My friend and landlady, Imelda Lopez Orozco, Mely, took me to have breakfast for my birthday to the Gran Hotel Ciudad de México.  Though I had stepped into this magnificent hotel before, I had never eaten there: I was excited.

As we got close to the hotel, we passed it, making the rounds around the Zocalo stopping at the Metropolitan Cathedral.  I asked, “What are we doing here”? And Mely says – because you are going to give thanks for making it another year.  WHAT?  I thought she was going to pull me out of the taxi by my ears if I said no, so off we went into this magnificent 436-year-old cathedral to give thanks: No Mass just a quick prayer.

at the Metropolitan Cathedral

Walking into the entrance of the Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico is breathtaking, a  large chandelier greets your entrance, a spacious lobby with a Tiffany glass ceiling and with what looks like the first elevator built in México:   All stunning.

door entry to la Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico

Breakfast was great and we stayed until 12 Noon chatting and just having a wonderful time.  As Mely and I departed, she said she was going to bake a cake to eat for this evening and she said invite your friends.

Me and Mely at the Gran Hotel Ciudad de México

As I was running errands, I got a call from my friend, Bill.  He wanted to take me out to lunch.  Bill said, you are going to love this place because it has great food – it’s a surprise.  And I thought great food like the Gran Hotel.  We got stuck in traffic and it took 2-hours to get to what I thought would be a five star destination.  It wasn’t, but a market called Mercado Portales.  Bill had taken me to eat at his favorite place: a food stall that sold tostadas de pata – tostadas made with pig’s feet!  I clutched my pearls as I looked at the pata that looked like raw human baby flesh, or new born baby mice and had the texture feel of gummy bears in your mouth.  I couldn’t finish eating my birthday tostada which turned to an awkward moment.  BUT I just told Bill I wasn’t as hungry as I had thought.

This is the pata that was put on my tostado!

I made it home at about 5:30 PM and called Mely.  HELP:  I was just getting home and had not had time to call anyone for cake at 7:00 PM.  And she said, don’t worry for she had invited some her friends that I knew.  I asked about the cake, because I hadn’t told her what flavor I liked.  She said, “I baked a cake that I like.” LOL. Mely said don’t worry – take a nap, so I did.

It was a fun gathering with some new people I enjoyed meeting.

Click here for a slide show of my 49th birthday happenings.