Monday, May 28, 2012

 El Bosque de Chapultepec     The Hill of Grasshoppers:

In total contrast to Saturday's jaunt, on Sunday I ventured to Mexico City's largest park just a few metro stations away. And Sunday is it's big day. Vendors line  the main pathway selling every imaginable carnival style item - toys, hats, sweets and popcorn, belts to  attach children to adults, fairy floss in lovely pastel shades and the list goes on, as throngs of families flock to the park for a big day out.
 Sunday is free day at many of Mexico City's attractions including museums and the Castillo de Chapultepec which overlooks the park, so Sunday is a very busy day. I purposely chose Sunday to be part of the crowd.
I began at the Metro station Chapultepec with many others who poured up the steps and towards to park.
 My first stop was the castle that towers above the park. I took the easy way out and caught the little train up the long winding path to the castle knowing I had a long day's walking ahead of me. Naturally it was pretty busy, but there are some great displays and paintings to see. Then it was off t join the throngs and the vendors. Quite a few families were picnicing, but many just seemed to  wander the road of vendors, eating and drinking and trying to control  children at the end of the "cinturóns".Many were navigating the lake in paddle boats or rowboats and others just enjoying the day on the grass - a thing you don't see a lot of in Mexico ity, grass you can walk on that is.
ANother place for a return visit - to the Zoo and the Botanical Gardens, but maybe on a quieter day. I felt a little like this little on at the end of the day!

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