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Mexico is a very proud country. Naturally, the official Independence Day is celebrated in a correspondingly big way. And if it's celebrated in the same way as in the capital, entire Mexico goes wild on that day :D I was in Mexico City that day and a few friends from the hostel had planned to go to Coyoacán. Coyoacán is a bit further away from the centre, but there was supposed to be a fair and all sorts of other things. And well..... Coyoacán was packed, there were thousand people trying to sell you something, clowns putting on a show, people everywhere, a fair, stalls with snacks or food everywhere and.... It was just really fucking busy. :D We had actually planned to have a look around in peace and quiet, but there wasn't much time to look around in peace and quiet. We already had enough to do with not getting lost. :D Well, we got through, but not as well as we thought or expected. After returning from Coyoacán in the afternoon and recharging our batteries at the hostel, we in the evening went to the Zócalo together with what literally felt like entire Mexico City and.... We definitely had to push and squeeze to get anywhere :D Nevertheless... it was really worth it 😊 The entire Zócalo was decorated and a speech was given, with shouting for each state ‘Viva Oaxaca/Chiapas/Guerrero/Chihuahua...’ and then the crowd shouting ‘Viva!’. And of course at the end there was the obligatory ‘Canta y no llores’ :D To end the evening there were also really beautiful fireworks 😊 Go or not? Yes, I think the day was really great. However, I don't think you should do it as a solo traveller. By that I mean you should go with friends from the hostel. Otherwise I don't think it's half as much fun. And I'd leave it up to you to decide whether I'd travel there to be there for that certain day.... :D

I don't know if you've heard of it, but at least I've always been told that Latinos know how to party. Since the day of the World Cup, when Mexico won against Germany in the group stage, I know what they meant. First of all, to all Mexicans: congratulations, you deserved it that day. Firstly to all the Germans: We were just plain bad and accordingly bowed out of the World Cup at the group stage. And if you had witnessed the party that was thrown afterwards at the Angel de la Independencia in Mexico City, you would have given the Mexicans even more credit. :D I watched the game in my hostel at the time and knew at some point that it was over. But as we played really embarrassingly bad and I was in Mexico City, it was clear that we would go out and see what was going on in the streets. I knew several people at the hostel - a Mexican, a Latina and an American. So we went out and found this party. Everyone was cheering, shouting and dancing, there were Mexican flags everywhere and everyone had these spray cans with foam in them. And the whole time they were chanting ‘Ay ayay canta y no llores. Porque cantando se alegran, cielito lindo, los corazones...’. And then of course even louder ‘AY AYAY CANTA Y NI LLORES. PORQUE CANTANDO SE ALEGRAN, CIELTIO LINOD, LOS CORAZONES!’ The atmosphere and the vibe were quite frankly incredible. That day I learnt this song and will forever associate it with Mexico and a genuine Mexican joy and party. This song is burned into my memory like few others. I still get goosebumps today when I hear the song and sing it at the top of my lungs. I also that day learnt what is meant by the Latino parties I had heard about. Not necessarily the nightlife or club life - Spain is better at that :D (no offence) - but rather the parties that simply come out of nowhere and out of pure joy on the street. But Mexico City was really unbeatable in this respect that day. And they celebrated as if they had won the World Cup (or at least the way we celebrate in Germany when we become world champions. We could honestly learn from them 😉) Go or not? Well.... It's hard to go :D but if anyone should ever get to enjoy one - a street party like this doesn't just happen when you win such a great football match - then just get involved and have fun. It's worth it 😉😊

The Mercado Sonora is the ‘witches’ market’ in Mexico City. And to be honest, it's exactly what it sounds like. All kinds of herbs, figures from legends and stories, skulls, skeletons - including some dressed in beautiful dresses -, I saw an advert for a fortune teller, lots and lots of fantasy figures, masks, an altar and much, much more. It also smells different. So you walk in and it smells like a witch's kitchen - or at least how you imagine it. Extremely fascinating and a bit spooky. As the market is right next to La Merced, I went there straight afterwards with the “guide” I met at the beginning of Merced and.... To be honest, I was a bit happy about the company :D It gives off a slight coven vibe. I'm not superstitious or anything, but I was half expecting someone to want to bewitch or cast a spell on me. At the same time, Mercado Sonora also has normal stuff, of course. Just a little less and a little more hidden. But if you want a costume or something, Sonora. I saw a whole aisle full of costumes for Lucha Libre, among other things. Apart from that, I would say Sonora is a normal size market. Just according to the theme and the focus of the market. Go or not? Oh, one hundred per cent. I mean, a witches' market is probably not everyone's thing, but I found it really interesting. Especially because I've never seen anything like it before and, as far as I know, there's nothing like it in Germany - except maybe at medieval markets or something like that. And also not in the European countries I've travelled to so far. So I think it's worth a try. You can always leave if it's not for you :D 😊

