It's just a little hill

12/4/16

Mexico City

Zero kilometers ridden.

Was awake around 7 am for some unknown reason. Had trouble falling back asleep till almost 8 but then got another full two hours. Once I did get up I showered before Eleanor took my laundry for me and started it in the wash.

Once out of the shower, she asked if I wanted to walk with her to get bread for the family breakfast. We walked a few short blocks to a bakery and selected some pastries before walking back. Eleanor's dog, Amy, accompanied us off leash and was wonderfully well behaved. When we arrived back it was time for breakfast and we ate with her family. Breakfast was eggs con chorizo, beans, rice and the pastries we had selected.

After breakfast we were going to go to the tallest hill in Mexico City where there is a half completed pyramid at the top. I asked that we wait till the laundry was able to be flipped and so we waited a few extra moments and then hung up my clothes to dry.

Kiera, the family's 11 month old female Great Dane, was going to join us as well as their other dog Amy. Eleanor had thought I didn't actually mean it when I responded yes to the question of bringing Keira along. I convinced her I did and got to hold her on a short section of leather hitching leash for the trip.

The "nearby hill" turned out to be Cerro de la Estrella, a full four mile hike from the house to the top. We ended up having to stop and take a break so Eleanor could rest a bit. We did so at a combined children's playground and outdoor gym. While she rested and watered the dogs I did a set of each exercise station. Once Eleanor was ready we continued the climb.

A few hundred yards up the road we stopped at the first overlook, where I shot some photos of the city to make a panoramic from.

Continuing to the top was a good uphill hike, but the view from the partial pyramid at the top was well worth it. We probably spent an hour up there so I could take photos and I loved every minute of it.

We walked back down but took a slightly different route that brought us through the larger metropolitan area of the section of city that Eleanor lives in. In total the walk was about 8 miles, almost none of it flat.

We got the dogs returned to the house where we were told that we would be eating soon. I folded and stored my clothes before being asked to come down for dinner. The chicken soup was great and as I finished, Eleanor asked if I wanted to go explore down town. I of course said yes and we dressed to leave.

We grabbed a bus from the end of her block down to the subway station where we headed for down town. Eleanor slept for a good portion of the ride and I wrote in my journal.

Down town was a flurry of activity as it was the day of the tree lighting in the town center where there was a sledding hill on synthetic snow and free ice skating. We wandered town a bit and I took lots of photos as we went.

As we were starting to turn back Eleanor spotted some native dancers getting ready to perform and we went and grabbed seats on the curb nearby. I shot more than twenty minutes of video during the performance and ended up giving all the coins I had to the performers during two separate circulations of the crowd for money. It was incredible.

After the dancers we made our way back to the subway station on a different path. We had intended to stop at a churro shop but it was still so busy that we bypassed it and just got on the train instead.

The Subway was very full and we were forced to stand for most of the trip. I tried to explain again how to use the subway for leg training and had to show Eleanor a few times with corrections before she was in good form and practicing. In just a few stops both of our legs were burning with the effort but we had a good time.

At our stop we went and grabbed a taxi to a restaurant she wanted me to try. There I had two oil fried quesadillas, one chicken and cheese and another mushroom with cheese. Eleanor had a chicken and vegetable soup in a red broth that was very good and she had me finish it so she could have a cheese quesadilla herself. The food was good and we laughed about my poor Spanish and her pretty good English with a few interesting word choices.

We walked back to her home and along the way we stopped at a small store so I could grab my daily Yakult and buy a horribly stale and terrible churro I really only got to tease Boo. It was so bad that we each only took one bite and I saved the rest for Keira at Eleanor's suggestion.

Once back at the house I went out to the back right away to feed the churro to Keira in bits as we worked on tricks. She is such a sweet dog and reminds me so much of Wodén. We took some pictures with the dog standing up before I retired to the room to get caught up on internet tasks and journal.

I ended up watching an episode of Vikings before doing proof checking for Montserrat and calling it a night.