After a rather disappointing first encounter with Ciudad de Mexico, I carefully planned my brief second stopover in town before flying back to Spain. I decided to focus on two adjacent sights, the Bosque de Chapultepec and the Museo Nacional de Antropología. I booked a room in the Cuauhtemoc area, walking distance to both.
I was excited to explore the Chapultepec network of parks on foot so I quickly changed into my running clothes and hit the streets. Alas, oh no, the gates to the park were locked. I asked the security agent who was guarding the gate. It’s Monday, he replied, morosely.
I felt stuck, again. No open spaces to run, no comfortable room to return to. So, faute de mieux, I decided to run on Reforma itself. Bike lane, sidewalks, the road itself – whatever.
I headed East, all the way to Iglesia de San Hipólito. I was curious about visiting that temple, which was originally built as a small chapel by Hernán Cortés and his men to commemorate the fall of Tenochtitlan in 1521.
The run was exciting. Granted, I felt as bit silly, as if I were running on the sidestreets of Paso de la Castellana, Madrid, in rush hour traffic. Who would be such an idiot? Well, I guess that’s one of the perks of travel – you’re free to be an idiot and enjoy first encounters like a child would.
I got lucky with the afternoon light, and stopped many times for photos. I also discovered the Revolution monument on Plaza de la República.
B-Side Travels 