For me, the Mercado La Merced is one of the most interesting markets I have been to in Mexico and the only one that overwhelmed me a little and where I was glad that I found a kind of guide right at the beginning. First of all, we're talking about a genuine and really big Mexican market here. Meaning: full, huge and completely confusing. Apart from that, there is of course pretty much everything apart from furniture or large electrical appliances: vegetables and fruit, spices, meat, breakfast stuff, flowers, shoes, clothes, pots, household goods.... Everything! My original plan - as always - was to explore the market on my own. So I entered the market and was initially a little overwhelmed by everything. Simply because you really have no idea where to go first, because it felt like it was going in all directions at once and there was no ‘order’ - at least none that was immediately or quickly recognisable. As I strongly suspect that one could tell that I was a bit overwhelmed and you know kinda needed a second, someone spoke to me very nicely and respectfully and asked me if everything was OK. The result: I followed the person on his shopping route. And tbh that was the best thing that could have happened to me. Because that way I saw all facets of the market, found out how big and labyrinthine the market really is, saw a huge variety and diversity of things and, above all, didn't get lost :D My orientation is really, really terrible. And La Merced is a nightmare for anyone without orientation. I promise. To be honest, I'm pretty sure I would have to have asked for directions at some point if I were alone :D In my defence, my helper told me that he only found everything so quickly because he knew the market, but that it had also taken him a while to get used to it. And that's exactly what I mean by big and confusing. In the beginning, you will find whatever you will find by chance. Promised :D  Go or not? To finish up with the story, I think you should definitely visit this market as a sight, because I personally have never felt such a local vibe at any other market in Mexico City. You can just tell that it's a really big market with really everything and also where the locals shop and.... I frankly didn't meet a single tourist. So yes, definitely :D 😊

I love love love bookshops. And I love the smell and the environment of old books even more. In Mexico City there is an insanely cool second-hand bookshop with a vibe.... It's a bit run down, a little dark at times and houses an incredible amount of second-hand book treasures. When I discovered the bookshop, my self-imposed ban on buying books really hurt for the first time. Simply because I would have loved to browse here and pick something up. As you can see from the pictures, everything is organised by genre and subject. Really cool! And to be honest, the shop swallows you up a little. I can't say exactly what it is, but the atmosphere in there is like time has stood still. It's super quiet and somewhere a little bit worn out and at the same time you can feel the stories of all the books that linger there. Go or not? If you're a bookworm, definitely! Otherwise, I don't think this place is for you. If you don't speak Spanish, there is of course an English section 😊

Have you ever seen a whole shop full of decorated or multi-leveled cakes? In Europe, you can't get one just like that. In Mexico City, on the other hand, there is the Pastelería Ideal. Here you can also find the normal sweet pastries of Mexico, but also large, tall cakes or cakes decorated with pictures or whatever. When you enter the Pastelería Ideal, there is a busy atmosphere downstairs. Workers are scurrying around and filling up shelves, people are bustling around the tables and shelves with the pastries and there is a general hustle and bustle. Up the stairs on the right, you can't believe what awaits you. The whole room is filled to the brim with cakes that either go up or have motifs such as Elsa or Coco or circus motifs or are decorated for a wedding or Halloween. Some big and flat (Coco's was a guitar! :D) and others 3, 4 or even 5 levels high. Really really cool. My own jaw actually dropped for a moment. I mean you don't see stuff like that every day, do you? Go or not? Personally, I think you should. I mean it's a ‘bakery’ in the centre that you can take a quick look at and is kinda part of Mexican culture. Mexicans are just really cheesy about a lot of things and quite sugar fanatical - just like these cakes. Apart from that, the Pastelería Ideal is famous for its cakes. So let's go :D

