classical piece that I would enjoy. I asked him if he could play the meditation from Thaïs. His face lit up and he agreed immediately. One of those small travel moments that can make a trip memorable. (DavidMendozaComposer.com) Sorry it’s so short, but the blog program doesn’t do well with long videos
Made me happy as I returned to my languishing.
By 5:00 or so, I was feeling better so Max and I took a stroll in El Parque Benito Juarez, a sweet little community gathering place across from our hotel where there have been frequent Mariachi processions, a craft fair, daily basketball games and a lot of folks just strolling or hanging out. It’s built around a ravine with lovely walkways and small plazas. The obelisk in the first photo below covers a time capsule placed in 2017 and intended to be opened in 2067. It carries the inscription "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in English, Spanish, Otomi, Nahuatl, Braille, and Sign Language.
Kids can feed this fellow with their plastic bottles
One of the Mariachi bands from earlier in the week. Max asked what was the occasion and they basically said "Just because"
Here are some other shots Linda got on a different afternoon
We've had lots of puppet encounters. Here’s one I posed with on Thursday
Later that night, we dined at Casa Arca. Nearly empty, but the food was great. Stand outs were the Sopes Yecapixtla (fried masa dough with beans, beef and queso fresco and salsa) and the 2 desserts - creme brûlée with mezcal and panna cotta Maracuya (passion fruit)
