Runners Take Over the City

Usually we see billboards advertising the Mexico City Marathon weeks ahead of time.  This year we didn't see any, so we were surprised to learn just a day ahead of the event that it was being held yesterday.  The course runs from the Olympic Stadium on the campus of UNAM (the National Autonomous University of Mexico) to the city's main plaza, the Zócalo.  As in past years, the route goes along Insurgentes Avenue just a couple blocks from the apartment.  The race began very early in the morning, with the wheel chair competitors starting at 5:45 A.M., the women at 5: 50 and the men at 6:00.  I got up early and was at Insurgentes by 7:00.  The competition was already well under way.  There was a steady stream of runners for as far as the eye could see down the avenue for the entire thirty minutes that I watched.  Around 30,000 people participated this year in the event.  There were men and women; those who are physically fit and others who were not so fit; young, middle aged and some senior citizens.

There were spectators along the avenue, and as you can hear in the videos there was a constant cacophony of cheers, applause, horns and noisemakers.

The list of winners was dominated by participants from Ethiopia.  They took second and third places in the men's competition, and all top three places in the women's competition.  The top spot for the men, however, was won by a Peruvian.  A Mexican won in the wheelchair division.  It was sweet revenge for him because when he competed last year he had an accident due to a pothole in the street.  (To me that seems to be gross negligence on the part of the city government!)

I got a chuckle from the sign that this spectator across the street was holding.

"The last one buys the tacos."

Another Historical Novel

I just finished another book.  This one is another historical novel, "The Coming of the Wolf" by Elizabeth Chadwick.

Chadwick is a British author who writes historical fiction set primarily in the Middle Ages.  The novel is one of her early works although it was not published until later.  It stands as a prequel to her first best-selling novel, "The Wild Hunt".

It is set in England in the years after the Norman Conquest of 1066 when William the Conqueror invaded England.  Although William has taken the crown, his rule is contested by English, Welsh and Norse insurgents.  The main character is young Lady Christen, a member of English minor nobility.  When her husband, who is 30 years her senior, is murdered and the castle pillaged by the Normans, the Norman - Welsh warrior, Miles LeGallois proposes marriage to Christen in return for sparing the life of her rebellious brother.

Chadwick's historical research is excellent, but at times the book feels like a bodice-ripping romantic novel.  It is a bit hard to believe that Christen so quickly forgets her murdered husband and begins to fall in love with Miles after just one night of steamy sex.

It was a fairly enjoyable read, and with a length of only 284 pages, I finished it quickly.  It was not, however, one of the best historical novels that I have read.  

Birthday Shopping

Our nephew attends a public "prepa" (college prep high school) that is affiliated with UNAM (the National Autonomous University of Mexico), the nation's oldest and largest university.  Since his birthday is coming up next month, Alejandro and I decided to drive to the UNAM store to buy his birthday presents.

The store is located on the university's enormous campus on the far south side of the city.  The store is like a giant Walmart that sells everything from clothing to groceries to home furnishings to automotive supplies and more.  We headed to the section selling UNAM clothing.

The university mascot is the puma.

We bought him several UNAM tee-shirts and polo shirts.  We also bought a couple items of winter clothing... a puffy vest with the university coat of arms and a Pumas hoodie... to give to him at Christmas.

There was other UNAM merchandise besides clothing.  One item that caught my attention was a 3-D jigsaw puzzle of the university's Central Library.  There was a sample of the puzzle that had been constructed.  The library is famous for the mosaic murals which cover ten floors of the building on all sides.

Los Dos Amigos

Here's a photo that Alejandro took of the two family dogs, Pepe and Iztac.

A New Place for Breakfast

On weekends we always go out for breakfast.  There are three nearby restaurants that we frequent.  Café C has good food, large portions and very friendly staff.  De Costa a Costa is a seafood restaurant, but they serve very good breakfasts also.  A slightly longer walk takes us to El Bajío, which serves hearty, traditional Mexican breakfasts.  Our favorite used to be El Cardenal, although we would have to wait for a table unless we got there early.  But the last time we were there with visitors, the portions had became so small, that we no longer consider it good value for the relatively high prices.  (El Cardenal is part of a chain, and I don't know if the other branches have become so stingy with their portions.)

There are of course many other places that serve breakfast, but those three are our mainstays.  Some of the neighborhood restaurants don't have very interesting or extensive menu choices.  There was one that we crossed off our list because they charge for each refill of coffee.

I was happy to see that a new restaurant called Giornale opened on Insurgentes Avenue a short walk away.  We tried the place out last Saturday, and we are adding it to our trio of breakfast spots.  It is a very attractive place, and, although it was busy, there was no wait for a table. The menu is very extensive, both for breakfast and dinner.  In spite of the Italian-sounding name, the choices are very international with a number of dishes that seemed to be of Middle Eastern and Asian influence.

Alejandro had something called a "Bowl Campirano" with scrambled eggs, avocado, asparagus, broccoli and mushrooms.

I ordered the "Deli Eggs"...scrambled eggs mixed with corned beef, bagels and cream cheese.

I guess that it's hard to find good bagels in Mexico City.  A New Yorker would surely turn his nose up at them.  However, the eggs with corned beef were delicious.

The restaurant passed the final test.  The waiter came around with free refills of coffee.

We will definitely return!

Return to Another Garden

As I wrote previously, the Floating Garden of Tlallipan is a wonderful project, but I have my doubts as to whether or not it will be maintained.  It made me think about another linear park, the Ecoducto, which runs between the lanes of a busy freeway, the Miguel Alemán Viaduct.

A park in the middle of the freeway

The park follows the course of the Piedad River.  The river was polluted and a flood risk, so it was enclosed in pipes when the freeway was built in the 1950s.  The Ecoducto was opened in 2017 on top of the tubes which carry the river.  The recycled river water is used to irrigate the gardens of the park.  Even though the Ecoducto is a short walk from my apartment, I had not walked along it for quite a while.  Last week I decided to see how well it has been maintained over the years.

I walked a short distance up Insurgentes to the park entrance on the west side of the avenue. The park continues on the other side of Insurgentes, and its total length is almost a mile. 

Along the avenue is this new addition... a sculpture of a bicyclist created from plants.

 

The sign at the entrance, which explained the park, is defaced with graffiti and completely illegible.  Not a good first impression.  The letters above the frame say, "Un río pasa aquí." (A river runs here.)

This sign has also been defaced.  Ironically, it says, "Take care of your park".

I enter the park.

A group of city workers was tending to the gardens and sweeping the walkway.

The lady in the photo above has a regular broom, but most workers use brooms made from twigs tied to a pole.

The gardens on either side of the walkway were, for the most part, attractive and well-tended.

The freeway is now almost hidden from sight by the flowering vines that were planted by the fences on either side.

This bench with the initials used for Mexico City is looking rather shabby and is also marred with graffiti.

A gaping hole in the sidewalk

So, how would I rate the Ecoduct nine years after its opening?

I am happy to see that the plants are generally well cared for, and that the park is free of litter.  However, due to the ugly graffiti and some other defects, I would give it a grade of B-.

Street Art from the Floating Garden

Yesterday I wrote about the Floating Garden of Tlallipan, an elevated, lineal park that is above the tracks of a Metro Line.

While walking the length of the park there were many examples of street art visible on nearby buildings.  Some of the art was obviously the work of the city government that went on a painting binge prior to the World Cup this summer.  "Capital de la Tranformación" (Capital of Transformation) is the government's slogan for the city.

But there were other pieces of art that were probably done by private artists.  I wonder if they were already there, or if they were painted especially for the World Cup and the opening of the Floating Garden.