From Xochimilco we drove halfway back to the city centre to the Bohemian district of Coyoacán with its cobbled streets and leafy square.
There's always someone ready to unfurl a tablecloth.
Cristo del Veneno is a Black Christ but at the moment I can't find any more information.
Inside the cloisters
Brugmansia (Angel's Trumpets)
After a brief look inside we were left to our own devices for lunch which I must say came as a bit of a shock. English isn't nearly as widely spoken as I'd expected given the relative proximity to the USA and without any free WIFI I couldn't translate menus etc. Food may well be something of a problem here as Mexico is famous for tummy bugs - Montezuma's Revenge (named after the last Aztec ruler) - therefore anything raw or unpeelable is simply out of the question. Also most eateries we looked in seemed to offer large meals at exorbitant prices whereas we just wanted a sandwich but, eventually, we found something suitable.
Ian's pet hate - Churros - traditionally served with a gloopy thick chocolate drink. Obviously many, both here and in Spain, enjoy this street food but when we first visited Spain together many years ago I told him (from my teenage memory) that they were a must - but to the adult palate they were just greasy and sugary and both of us shudder at the memory.
We met up again after lunch and passed this impressive Day of the Dead installation when, it is believed, the spirits visit the living and marigolds are supposed to help guide the spirits with their bright colours and pungent scent.
Our next stop was La Casa Azul, home of painter Frida Kahlo (1907-1954).
Known for her self-portraits depicting pain and passion greatly influenced by indigenous Mexican culture (perhaps with a bit of surrealism/cubism thrown in). To me she bears more than a passing resemblance to Tracy Emin (or should that be the other way around).
Apparently she contracted polio as a child and nearly died in a bus accident as a teenager, suffering multiple fractures of her spine, collarbone and ribs, a shattered pelvis, broken foot and a dislocated shoulder. She began to focus heavily on painting while recovering in a body cast. In her lifetime, she had 30 operations. Life experience is a common theme in Kahlo's approximately 200 paintings, sketches and drawings. Her physical and emotional pain is depicted starkly on canvases, as is her turbulent relationship with her husband, fellow artist Diego Rivera, who she married twice. Of her 143 paintings, 55 are self-portraits.
This one I think is about an abortion or miscarriage she suffered.
We'd chatted earlier with Francisco about the need to get a few bits of clothing and he thought we should be able to find what we wanted in the shops near the hotel, but from what we'd seen of them it would have involved multiple shops and conversations so we asked to be dropped off near the Woolworths in the hope we could serve ourselves and get everything we needed. We could and we did, a couple of pairs of pants each, a T-shirt or two, socks and a baseball cap for Ian - all for just under £40. Unfortunately this Woollies didn't sell wine but there was a boozeria directly opposite and so we picked up a couple of bottles to take on the road with us. It was getting dark by now and although the route back to the hotel was fairly direct, it involved crossing through a rather unnerving underpass roundabout which was heaving with people. We got out the other side unscathed but took a wrong turning and almost got lost but luckily between us we recognised enough shops/landmarks from the morning's shopping trip to find the way back.
For dinner we went to a nearby pizza restaurant and had huge, but not particularly, tasty pizzas.