... when I was a little girl, I loved to listen to my Great Grandma Beulah's stories about her travels. One of my favorites was her description of the canals and flowers in Mexico City. My dad reports they were there in the 1960's. For the past 36 years, I've wanted to see this place she loved. Our imagination of a place rarely matches the reality which sets us up for either bitter disappointment or delighted surprise. I'm happy to report that although (of course!) Xochimilco turned out to be so different than what I imagined, the exuberant, celebratory chaos of the place put a contented smile on my face. As did the giant beer served in a giant cup dipped in mango jam and toasted sesame seeds. My grandma told me about the colors and music, but mostly she talked about the boats, lined with flowers, covered in arches of flowers, and flowers, flowers everywhere. We saw color, we heard music, but the flowers have morphed into carvings of wooden flower arches and people selling wreaths of artificial flowers to place on women's heads. The real flowers, mostly Poinsettas, called nochebuena here (flower of the good night) are growing outdoors and in greenhouses all along the canals. The canals themselves are absolutely fascinating with history dating back to the time of the Aztecs when floating islands were created to grow vegetables for the population. They are STILL farming them today! It was such a special day for me, full of the energetic buzz of life and commerce on the canal, nostalgia for that little girl listening to a well-traveled grandma and dreaming to one day be like her, and dreams of sharing this unique experience with new people on our friends & family style adventure this April."
I remember... Xochimilco,
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