Historic Mexico City
Padre Roberto and I took that day off today and went to visit Mexico City. Well, actually, most of the country took the day off, as today was a national holiday dedicated to honouring the Mexican constitution. Well, actually, that day is on February 5, not Feb 1, but they transferred the holiday to give people a long weekend. (Why they didn’t consider that a Fri-Sat-Sun long weekend is just as long as a Sat-Sun-Mon long weekend is beyond me, but I digress…)
We left Cuernavaca early in the morning. Happily the main bus station is literally a three-minute walk from the parish, so it was a piece of cake to grab the first bus to Mexico City (they leave every half-hour). This brought us to a southern subway station (like Montreal, they call it the Metro). First impressions: the subway was immaculately clean, and ran very smooth (none of the usual screeching associated with metal-wheeled trains). Various vendors would wander through the cars, selling their wares (e.g. maps, flashlights, chocolate bars, pirated music, etc.) A street-performing pair also came in, whose performance involved smashing themselves with broken glass. I couldn’t look. Neither could Padre Roberto.
We got off at Zocalo station, located at the main square in Mexico City (also known as the Zocalo). Several main government buildings are there, as well as the Cathedral and the remains of the ancient pyramid temple of the Aztecs. Unfortunately all the museums were closed (they all close on Monday, like at home) so that cut out a lot of things we might otherwise have seen. But there was still lots to see! We wandered around a bit in the central historic section, eventually attending mass at a local church and grabbing some lunch. Then, after lunch, we hopped on one of those circuit tour buses that take you around the city.
The bus was ok. Of course, the things we were taken to see were interesting, but the pre-recorded translations that were offered made me laugh out loud at times. Also, it started to rain, and even got a bit chilly, so we had to stay in the bus. From my point of view, it was essentially a down-payment on my next visit. 
Regarding the weather, BTW, when I say “a bit chilly” I am speaking as a Canadian, of course: the Mexicans themselves were freezing, and wore heavy jackets and scarves (I had a light sweatshirt over a t-shirt). Frankly, they know nothing of the cold. As for me, all it took was a good Starbucks coffee to warm me up and I was good to go again.
I took lots of photos, but I don’t have access to a decent photo editor here so posting them will have to wait. Our bus ride home was uneventful, and we made it back by 8pm. Poor Padre Roberto wasn’t feeling that great, so we hit the hay early. I had a bit of a headache myself (due to the pollution in Mexico City, I expect). At any rate, I am glad I went, and I look forward to the next time, now that I have a good sense of what is available to see.