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We had originally planned to take a bus out to Tepoztlan, a hill town to the south of the city known for a pyramid on the hill and being a bit spiritual, but figured we were staying in the centro so should make the most of being there instead.  As this was our second visit, we were keen not to retrace the same steps, but at the same time there are some familiar sights one has to revisit, so toady was mainly for visiting sights we missed last time

We went to Café de Tacuba for breakfast, one of the oldest restaurants in the city, with stunning décor. Breakfast was absolutely enormous, so we really shouldn’t have ordered a sweet pastry too (didn’t realise that was an additional item) but they were happy to let us take them away with us.

Strolled back towards the Zocalo, with our first stop being the Secretaria de Educacion Publico offices to see the murals.  We asked to see the murals at the door, and were ushered in, asked to leave a form of ID at their desk and then allowed to just wander around the courtyards.  The main feature are the array of murals painted by Diego Rivera, celebrating the history of Mexico.  For me, I was more blown away by the Siqueiros mural over the staircase near the entranceway.

Nearby was the elusive gothic clothes shop Horror Boutique, that we failed to find last time.  It was tucked away on the 4^th floor of a “shopping centre” with security on the door and on arrival at the shop we had to ring to be admitted.  That was a bit awkward, being followed around the shop by the owner and her assistants (all very friendly but keen to make a sale).  All the items there were hand made and absolutely lovely, but nothing I needed for this trip or could take home with me.

Went to watch the dancers perform outside Templo Mayor, yep I know its touristy, but its wonderful to watch! And as we were at the Zocalo, we crossed over to go back into the Gran Hotel to see the stained glass in daylight, absolutely stunning.

From here we headed back up Av Francisco Madera towards Bellas Artes, stopping off at the Palacio de Iturbide (Citibanamex Culture Palace).  Free to get in, the main exhibition was on Spanish renaissance art. Not usually my thing but these were very interesting, particularly a few that had speech bubbles of a kind coming from some of the characters – renaissance comic book art!

Continued our walk past the Palacio De Bellas Artes (absolutely love this place but we did visit last time) and to Alameda Park, where we just sat by one of the fountains for a while, eating our pastries from breakfast, resting our feet and watching the world go by.

We had time for one more visit, so decided to go to the Franz Mayer museum.  Not quite what I expected from the online images, as most of the exhibits were in modern galleries and the collection felt not to dissimilar to what I’d see at the V&A at home.  However we emerged out into the pretty courtyard, decorated with Catrina statues, and decided to stop here in the café for coffee and icecream.

Walked back to the hotel, stopping off at a little crafts market nearby and then up to the rooftop bar for a drink.  As soon as our drinks arrived, the skies got darker and a massive storm broke out!  The few of us left in the bar huddled together in the one bit of shelter in the centre, screaming when a massive clap of thunder happened right above us!

For the evening, we got a taxi to my favourite horror bar, Café Bizarro in the Roma district. It was busy but we managed to get a table, and spent the evening there eating and drinking.  Their Bizzareada cocktail is to die for – beer blended with fresh fruit and ice.

Photos: Café Tacuba and SEP https://vampyresheep.smugmug.com/Holidays/2022-Mexico/11-04-Fri-pt-1-Cafe-Tacuba-Public-Education-Office-murals

Around the zocalo and Palacio de Iturbide https://vampyresheep.smugmug.com/Holidays/2022-Mexico/11-04-Fri-pt2-zocalo-Citibanamex-Culture-Palace

Alameda, Franz Mayer museum and Café Bizarro https://vampyresheep.smugmug.com/Holidays/2022-Mexico/11-04-Fri-Zocalo-to-Alameda-park-sightseeing