CDMX Day 2

We decided to spend a day in Chapultepec Park, hopefully away from the loud sounds and crowds of our first day. It largely paid off.

We bused a few stops to the park and walked up toward Chapultepec Castle, the only castle in North America where a reigning king actually lived (Maximilian I, 1864-67). Security is very tight – no food or beverage allowed in including water.

The castle houses the National Museuem of History at one end and Maximilian’s residence at the other. There were many large paintings depicting the major eras of Mexican history: prehistoric and Aztec era; the colonial era under Spain starting in 1519; and the modern era after Mexico gained its independence in 1821.

We found the museum part a little dry but the large paintings depicting the various struggles were very enlightening. The era of Maximilian’s rule was most interesting. When President Benito Juarez announced Mexico would stop paying its massive debt owed to Europe, France decided to install a Hapsburg emperor to retrieve some riches. Maximilian I ruled from 1864 to 1867 when he was cornered and executed by the Mexican Republic.

We spent some time sitting by a small lake watching Mexican families with their tethered kids walking by all happy and calm nevertheless. When we went to go back to our hotel, there were no buses running… We grabbed an Uber and got about halfway home. We had to walk the rest because Paseo de la Reforma, the major thoroughfare was closed due to International Women’s’ Day.

Once again we survived it all but this time opted for a massive paella dinner which was nice for a change. Actually, we bought one and he gave us two!