Rafys and I had an eventful afternoon, after starting rather late... We came to the Alameda Central area, took loads of photos of the art deco Bella Artes theatre and walked through the Alameda park, full of vendors, and ended up at the Diego Rivera mural museum. There, we were surprised to find a choral concert going on, and - for no more than the price of admission (free) - went in and listened to the choral group sing traditional songs while standing in front of the mural. We then left, making our way back to the old post office (and stamp museum) only to find it closed. However, across the street, we heard the sound of throbbing drums. It was another Aztec dance circle (similar to one we saw in Coyoacan, but much larger). Rafys talked to one of the men who was about to join the circle and learned that it was a cultural thing that was preserved over the centuries, but with some changes from the pre-hispanic days. We then wended our way through the very crowded streets, until we got to the Gandhi bookstore. After over an hour of perusal, and the purchase of a few books, we headed out to the Opera Bar on Calle de Cinco de Mayo, but first walked into the Sanbourn's operated blue palace. It is kind of like Mexico City's analogue to London's Harrod's: a department store with a history. Well, the blue palace - unlike Harrod's - was originally a palace, and in the old courtyard, there is a restaurant. We ended up heading up to the bar and sat down with some Victoria beers and small bowls of spiced pickles, peanuts and Mexican crunchy 'chips'.
The Blue Palace, like many of the old buildings in the city, has suffered from earthquakes and subsidence, and the lines are no longer square, which makes it somehow more 'tangible' then some similarly-aged buildings in Europe.
My tlacoyos (con salsa roja y verde) and Rafys' quesadillas surtidas (de queso, champiñon y papa) have arrived.
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