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.

A Noisy Week

Mexico is a very noisy country... honking horns, the loudspeakers of street vendors, barking dogs, church bells at dawn, and firecrackers at all hours of the day for every saint's day, funeral or holiday.  Fortunately, my street is relatively quiet.  Sure, there are traffic noises and the junk dealers and vendors of tamales passing by.  But the neighborhood dogs are generally quiet, there are no church bell towers nearby, and, thank goodness, no firecrackers!

However, all last week there was a lot of noise.  At the nearby World Trade Center, the ruling party Morena and its allies were holding a convention.  According to what I read, the event was for aspiring candidates to register for gubernatorial races.  I don't know how much was actually going on inside the convention center, because all week it seemed as if all the action was going on in the streets.  Throngs of people were gathered outside the World Trade Center, at times blocking the street.  They were chanting, blowing horns, banging on drums.  There were brass bands playing.  They did not stay by the World Trade Center... they blocked nearby streets as they rallied for their favorite candidates.  There was a parade on my street (unfortunately I was not able to grab my camera quickly enough) with a band and girls dressed in colorful, traditional attire.

  

These are some of the young ladies dressed in local attire who paraded down my street.  It mades me chuckle to see them glued to their cell phones.

The event was still going strong on Saturday.  When Alejandro and I went out for breakfast, he captured some photos of a colorfully dressed group from the state of Tlaxcala.

For six days the noise was incessant, but at least they broke up by late afternoon each day.  This week the neighborhood is back to normal with just the usual level of background noise.

Vandalism

It seems to me that graffiti has become a much worse problem in the past year or two.  Pieces of lovely street art are often defaced by punks with no respect for anything.  A few days ago, I noticed that the Monument to Motherhood was covered in graffiti.

I was a bit surprised that the vandals had targeted this monument given the fact that mothers are so highly revered in Mexican society.  What's next?  Graffiti on the Basilica of Guadalupe?

Perhaps the city government, instead of "beautification projects" such as painting the pedestrian bridges purple, could address this problem.  

It's Everywhere!

In case you haven't already noticed, you can hardly go anywhere in Mexico City without being aware that the city is one of the hosts of the World Cup.

Here are some more miscellaneous photos...

These two giant figures of soccer players are on the plaza by the Monument to Motherhood.  One is sponsored by GNP, an insurance company, and the other is sponsored by Uber.

 

At the intersection of Paseo de la Reforma and Insurgentes Avenue there is a light display, although I have not been by here at night to see it lit up.

Dr. Simi, the beloved mascot of the drug store chain, Farmacias Similares, is portrayed on this mural as a "fútbol" hero.

And here is the dear doctor, posing in his soccer jersey.

In the middle of the Glorieta de Insurgentes is this giant inflatable soccer ball which was created by seven prisoners at the Penitentiary Center.  It is decorated with the image of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god of pre-Hispanic Mexico.

 

Mexico Here

Not far from Paseo de la Reforma, on the plaza in front of the Monument to Motherhood, a large tent-like structure has been erected.  It houses a so-called "immersive experience" called "México Aquí" (Mexico Here).  Over the years there have been several other similar "immersive experiences" located on this site.  The first, which appeared just before the pandemic, was the best of all of them... a "Van Gogh experience" in which images of the artist's paintings were projected all around you.  The other exhibits have paled in comparison.  Nevertheless, I decided to check out "México Aquí" on Wednesday.  Although it was mildly interesting, it was not worth the rather steep admission fee of 490 pesos (about 28 U.S. dollars).  In spite of the large number of visitors to Mexico City for the World Cup, I was the only person at the "experience".

The concept of the show is to experience Mexico City through each of your five senses.  After watching a short video about the city, you enter a room devoted to the sense of touch.  You can touch some volcanic stones.  Then there is a collection of stone sculptures that date from pre-Hispanic times to the present day.  (No, you are not allowed to touch the sculptures.)

At first I thought that these sculptures were replicas, but they are all originals from private collections.

A sculpture from the Zapotec civilization dating from between 600 and 950

A colonial sculpture of a lion from the 17th century

An abstract contemporary sculpture

 

The next room is devoted to the sense of hearing.  There is a recording of the sounds of the city...  the music (the traditional song "Cielito Lindo") played by an organ grinder with all sorts of street noises in the background.

Next was the sense of sight.  First there was a screen on which classic movies from the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema were projected.

It was followed by photographs (some of them vintage) of life in Mexico City.

The next room was the sense of smell.  You were supposed to be able to smell typical scents, such as "copal", the incense which is burned for the Day of the Dead.  But I didn't smell anything!  I think the "smell machine" was not working.

Finally the sense of taste.  Here there was an early machine for mass producing tortillas, and a display of typical kitchen implements such as tortilla presses and a kettle for steaming tamales.

And that was it.  Not really worth the time or money.

Two Victories

Yesterday, I was eager to see the results of two games of the World Cup.

In the afternoon Switzerland played against Canada.  I have nothing against Canada, but I was hoping that Switzerland would win.  As my readers know, some of my ancestors came from Switzerland, and I still have distant cousins that live there.

I was passing through "Reforma 222", a shopping mall along Paseo de la Reforma.  A TV screen had been set up there, and the Swiss - Canadian match was being televised.

