Dennis Family Mexican Vacation

Leanin' Dennises...

We had an action-packed visit with Sasha's mom and brother. Kathe's first visit to Mexico City was a long one last June, but not one with a lot of sightseeing unless you count hospital rooms and stroller trips around the block! And Sam hadn't been to Mexico since a long-ago high school spring break in Cancun. So we had a lot to show them...

It's hot here. Everybody be cool.

We got off to a racing start on the day after Christmas when we caught the Turibus. This double-decker bus rolled down Reforma to the Zocalo via Roma and Condesa and from our lofty perch we could easily play tourguide, pointing out the places we knew a little bit about.

Fun with self-photography.

It was pretty cool although we had to duck our heads a few time to avoid getting strung up in the utility wires.

Ivan of Arabia

Once we got downtown, we hopped off the bus and checked out the ice skating rink in the Zocalo, the murals in the palace, the ruins, the Cathedral and lots and lots of folks enjoying a day off. We ate lunch at our regular taqueria and walked through Alameda Park to catch the bus back.

Mexicans love/misunderstand snow.

The following day we headed out of town. One day in the chaos of the centro and we figured it was time to head for the hills.

Seriously, dude loves trees.

On the recommendation of the Catheys, we drove out to Malinalco, an exquisite mountain town a couple of hours away. A "Defeno" weekender spot, the town is pristine with a gorgeous church, a sweet little plaza, some interesting restaurants and shops and of course, a steep climb to some Aztec ruins with a great view.

The drive was really beautiful, though a little rough on the wagon's shocks! When we got close to Malinalco we started to notice people with rucksacks, on foot and on bicycle, along the road and when we got to Chalma, the last town before our destination, we saw vendors selling garlands of flowers and people wearing these wreaths on their heads. A little research and we realized that Chalma is one of the most popular pilgrimage spots, and its church the scene of a miraculous appearance of a crucifix in the 1500s.

Upon our less-miraculous appearance, we scouted out a place to eat straightaway and found ourselves the only customers at a very cute outdoors place. This suited us just fine as Ivan is unpredictable in his table manners. We dined under a palapa and Sergio even tried the local specialty: trucha (trout).

This one's for Melany.

Revived, we headed over to the check out the church that is the center of the town. Founded as an Augustinian monastery in the 1500s, the ex-Convento de la Transfiguracion, was pretty magical. The cloister is built around a small courtyard (complete with nativity scene for the season) but the real highlight is the amazing murals.

What's up with that donkey?

Primarily in charcoal and white with bits of watery turquoise, it is very stylized and a treat to investigate for the variety of flora and fauna. A crowd-pleaser, we had to tear Grandma Kathe and Ivan away.

Our last stop was the obligatory Aztec ruins. We couldn't let the gang go back North without a little ruin hopping. As it was getting a little late in the day, we were rushed to climb up the (as usual, endless!) stairs and see what there was to see. Sergio and I started off with Ivan in the stroller as it appeared to be a paved walkway up the mountain, but had to abandon the plan when the footpath turned to stairs. In the end, Sergio and Ivan ended up sitting this one out as the rest of the gang tackled the haul up the mountain.Grandma was outpaced but made some friends on the way up who commiserated on the altitude/steep stairs. Sam and Sasha were pleased to find no less than an actual Eagle at the Temple of the Eagle. So that was pretty sweet.

And oh yeah, the view was grand.

We returned to the big bad city at dusk, the drive taking a long time and it felt even longer as Ivan had a bit of a nervous breakdown in his carseat which was no fun at all except that it prompted Sasha and Kathe to sing a hilariously nutty version of Old MacDonald's Farm (a farm with monkeys, squirrels, and screech owls).

With just two days left in Mexico for the Dennis family, we stayed a little closer to home. Luckily Ivan was back to his old self in no time and returned to his mission to charm his relatives.

Really, the hair needs work.

Grandma had found a neat book on making your own baby food that she and Sasha spent a lot of time perusing, and a little time testing out. Ivan's reviews were mixed. He seems more engaged with the tools of eating (the spoon, mostly) than with the actual food.

With some restaurant visits, a stop at the Anthropology museum and a cruise down to the Ciudadela for souvenir artesania, we wrapped up the Dennis family visit before seeing them off to some of the hottest and coldest spots in the USA, Phoenix and Duluth.

Ivan misses them already, and so do we.