A Subway Tour

In advance of the World Cup in Mexico City, some of the subway stations along Line 2 of the Metro were being renovated.  These stations are in the heart of the city and are frequented by foreign visitors.  I had already visited the refurbished "Auditorio" station on Line 7, so I wanted to see the renovations on Line 2.

I took the Metrobus along Insurgentes Avenue to the "Revolución" stop.  From there I walked a short distance to the subway station of the same name.  "Revolución" had been renovated a few years ago, so it was basically the same.  However, on the walls by the platforms there live plants.  Yes, they are live, not artificial.

My question is, how are they going to survive without sunlight?  I don't think the fluorescent lighting is enough.  And will someone be assigned to keep the plants watered?  It's an interesting idea, but I suspect that it will not be properly maintained.

At this point, I should mention that the exteriors of all the trains along Line 2 have been freshly painted.  They have a colorful undulating pattern.  It's not until you see the serpent head at the front and back of the train that you realize that it represents the pre-Hispanic god Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent.

The next stop on the line is the "Hidalgo" station, and it has received the most publicity from the media.  In addition to the sterile fluorescent lighting, it has elegant light fixtures, that give it a European, nineteenth century vibe.

There are even chandeliers!

The renovation created such a buzz, that earlier this month people came to the station dressed in period costumes.

(image taken from the internet)

Not really fitting in with the old fashioned theme are these semi-abstract murals depicting Mexico City landmarks.

The next station of the line is "Bellas Artes".  It is gleaming with marble walls and floors.

This station also has attractive new lighting fixtures.

However, "Bellas Artes" used to have reproductions of pre-Hispanic sculptures.  I wonder what they did with those.

Next up is "Allende" which also has new marble walls and floors.

But construction is still going on at that station.

The government has known since 2018 that the city was chosen for the World Cup.  Why did it wait so long before beginning so many of the beautification and renovation projects?

Growing a Tree

I remember when I was a kid, the big fad was to grow an avocado plant by sticking toothpicks into the pit and suspending it into a glass of water.  My mother tried it, but gave up after a while.

After I made the move to Mexico, I gave it a try.  (I might have even written a blog entry about it.  I don't remember.)  After about a couple weeks, there were no roots sprouting from the pit, and I threw it out.

About a month ago, I decided to try again.  This time I put it in a sunnier location on my enclosed balcony.  After a while a root sprouted from the bottom of the pit.  I accidentally knocked the root off when I was changing the water.  However, in its place several roots appeared.  Then several sprouts appeared at the top, which I assume will grow and eventually have leaves.

If and when I get leaves, I will plant the sprouting pit in a pot.  I have no illusions that I will harvest avocados for guacamole.  My balcony is not large enough for a full-grown tree.  We will see if it makes an attractive houseplant.

 

Another "Fútbol" Mural

Last weekend when we passed through the Glorieta de Insurgentes, we saw yet another mural with a soccer theme that we had not seen before.

This one features an Aztec jaguar warrior, Emiliano Zapata, hero of the Mexican Revolution, and artist Frida Kahlo all playing "fútbol¨.

More for the Bookshelf

A while ago when Alejandro and I were walking along Paseo de la Reforma, we passed through the touristy neighborhood known as the Zona Rosa on our way to catch the Metrobus back to the apartment.  We stopped for a break at a branch of "El Péndulo", a chain of bookstore / coffee shops in Mexico City.  I have been to the one in Condesa several times, but this was the first time I had ever been to the branch in the Zona Rosa.

Whenever I am in a bookstore here I like to see what they have in the way of books in English, and I ended up returning to the apartment with a bag full of books.

My first find was a large, beautifully illustrated cookbook of Mexican cuisine.  While some of the recipes are quite complicated or do not interest me, there are quite a few that look interesting and relatively easy to prepare.  When I am feeling ambitious, I might try some of them out.

