Let Me Introduce You to...

Before I start to blog about Europe I would like to introduce you to three very amazing companies you might have heard of: Airbnb, Busabout, and Ryanair.

Out of the three companies Airbnb is the most international since it offers accommodations worldwide. Unlike hotels or hostels Airbnb gives you the opportunity to live like a local because it provides you with the unique opportunity to rent your own space; from apartments to castles and even boats you can find the perfect place for you and your family and/or friends. Sadly when I went to Europe I was unaware of Airbnb, but on my trip to New York I tried it and loved it! I and 4 of my friends rented two apartments during our stay in the New York; the first one was in Harlem and the second one was just a few blocks away from Central Park. In both places each of us paid a little under $15.00 per night! This is a great price considering that we had 2 separate bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and of course air conditioning and a clean bathroom. Also, Airbnb is a great place where you can rent your property and make an extra income to pay the bills during the days you go out on a vacation. If you’ve always dreamt of owning your very own French château or Italian villa but your income doesn’t allow it, then visit Airbnb for the opportunity to own these places – even if it’s for a couple of days only.

Busabout is the perfect way to visit Europe; as the title implies a bus takes you around Europe, but the best part is that you design your own schedule and stops. This is the company I chose to travel in Europe; it is affordable, a great way to meet new friends, and best of all, you are the one who decides what to see and where to stay! When you buy your Busabout ticket you choose one of the many routes the company offers. In this case let’s say you choose Paris, Bern, Lucerne, Munich, St. Tirol, Venice, and Rome. So you start in Paris, you look at the bus itinerary and see that the buses leave on odd days (the 3^rd, 5^th, 7^th, and so on). You decide you want to stay in Paris for a week and that you will leave to Bern on the 25^th. You get to Bern and decide that while you’ve never heard of this city, you love it, so you get off the bus, check the company’s (recommended) hostel and book a room on the spot. You end up staying in Bern for 4 days. Then you take the bus again, get to Lucerne and decide the city is not your cup of tea, so you stay on the bus and go to your next destination. It is that easy! The company also has tours you can sign up to and many activities that go from hiking to paragliding. Finally, if you feel like visiting the Greek Islands, then Busabout also provides Island Hopping which works exactly as I mentioned before, but this time you hop on-and-off a boat.

Lastly Ryanair is a cheap way to fly between European cities. For an average of 39 Euros you get faster from one city to the next; Ryanair is the one company I have never tried, but I have heard great things about the company from friends I made during my Euro trip.

These three companies give you great alternatives to experience Europe so check their websites and find out if these travel options are for you.

Mexico City, Safety

I thought to address one final issue concerning Mexico and even though I left this issue for last, this is perhaps the topic that concerns most tourists: safety. Time and again I see news about violence in the country; in part this is true for in the last 5 years around 35,000 people have died in drug-related violence. However most of this violence is taking place in Mexico’s northern border and the Pacific states. For its part, Mexico City is relatively safe; this summer I went to the country’s capital and was pleasantly surprised to find that walks after sunset are still peaceful and beautiful just like 15 years ago.

In any case, this does not mean to disregard caution altogether; Mexico City might be safe but it’s still no Paris or Tokyo. Be cautious and observant; the best tourism advice I have received came from my father and that was “Do not act like a tourist!” In other words, own the place, plan what you will be doing for the day and the routes you will take, walk like you know where you are going, and be aware of what is happening around you.  

So that its it, I hope you have an opportunity to visit this beautiful city; its culture, people, history, diversity, landscape, beautiful weather, and inexpensive life-style make Mexico City one of the most stunning cities in the world.

Mexico City, Where to Go

Before I recommend you some of my favorite places to see in Mexico City, let me remind you that in the “Visit… “section you can take a look at the official tourism site for Mexico, where you can find anything you need or want to know before you visit this beautiful country.

Let’s start with Mexico City’s historic center.  With more than 4 centuries of history, “El Zocalo” is one of the most emblematic sites in Mexico. Politics, religion, and history merge in this plaza where every September 16^th the people of Mexico celebrate Independence Day. The main cathedral in Mexico is found in this site, as well as the ruins of “El Templo Mayor,” one of the most important religious sites in the ancient Aztec town of Tenochtitlan.

If you are in the mood to visit ancient ruins, then the place to go is my very favorite, Teotihuacan.  The archeological zone of this town is breathtaking; the pyramids of the Sun and the Moon date back to the year 800 a. d., although some of the ruins date as far back as the III century a. d. To get to Teotihuacan you can take a 1 hour bus ride from the bus station called “Central Camionera del Norte” (the bus line is “Autobuses Teotihuacanos”).

Chapultepec is also a tourist favorite; museums, restaurants, parks, lakes, and a free zoo can all be found in this famous area.

La Zona Rosa, is where nightlife is. During the day you can find many restaurants and small businesses, but at night, bars and clubs are full of party goers.

Garibaldi is the place to go to eat traditional Mexican Food while listening to live Mariachi music.

In Xochimilco you can also find traditional Mexican Food, but this time you can eat while riding a “trajinera” (a small boat) through water canals.

Finally, Coyoacan is one of my favorite spots. Coyoacan seems more like a small traditional town inside the giant metropolis; there are many delicious traditional restaurants here, as well as a nice atmosphere in the afternoons, full of people, music, and street shows.

There are many more places to go to in Mexico City; with hundreds of museums, parks, restaurants, architectural wonders, archeological zones, clubs, and monuments, you will definitely need more than a couple of weeks to see all you need to see. But like I mentioned before, the official tourism site for Mexico as well as the Ciudad de Mexico website will help you greatly in your final decision for what to see.

Mexican Recipes

So, a promise is a promise and here are 4 of my favorite Mexican recipes. They are very easy to make and they won’t take a toll on your purse. Just remember, for some of the ingredients you will probably have to go to a specialty store.