I'm not a foodie - not really - but I still appreciate really good food. And so in this post I would like to introduce you to a few really good restaurants in Mexico City: Callejeros: centrally located and a little more expensive than other taquerías. But Callejeros also offers something different and new tastewise. Meaning: here you can get tacos with fillings that you don't necessarily get everywhere. Apart from that, the tacos I tried here were really delicious. And that's why I think this taqueria is worth a visit. Even if it is a little more expensive. Ikuri: centrally located and I would say in the upper average area in terms of price. Very, very tasty quesadillas that you can actually watch being made. The tortillas themselves are made purely from corn and are green - which is nothing unusual. Apart from that, there are also things here that you won't find everywhere Los Primos: centrally located and actually called Taquería and Torteria, but as there are trillions of them in Mexico City, the ad-on of ‘Los Primos’. I usually go here when I want quesadillas - they have some with potatoes, which I personally found really fantastic and very tasty. Unfortunately, I didn't try anything else, but my motto is always ‘If one thing is really tasty, the rest is usually not bad or also very tasty’. So go there. Definitely normal Mexican prices here. I paid 65 pesos for my 5 quesadillas, which is 2.94 in euros, and it more than filled me up. Casa de Tono: this chain certainly doesn't need advertising - probably none of the restaurants do because everything is already established - but!!!! Contrary to some other chains, which are perhaps well frequented for the wrong reasons, Casa de Tono really deserves its good reputation. Because the pozole here is really fantastic! And if you don't know what pozole is, it's soup. But that's all I'll say. So just try it and let yourself be surprised 😉 (and yes, for the vegetarians and vegans among you, there's also a meat-free version 😊) Sushi Factory: yes it's a sushi place and no I'm not going to advise you to eat sushi in Mexico. The only reason I'm including this place here is because I'm not a sushi fan, but I still found the place really delicious. At least this one particular vegetarian roll. And I was shown the place by a real sushi fan. Means, if any of you like sushi, you can go there and try it out if you're in the mood. By the way, I'm not going to talk about prices here because I don't know anything about sushi prices 😊 Go or not? Well, I think you're missing out on the first four if you don't try them, because they serve really delicious Mexican food. You can either go to Sushi Factory or not. (To be fair, it's quite far out of town in a shopping centre). The Mexican restaurants on the other hand.... Delicious!!! 😊

La Esperanza, La Bohème and El Moro. Well, they're not all bakeries, but they're definitely three places that have damn tasty tarts and damn tasty sweet pastries. There are also a few buns, but you can't expect too much in that respect outside Germany anyway, so these three are pretty close to what you can find as bakery in Mexico :D La Esperanza: the bakery I go to when I need a fairly European, not too sweet yet tasty breakfast. Meaning: in addition to lots of sweet pastries, you can also get something more filling and less sweet here. 😊 There is also the Pastelería Madrid for this type of bakery. Also very tasty and with a nice large selection. A bit like Lecaroz in Coyoacán. La Bohème: A very small but nevertheless good bakery in Roma. Here you can get small but delicious mini tarts, which are really tasty!!! and I also mean a bit of bread. Highly recommended! El Moro: not a bakery, but a churrería. Quite famous and with several locations in Mexico City. The churros here are bathed in cinnamon and sugar and the milkshakes are really incredibly delicious! 😊

The Péndulo is a cafebrería - a café and librería (library) in one - and my absolute favorite café in entire Mexico City. I was introduced to it by a Mexican who worked in the hostel where I was staying. I told him what I liked and he recommended this café to me. Guess what? He nailed it. When you walk into a Péndulo, you are immediately surrounded by books. They are all sorted by genre, of course, and invite you to take a look. As you move past the books, you come to tables where friends, business meetings and also solo remote workers are usually sitting. Most of the time at least. The only drawback: it's a bit expensive. So be prepared for European prices. Nevertheless, the atmosphere is simply unbeatable and there are enough power sockets for everyone 😊 Go or not? I personally love it! The Péndulo. It's a great place to sit and work in a relaxed atmosphere surrounded by books. And it also is quiet enough to relax. So if you want to check out a café, go to Péndulo first 😊