The second book is the Lonely Planet guidebook to Mexico.  I have always enjoyed looking through guidebooks ever since my first trip to Mexico as a college student more than fifty years ago.  Back then I traveled with a copy of "Mexico on 5 and 10 Dollars a Day".  (Do any of my readers remember that series of books that obviously are no longer around?  Nowadays, five dollars in Mexico might get you breakfast at an inexpensive restaurant or a meal at a street food stand!)  Over the years I have had many guidebooks to different countries.  Lonely Planet publishes books for destinations all over the world.  I have had a few of their books, but I never had their book on Mexico.  Having played "tour guide" myself quite a few times, I now tend to look at guidebooks with a critical eye.  I started browsing through Lonely Planet's chapter on Mexico City, and I already found a couple bits of misinformation.

"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak tells the story of Liesel,  a young girl growing up in Nazi Germany.  In the novel Liesel's love of reading is a symbol of personal freedom.  I saw the movie which came out in 2013, and I thought that it was excellent.  I'm sure that the book will also be excellent.

Finally, I bought "Love in the Time of Cholera" by the acclaimed Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez.  It is one of his most famous novels, arguably second only to his masterpiece "One Hundred Years of Solitude".  I have to admit that I do not remember if I have read the book or not.  I know that I definitely saw the 2007 movie version.  It won't hurt to read it again.

Sunday Afternoon

Last Sunday, we went to Chapultepec Park because Alejandro had not seen the Global Village set up there for the World Cup.  I thought that it was crowded when I had visited the previous Thursday, but, as you can see from this photo of the entrance, the weekend throng of people was insane.

We walked through a portion of the "Village", but decided that it was pointless, and we left as soon as we could find an exit and detach ourselves from the crowd.

We headed back toward the Insurgentes Metrobus stop to return to the apartment.  Our route took us through the Zona Rosa, a touristy neighborhood bordering Paseo de la Reforma.  The pedestrian street of Génova was lined with vendors selling cheap World Cup souvenirs that were probably made in China.

There were hats, horns, noisemakers, flags, foam hands, soccer balls, and plastic piggy banks shaped like the World Cup trophy.  

Alejandro tried on a silly hat shaped like a soccer ball. (No, he did not buy one.)

Dr. Simi, the beloved mascot of the drug store chain "Farmacias Similares" stood at the back of a tourist streetcar wearing a "fútbol" jersey, waving to the passersby and posing for photos.

The Missing Arrow

One of the landmarks along Mexico City's Paseo de la Reforma is a fountain featuring a statue of Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt.  

The fountain was erected in 1942 during the Presidency of Manuel Avila Camacho.  The nude statue of the goddess provoked one of the most laughable controversies in the city's history.  Conservative elements, including the League of Decency, were scandalized by the nudity.  One of the members of the League was the wife of Avila Camacho, and the sculptor gave in to the pressure.  He cast a pair of bronze panties to put on the statue.  However, he astutely foresaw a less prudish future and soldered the metal clothing to the statue in only three points so that it could be easily removed.

Finally in 1967, the mayor of Mexico City ordered the panties to be removed.  However, the statue was damaged in the process, and a new statue was cast from the original mold.

I bring this up because a couple of weeks ago I saw something I had never noticed before.  Just across the street from the fountain, between the entrances to a bar and the Cine Diana (a movie theater named after the fountain) is an arrow is stuck into the wall with this plaque beneath it.

     The plaque says...

The Arrow of Diana the Huntress

It was believed lost

and was only hidden

reserving its good luck

for whomever asks for a wish here.

If you look at the photo of the fountain above, you will see that, indeed, Diana has a bow but no arrow.  I am skeptical as to whether or not this arrow really belonged to the statue, and if so, how was it lost and where was it found?  

Women Champs

Even though Mexico is passionate about "fútbol", the men's national team has never won a World Cup or even second place.  (Twice they have reached the quarter finals, and placed sixth.)  However, in 1971 the women's championship was held in Mexico City, and Mexico's team came in second to Denmark.  The final match, held in Mexico City's Azteca Stadium, was attended by 110,000 spectators, a record for women's soccer.  It's a record which still stands today.

This sign, under a freeway overpass, honors the 1971 women's team.

  

The surviving members of that team are a lot older today... as are we all!