Guacamole (serves 4)

Ingr:  2 Hass avocados    2 Roman tomatoes    1/2 onion    2 limes     salt to taste

Prep:  Peel and mash the 2 avocados with clean hands in a large plate. Dice the tomatoes and onion into small pieces and add them to the avocados. Add the salt on top of the mix and squeeze  the juice of the limes on top. Combine everything well and ready, you can now enjoy Guacamole with chips, tacos, or anything else.

 Beans ( serves 6) 

Ingr:   1 cup pinto beans     2 1/2 liters of water     1 clove of garlic     salt to taste

Prep:  Put the water into a medium/large pot and boil. Meanwhile rinse the beans and peal the garlic clove. Once the water boils lower the heat to a very low setting and add the beans and garlic. Cook for 2 1/2 hours or until the beans are very tender (if the beans look dry or with a low amount of water, add boiling water). Once the beans are tender throw away the garlic and add the salt. Let cook for 7 more minutes and turn off the heat. Serve in a plate and accompany with "queso fresco" or cotija cheese, cilantro, onion, and salsa.

*For fried beans add vegetable oil in a casserole, once the oil is very, very hot, add the beans very carfully since the hot oil will jump once you add the broth and beans. Let boil and once the oil comes on top of the beans, mash with a potato masher. After a couple of minutes remove from heat.

Oatmeal Water (serves +12)

Ingr:   1 cup oatmeal     2 cups of milk     2 cinnamon sticks     2 liters of water     sugar to taste

Prep:   Let the oatmeal soak in the water (minus two cups of water) all night. The next morning boil the two left over cups of water with the cinnamon, let cool down. In a blender, blend the oatmeal wih its water plus the 2 cups of milk. Once its blended pour in a jar, add the cinnamon water and sugar. 

Enjoy with ice.

Lemon Pie

Ingr:    1 package of Maria cookies     1 can of condensed milk     1 can of media crema nestle (table cream)     1/2 cup lemon juice

Prep:   In the blender, mix the two cans and start adding the lemon juice little by little to avoid curdling. In an 8 x 8 pyrex arrange the cookies to cover the bottom of the pyrex. Cover the cookies with part of the lemon mix and even out. Repeat these steps until you run out of the lemon mix, (the mix should be the last layer). Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight. This is one of my favorite desserts and I hope it becomes one of your favorite ones too.

Mexico City, What to Eat

Every single State in Mexico has its signature dishes, and the advantage of visiting  Mexico City is that you can have a taste of those dishes without leaving the capital. Here are a few plates you have to try while you are in Mexico:

·    Tacos: If you’ve never had a taco, shame on you. Probably this is the most famous of all Mexican dishes which consists of a meat or other products, such as beans, wrapped in a corn tortilla. Worldwide the most popular tacos are made of carne asada, chicken, and fish, but in Mexico you can find tacos made with beef’s intestines, tongue, heart, and even the eyes.

·    Birria: My favorite dish in the whole world. Birria is a spicy stew which can be made with many types of meat, but the best one is made with goat. This dish is typical from Jalisco.

·    Cochinita Pibil: Another of my personal favorites, this dish typical from Yucatan is made with pork seasoned in achiote. Cochinita Pibil is usually eaten in tacos.

·    Pozole: This famous stew, like Birria, can be made with many types of meet, but pork is usually the chosen meat and this is combined with hominy kernels (corn). The states of Jalisco and Guerrero are famous for their pozole.

·    Mole Poblano. Like its title implies this dish is Puebla’s specialty. Mole is made with chicken covered in a very special sauce which combines many flavors such as chocolate and chili peppers. Because of this mix of flavors, many tourists find its particular flavor strange.

I have just given you a small glimpse into the flavors of Mexico. You can find a list of Mexican dishes in English here, and in Cocina de Mexico you can take a look at many other wonderful dishes divided by region (in Spanish). For now though, let me recommend you some of my favorite restaurants in Mexico City where you can have the dishes I have listed above along with many other flavorful choices:

Arroyo       Enrique       Los Almendros       100% Natural                               Los 3 Caballos      Los Danzantes 

Of course street food vendors are a must, as well as “comida corrida” restaurants where you can have soup or salad, first course, main course, dessert, and a jar of flavored water for as little as $4.00 USD.

In the next blog I will give you a couple of easy Mexican Recipes so you can try them wherever you are so make sure to check back.

*In Restaurantes de Mexico you can find a list of restaurants by location and type of food.

Mexico City, Where to Stay

Mexico City is one of the biggest cities in the world; with a population of over 20 million people in the metropolitan area, this metropolis might seem a little overwhelming at first, but there is no doubt that this city is one of the most beautiful in the world. The colors, flavors, history, and the rich culture of the capital of Mexico, make this city a favorite for travelers from around the world. For the first 14 years of my life I called Mexico City home, but today I will write about this city not as a resident, but as a tourist.
As a tourist I have stayed in one of two hotels, both located in the historic center of Mexico City and I will tell you about them just so you have an idea of what to expect. My favorite hotel by far was the Hotel Gillow. Cheap by American standards, this hotel can charge $80.00 a night for a suite! The rooms are clean, spacious, and beautiful, and the hotel's restaurant is delicious (it serves Spanish Food). If you are looking for something even cheaper, then try the Hotel San Antonio (555-512-9906). This hotel charges around $30.00 a night for a room with two bedrooms and a bathroom. However, if you are squeamish around cockroaches then I would recommend you to stay away from this hotel. Both hotels have an excellent location and very reasonable prices, but these are two out of hundreds of hotels; I would definitely recommend to check the HotelesenMexico website where you can find hotels that adjust to your budget.
*Prices are in American dollars