Heading Across the Pond

 

In a few hours we will be taking an Uber to Mexico City International Airport for our flight to London Heathrow.  The plane does not leave until 10 PM but we are supposed to be there three hours before the flight.  This will be my first time flying on British Airways.  We have "premium economy" seats, so although it will not be as luxurious as flying business or first class, at least we will have more leg room and wider seats.  The flight is 10 hours 30 minutes long, and we arrive at Heathrow at 3:30 PM (London time) tomorrow.  (That would be 8:30 AM Mexico City time.)

We have booked a hotel near the airport for two nights.  The Premier Inn is a chain of clean and comfortable budget hotels that I have used previously.  We have train tickets to go into central London the next day.  We will walk around and look at some of the famous landmarks.  We will then take a bus to Bournemouth on the coast of the English Channel.  My cousin Kevin and his wife Sue live nearby.  After spending three full days with them, we head back to Heathrow for a flight to Switzerland to visit my Swiss cousins.

It is going to be very hot, much hotter than Mexico City.  During our stay in England the forecast calls for highs in the 80s F, but there is no rain predicted.  Switzerland, surprisingly, is going to be even hotter, with highs in the 90s!

My next post will be from sultry England!

Pepe and Dr. Simi

Time and again I have talked about Dr. Simi, the mascot of the drug store chain "Farmacias Similares".  The image of the rotund, mustachioed doctor has become one of the most recognizable and beloved images in Mexico.  If you spend any time in Mexico City, you are sure to see an employee of the pharmacy dressed as Dr. Simi dancing on the sidewalk outside of one of the stores.  Frequently he interacts with passersby... waving, posing for photos, giving hugs, or dancing.  Alejandro's sister was walking Pepe, one of the family dogs, and passed by a nearby branch of "Farmacias Similares".   There was a "Dr. Simi" outside the store, and he posed with Pepe.  She sent me this photo.

Here is are a couple of amusing videos on YouTube that are compilations of shots of the beloved doctor...Dr. Simi Is Everywhere and El Dr. Simi en México.  You don't need to speak Spanish to enjoy them.

Sprouting Tall

Less than two weeks ago, I wrote about the avocado pit that I have in water.  It had several roots, and at that time it was just beginning to sprout from the top.  

THEN

Since then, my how that sprout has grown!

NOW

I suspect that by the time I return from my trip to Europe, it will have some leaves.  At that point I will think about planting in soil in a pot.

The Running Angel

 As I mentioned yesterday, the traditional place for Mexican City soccer fans to celebrate victories is at the Monument to Independence, one of the city's most iconic landmarks.  It is topped by a gold gilt Winged Victory, which gives the monument its nickname of "el Angel".

Alejandro found this picture online which I thought was funny.  The terrified Angel is running down Paseo de la Reforma chased by the hordes of fans celebrating Mexico's victory and advance to the Round of 16.

Another Victory

Last night, the Mexican team advanced to the next level of play in the World Cup in a match with Ecuador.  The game was played once again here at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium.  It was supposed to begin at 7:00, but because of thunderstorms it was delayed an hour.

I don't have cable TV at the apartment, so I was unable to watch the game.  However, I checked the score frequently on my cell phone, and I could tell from cheering outside when Mexico scored a goal.  The final score was 2 - 0 with another victory for the home team.

Then the noise of celebration began.  Groups of people walking down the street were cheering loudly, and car horns were honking incessantly.  I knew that I wasn't going to be able to get any sleep for a while, so I got up, turned on the laptop, and looked at webcams in various parts of the city.  Traditionally, the Monument of Independence (commonly referred to as the "Angel") is the location to gather after "fútbol" victories.  Sure enough, the area around the monument was like New Year's Eve on Time Square.  I took a photo of my laptop screen, and although the picture is not great, I think you can make out the throngs of people.

I looked at another webcam situated more than a mile up Paseo de la Reforma from the "Angel", and here too the boulevard was jammed with crowds.

In fact, at the left of the picture, looking down Reforma, it appears that giant TV screens had been set up all along the boulevard, and that the crowds extended all the way from here to the Independence Monument.  I read that more than one million fans had gathered.  The tragic part is that three people died, crushed by the crowds.

A smaller crowd had gathered by the Monument to the Revolution, which was illuminated with the colors of the Mexican flag.

There were not that many people by the Palace of Fine Arts, but I made a video so that you can hear the noise of the honking horns.

Mexico moves on to the next level of the tournament.  Assuming that the team from England defeats the Congo today, Mexico will play against the English, once again at Azteca Stadium on Sunday.  (We will be in London that day... so I better not wear my Mexican soccer jersey!)  Even though I have relatives in England, I will be rooting for Mexico.  Sorry, cousins!

Turning to July

It's the first of the month, and my readers know that means it is time to look at this month's picture on the calendar.  My 2026 calendar features pictures from my travels in Germany.

July's photo is one that I took some years ago on a visit to Augsburg, a city not far from Munich.  The top attraction there is the city hall which dates back to the 17th century.  The assembly hall, known as the "Golden Hall", is a dazzling work of Baroque extravagance.

 The ceiling, which is nearly 6000 square feet, is covered with paintings and gold gilt.

A Novel of the Gilded Age

 After having watched the HBO TV series "The Gilded Age", I thought that it would be appropriate to read a classic novel set in that era, Edith Wharton's Pulitzer Prize winning book, "The Age of Innocence".

"The Age of Innocence", just like "The Gilded Age", takes place in New York City in the late 19th century and portrays with the rigid societal norms of the upper class.  The author was a child of that era, the daughter of a wealthy New York family.  Wharton was expected to be a society matron, but she flouted conventions.  She established herself as a successful writer, moved to Europe, took a lover, and divorced her husband.

As I began the novel, I could not help but compare it to the HBO series.  The opening chapter takes place at an opera performance at the Academy of Music.  The small opera house had a limited number of boxes, which meant that the "nouveau riche" families were shut out.  There is mention of plans to build a larger opera house (what would become the Metropolitan) which did not please the "old money" families.  The so-called "opera war" was one of the themes of the TV series.

The protagonist of the novel is Newland Archer, who comes from a proper "old money" family.  He is engaged to marry May Welland, who is also from a suitable family.  It is at the opera that he is introduced to May's cousin, Ellen Olenska.  Ellen has escaped an abusive marriage to a Polish nobleman and has returned to her family in New York.  In spite of the scandalous situation, her New York relatives manage to have her accepted in "society", although eventually they urge her to return to her husband.  Newland marries May, but he has fallen in love with the enigmatic Countess Olenska.  Does he repress his desire for Ellen and live according to societal standards, or does he run away with her?

This is a quiet novel that is certainly not for someone who craves suspenseful or action-packed books.  However, it does give us an excellent portrayal of life among the upper class of that period.

Now, perhaps taking a cue from the popularity of HBO's "The Gilded Age", Netflix is making an adaptation of "The Age of Innocence".  "The Gilded Age" returns for its fourth season this fall, so I will be looking forward to a double dose of life in old New York.