Back on Wheels!

Most Saturdays my roommate and I try to do something fun in the morning (usually art or antiques shopping), followed by lunch at a nice restaurant. Often this is the only meal I eat out all week, as dining out in the evenings requires driving 'into town' and a reservation for 7pm or later - neither of which are appealing options after a long day of teaching.

This week, me and the roomie decided to combine fitness and lunch at Parque Fundidora, after hearing through a colleague that they have bike rentals at the park.

Now, I've been on quite a fitness kick of late as I want to be in shape for my return to the Cinque Terre and trek across Europe this summer. I teach dance at school four days a week, exercise in the school gym one night a week, and walk the Calzada (5km walking path) most weeks; so I was excited to strap on my roller-skates on for the first time in five years (they were too heavy to take in my luggage to Cairo), while my roommate hired a bike for the low-low price of $1.50 an hour. The park is mostly flat and well paved, so it was a great skating surface. I didn't fall down, and completed an entire circuit of the park at a good speed, but after 30 minutes of skating I knew that my body had had enough. Still, it was great fun and I can't wait to go again!

A bridge in the bird sanctuary

After a walk around the park to check out the bird sanctuary (not worth the 70 pesos admission fee) and the free galleries, we decided to try out the restaurant in the old industrial furnace complex in the park.

Old Furnace - Now a museum and restaurant

View from the restaurant

OH MY GOODNESS! I give you, LUNCH:

Grilled Artichokes

(made me miss Fada, still in Egypt, who taught me how to eat them!)

Baby Goat Fried Tacos

Sweet Corn Bread with Cajeta and Ice Cream

On top of that, after your meal you can explore the 'maze' of old industrial workings, which I think was the coolest part of the lunch.

I think going to Fundidora for roller-skating is going to become a thing - so long as I am able to walk tomorrow, I guess I'll just have to wait and see on that one.

Comfort

Before...

After...

Maybe I can't paint the egg shell walls a brighter color of awesome...but I can accent with color!

What a difference some curtains (and a Turkish throw, and a Turkish rug, and a Mexican antique, and some Catrinas, and some photographs) can make!

(Oh, and on the TV - "The Taste"...because Nigella Lawson and Tony Bourdain make Ludo and Brian look like a couple of school yard bullies).

Hombrecito, el Gato

I just came home from antique shopping in the Barrio Antigua with a really cool wooden treasure chest (a small one that I'm sure has a secret compartment somewhere) and a large, blue baker's cabinet to keep knick-nacks in.

But my cat, Little Man, all he cares about is the bag (the bolsa basura) the treasure chest came in.

Someday the interwebs are going to collapse from over-cuteness.