Cable Car and Basilica

 Cable Car and Basilica

18,500 steps

Last night we talked about what we should do for our last full day in Mexico City. We talked about going to find some street art. I read a few blogs online and saw that there is a spot that you take a cable car and see the roofs are all painted. This area is not recommended to go to as a tourist, but I found a free walking tour by the same company that we did our first free tour with the day after we arrived was offering the cable car tour. So booked the tour last night. Woke up this morning to a message that there were not enough English people signed up so the English tour was canceled, but the Spanish tour was a go. We decided to just walk to the meeting point and see if we could just tag along as we were mainly going to take pictures. Turns out there were only 2 Mexicans on the Spanish tour, one spoke excellent English, 1 girl from Vienna Austria, that like us was told the tour was canceled, plus us. So 5 of us total on the tour, that was being led along with someone in training. So everyone was happy we were all going together. Both guides spoke excellent English, so they kind of did a bilingual tour. First off we took the metro to the starting point for the cable car. Then we took the cable car to the second to last stop. The cable car was built 4 years ago and is the longest public transfer cable car in the world, 11 km. The story behind the paintings on roofs is that when the cable car was installed the home owners were not happy that people would be over them looking into their homes, so they put paintings on their roofs so people would look at the paintings instead. The total for return on the cable car and metro was 28 pesos per person. The cable car and metros are really built for making life commuting for locals very affordable, we have sure taken advantage of it.

At the top of the cable car we walked a little around a small market. We tried some Gorditas, which we have never had before, quite good, but very filling and a little greasy. Couldn't use much hot sauce, way too hot for us. Also stopped at a juice bar to help cool off the hot sauce.

Back down the cable car and the tour guides pointed out some more things. Especially interesting was an old plane that has been turned into a library. This is also the first time we have really noticed the smog in the city, I guess because we have been in it for so long we don't notice how bad it is. I was putting trouble breathing down to the altitude, but maybe the smog had something to do with it too.

Back to the apartment for a quick break and then we decided to go visit the Basilica de Guadalupe. One of the people on the butterfly tour told us what an amazing spot it was, so off we go. I think we looked at the map wrong, or at least something went wrong and we had a hard time finding where to get on the metro bus. Turns out we flagged down a couple of really local buses and surprise one of them was going there. These are really really local buses, don't even look like they should be on the road. All of the buses we have taken so far have been beautiful buses, today not so lucky. We get the last two seats on the bus, which is actually over the wheel so my knees were at my chin, Andre sat with his feet out in the aisle. 4 pesos each for the ride, cash only. Quite the experience, but we made it fine.

Walking towards that Basilica and I think we may be at the wrong spot as the Basilica pictures I saw online were of a really big new round building, I don't see that here at all. As we get closer we see that the new Basilica is tucked a bit around the side, but the old Basilica is the focus when you are walking towards the area, it is beautiful

Mass is going on so we don't explore much of the New Basilica. Over to the Old Basilica for a peek inside and we find out the church bells will ring at 4PM, they don't ring every hour. Decide to wait the 15 minutes outside and wander around a little, church bells finally ring and a little disappointed. The Church bells are actually positioned on their own on the side of the courtyard, but not all of the bells rung, a little strange.

Off to visit the New Basilica again. More than 20 million pilgrims visit the sanctuary each year, I assume mostly to see Our Lady of Guadalupe. There are 4 moving sidewalks one behind the other that take you by the her, I can't imagine how busy it must get here at times.

Next we walked up to the mirador behind the Basilica for a view of city in the background. Some nice breaks out of the sun from walking the steps. Once again I get out of breath quite quickly and need to take a few breaks.

Time to venture back home. This time we find where the Metro bus is and take it as close to home as we can. Decide not to transfer buses and just walk home which takes us through Plaza Garibaldi, somewhere Andre has wanted to visit but we just haven't gotten around to it. This square is know for its Mariachi Bands wandering around trying to drum up business. We did see a couple while we were there, but we were a little off the busy time of day. This is a really nice area of the city which would be fun to see when it is bustling a little more.

Back home and decide to pick up a pizza as we are both tired and don't feel like going out for supper. Share our pizza with the security/elevator man on the way up then call it a night.

We love the Palacio des Artes, our meeting point again today

At the CableBus as it is called here.

Line 2 in Iztapalapa is the longest public cable car line in the world, it is in the Guiness Book of World Records. Opened in 2021, 11km ling, Cost is 7 Pesos or .50cents Canadian. Each car seats 10 people

So many murals on rooftop, can you call it a mural if it's on a rooftop?  Some building did have wall murals as well as you can see

When the cable car opened home owners worried about people on the cable car looking into their homes, so they put paintings on their roofs for passengers to look at.

This part of the cable car ride was extremely colorful, reminded us a bit of the Maritimes

At the end of the cable car ride we went to a vendor to purchase Gorditas, mine was filled with pork, Andres beef. Very very little hot sauce, much too hot for us.

6 choices of drinks with many flavours

Plane converted into a public library

Based on a book

Lots of rooftop clothes lines. Also many dogs barking at each others.

We only saw 3 churches  going over.

This area expanded so quickly since the 70s and it was farmland. 

You have to pat your 5 pesos with your metro card to use the washroom

Cinco de Mayo walking street is always busy

A full load

This was the entrance to walk up, old Basilica in picture 

The new on the left and the old Basilica in the center with a 3rd church next to it.

Inside the new Basilica. 20 million pilgrims visit the sanctuary each year. It has very cool lights

Our Lady of Guadalupe, you visit by a moving sidewalk. It was not busy today, but obviously they are set up to receive many many pilgrim. 4 moving sidewalks one behind the other to go by. They could use that at the Mon Lisa.

Inside the old Basilica

At the church next door

The Bell tower

5 things you are supposed to do during the Jubilee 

A few small processions

On our way to the top

Great views for a 10 minute hike

The church on top, service going on, no pictures of the inside

Looks like the ground is shifting here also as these 2 building were noy strait

A stop at Garibaldi square

mariachi band plays music at table for pesos.

many of these places to eat but not many people as we were off hours. Probably at lunchtime or later in the evening

Don't know who these guys were

One of the building that our guide talked about on our walking tour on the first day that we were in Mexico City.  We have come full circle LOL  Now it's time to say goodbye to the city as we leave tomorrow.

Ok, Last picture