Day 5: Wednesday, April 3

I've always said that I really like the long trips--4 to 6 weeks--for travel, but I must say that I did enjoy this 5-day trip. I was ready to do some school work in the evenings, but I would spend all day traveling around, spending an hour or so on my Blog each evening, then I would be dead tired. I am also glad to have a few days before school starts again.

I was planned to leave the hotel at 10 a.m., so I had only a few hours to walk around the city before I would leave. I wanted to find a bakery that a friend mention--Panderia Rosetta. I plugged it in on Maps app, but this time I also checked it on my laptop AND using the sensor to tell me where is north, south, east and west. Finding it on laptop gave me proper direction in which to trek this morning. On my way to the bakery, I was able to actually take photos of the aqueducts that the Aztecs had built to provide water for their city. It reminds of the same thing that the Romans did both in western and eastern Europe! There are pieces of this still around Mexico City!

After I had a great breakfast at Panderia Rosetta, I walked several blocks around the hotel, specifically for a walk-street I had driven by several times. I was surprised that the only American businesses I had found so far was Starbucks. But on this street, I finally saw a Burger King, McDonald's, 7-11, the K Store, Popeye's, Carl's Jr. and Wing-Stop. But I also saw many local stands on this street with long lines of customers for a great and cheap breakfast.

It took only 45 minutes to drive to the airport, so I was there 3 hours early. And it was jammed...I could not find a seat. I walked around and finally found a place to camp. I had no way to get out my laptop, etc., so I just sat there and watched people for 3 hours. I must say that I never have time to just sit, so it was a different experience.

Side note...this was such a great opportunity for me to practice my Spanish. I learned what I believe is my biggest challenge...my vocabulary. From my days of learning Spanish in 6th-12th grades and 2 years of college and at home, I still remember much of the grammar (i.e. present, past, future, imperfect, simple conditional, etc.), I just need to improve my vocabulary.

Another note...I just obtained my Global Entry pass for the U.S. And it is such a great luxury. When our flight landed, we had to wait 10 minutes on the tarmac because our gate was still occupied by another flight. So when we finally made it to the gate, I know customs would be busy. But when I got to the Global Extry gate, no other travelers were there. I walked-up, they scanned my face, then called me by my name to welcome me home. No waiting!

Another side note...after making a short visit to Mexico City, I now have a long list of new places to see, and more places to visit a 2nd time. I feel comfortable exploring the city more on my own in future visits. Guides said not to trust the pink taxis, however Uber is very safe and better economically when compared to the cost! I'm ready for a future visit to CDMX!

You can see below a box of 20 small photos. You can also see the numbers below (up to 2) meaning there is another box of up to 20 photos. You can click on any photo to see it enlarged OR just click on the 1st photo and wait....it will present a slide show of all 40 photos that advances every 5 seconds.