It was nearly the end of the first half, and neither team had yet scored a goal.  When I returned to the apartment, I checked the score on the internet.  The game was over.  In spite of the fact that the game was played in Vancouver, Switzerland had defeated the home team by 2 - 1!  Hurray Switzerland!

The big game yesterday evening was between Mexico and Czechia here at the Azteca Stadium.  Mexico had already secured the top position in its group, and, according to what I read, the coach was going to substitute some of the top players to give them a rest before the next game.

About half-way through the game it began to rain heavily here at the apartment,  Mexico City covers a large area, and it can be pouring rain in one spot while there is not a drop in another place.  From what I understand, the game can continue even if it is raining.  However, it there is any lightning, play will be delayed.  After a while, I heard thunder, and I hoped that they would be able to finish the match.  Apparently the weather was cooperative in the southern part of the city where the stadium is located.  I kept checking the score on my cell phone, and the game was continuing.  It concluded at around 9 PM, and it was a decisive victory for Mexico with a score of 3 - 0!  Later, after the rain had stopped, I could hear car horns honking in celebration.

There are twelve groups of four teams competing in this World Cup.  Mexico is in group A, and Switzerland is in group B.  The initial games for A and B are now completed, and, as you can see from this chart, Mexico and Switzerland have dominated their respective groups.

Mexico won all three of their games, and Switzerland had two wins and one draw.  I have no idea how they calculate the final point total for each team, nor do I understand the tournament's complicated elimination process.  But obviously, Mexico and Switzerland will continue to play again.

If Mexico and Switzerland should happen to play each other in a future match it will be a problem for me.  I won't know for whom I should root... my adopted country or my ancestral homeland!  
 

Flag Waving

The excitement is palpable as Mexico City awaits the national team's third game this evening at Azteca Stadium.

At the intersection of Paseo de la Reforma and Insurgentes Avenue, vendors were out in force selling Mexican flags and banners for fans to wave at the game.

   

Jesus, the Soccer Fan

After visiting the Fan Zone on the Zócalo, I wanted to go to the Metropolitan Cathedral to see something that I had read about on the internet.  I went to the far end of the Cathedral by the Altar of the Kings, and sure enough, there it was... a figure of the Baby Jesus dressed in the jersey of the Mexican national team.

Even though I am not a religious person, it seemed a bit sacrilegious to me... but then again, for many Mexicans, soccer is almost a religion.

While in the Cathedral I also wanted to see the Altar of the Kings.  The last time I was in the Cathedral, it was being refurbished and was covered with scaffolding.

The enormous altarpiece is the gem of the Cathedral, and is considered one of the finest examples of the ultra-baroque style known as churrigueresque, a style which was popular in Mexico in the 18th century.  The altarpiece is 82 feet high, and is constructed of ornately carved wood covered with gold gilt.  It was completed in 1737 and dedicated to the King of Spain.  The altar contains twelve statues of canonized kings and queens such as St. Edward the Confessor of England and St. Louis of France.  In the center is a painting of the "Adoration of the Magi Kings".  The altarpiece is truly an impressive work of art. 

At the Fan Zone

Last week I went to the Zócalo to check out the fan zone that had been set up on Mexico City's main plaza.

As I headed down Madero Street toward the Zócalo, I saw feathered serpents (the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl) and axolotls (the salamander-like animals that live in the canals of Xochimilco) decorating the lampposts.

This fan was draped in a Mexican flag and wearing one of those silly hats shaped like a soccer ball.

The Zócalo was surrounded by tall barricades, although there were large TV screens facing outward so that you did not even have to enter the fan zone to watch the game.

You had to walk around to the south side of the Zócalo to enter the fan zone.  There police checked everyone's backpacks, bags and purses.  After passing through security, you entered a festively decorated area that was a hodgepodge of Mexican imagery.

A giant piñata

A skull surrounded by marigolds... symbols of the Day of the Dead celebration

Skeletons dressed as fearsome Aztec warriors

Enormous reproductions of Aztec sculptures that had decorated the Zócalo last year for the 700th anniversary of the founding of Tenochtitlan were brought out of storage.

Coatlicue, the Aztec mother goddess

Tlaltecuhttli, the deity of the earth

Coyolxauhqui, the moon goddess

Entering the central area of the fan zone

On the giant screen, Switzerland was playing against Bosnia Herzegovina.  When I left the fan zone, there was still no score 40 minutes into the first half.  However, when I returned to the apartment, I learned that Switzerland had won 4 to 1.  Hurray for my ancestral home!

 

While I was there, the fan zone was busy, but not extremely crowded.  However, that evening, the Zócalo was jammed... dangerously crowded... with fans who wanted to watch the match between Mexico and South Korea.  Mexico won its second game (1-0), securing its position to continue on in the tournament.

From my apartment I could hear the car horns honking and people shouting "¡Viva México!" when the game was over.  From what I have read, the scene along Paseo de la Reforma was one of chaotic celebration.  The fans (many of whom I am sure were drunk) trampled the flowers planted along the boulevard and jumped on (and damaged) the roofs of the Metrobus stops.

Although I am rooting for the Mexico's team to win the World Cup, I shudder to think of the subsequent chaos if they do!