Why do I explain all that? Last weekend I was in D.F. First of all, don't worry: I'm still alive, I wasn't kidnapped and I wasn't robbed. Second, the city is really amazing! I really don't know where to start...
Facts & Figures
- about 9 million inhabitants in the city itself
- more than 22 million inhabitants in the greater city area
- density: 5.900 inhabitants/ km²
- about 5000 km² surface of the greater city area
Smog really is a problem in Mexico City. Although I was there during the weekend (when it isn't really bad) I could sense it a bit. And when I returned on Sunday night I had really dry eyes. I guess it was an effect of all the exhaust fumes in the air.
Smog is such a big problem not only because nobody cares about catalysers and filters but also because Mexico City is situated in a valley so that the polluted air cannot escape. The production plants on the hills around the city also contribute their part to pollution.
To reduce smog and pollution, the government has introduced a system which takes part of the cars off the road. I don't remember exactly which numbers are affected on which day but it is as follows:
- cars with a 1 or 2 at the end on the number plate are not allowed to drive on Monday
- 3 and 4 have to stay at home on Tuesday
- etc.
Traffic
There is really a lot of traffic in D.F. and in a way it is even cazier than anywhere else. I even saw a traffic circle which was used in both directions. It's on the picture but, yes Michael, you can hardly see it;-) Well, to be honest I didn't understand the system behind it.
In Mexico City and anywhere else in Mexico you still can see many Käfer (Beetles) which are called bochos here. A lot of them
are used as taxis. By the way, a lot of people here call Volkswagen la bocho although they haven't been produced any more. But the Mexicans are very emotional about that. The shop floor where el bocho used to be produced is also called "hall of tears".Sights
There are so many sights in D.F. that it's unpossible to see all of them on a weekend and I struggle a bit choosing some to present them here.
What is very famous is the Museum of Anthropology where you can learn a lot about pre-hispanic Mexican histroy.
There is the Metropolitan Cathetral as a repre- sentative of the Spanish colonial era.
Furthermore, there is the Templo Mayor or better it's ruins. It was the great pyramide of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan.
Situated on the zócalo is the Palacio Nacional where Diego Rivera painted his great murals.
And the Palaco de Bellas Artes is quite nice, too. As long as you are interested in arts at least a little bit;-)
7 comments:
Last time I published quite a lot of pics and it all looked nice with Firefox. What I didn't realize was that with Internex Exporer it looked like crap! I rearranged everything and now it should look ok in both; although not equal. But well... another reason to finally ban f***ing IE from your PC.
Hello Christian!!!
Wow i have never seen you with a beard (Well sort of!!!). New glasses too i see!
Anyway you sound like your having an amazing time over there! i'm very jelous that i'm not traveling too but i'm in my last year of uni so hopefully some time soon.
When are you planning on going home?
love jess
I guess I shouldn't have been so lazy sending pics because I have the beard (sort of) and glasses for almost 4 years now. Oh well, long time ago we met...
Life over hear isn't bad;-) although I have some work to do as well. Things are going quite fine with my project and my boss forces the whole process a bit. My last day at Volkswagen is supposed to be 1st September. I'm planning to travel a bit more afterwards before I have to go back to "real life".
I cross the fingers for your travel plans.
Oh my you had the opportunity to visit Diego Ricera Gallery!!! gosh,, he ahs an amazing history and bibliography between his lovers is Frida Calo you can't miss that, I know i am always asking for things but any chance to get a postcard with Fridas Calo arts?? find out about her, is very interesting
xoxox
Vane
Sorry, the mural you send the pictur is the Mural that Diego Rivera paint for the entrance of the Empire state bulding en USA??
:S
xxooxooxo
Vane
I don't want to appear as a teacher, just a little correction: the correct writing is "Frida Kahlo" (even in Spanish).
Unfortunately I didn't have the chance to visit the Blue House (Frida Kahlo's house). It's quite a bit away from the town centre in D.F. and 2 days there were too short. Maybe I'll go there again in order to see some other things, too. By the way, Frida Kahlo isn't really famous here. I guess there is a greater interest for her abroad. In Mexico her husband (Diego Rivera) consumes all the fame and she seems to be just in his shadow.
I don't know to which of the murals you referred but none of them is from the Empire State Building. As far as I know he painted a mural in Rockefeller Center but it was destroyed after Rivera refused to remove Lenin from the picture (if somebody knows better about that, please write a comment).
The murals on the two pics above are in the palacio nacional and they tell Mexico's history. On one wall (right hand) there is Mexico's Atztec time, in the middle the time when the Spaniards arrived and on the left side is modern Mexico with its problems.
The other mural in the palacio de bellas artes isn't even by Rivera (I hope you are not disapointed).
mHHH interesting, any way the answer for your question about the rokefeller mural is in Frida Movie... very suggesting movie, and a bit strong!!! hard to understand her....
thanks for the comment and info..
xoxx
Vane
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