I rented an Airbnb in the Vértiz Narvarte neighborhood, one of the areas in Colonia Narvarte. Being in Mexico City for three weeks, I had little interest in the more touristy areas of Roma and Condesa. The apartment was in a building between storefronts. I couldn’t locate the front door via Google maps. My host explained that the property was next door to a corner shop. I needed to look for a door, made of metal bars, with a lock box above the mailbox. My keys were in the box.

On my first neighborhood outing, I found five restaurants, a coffee shop, a gelato shop, and a convenience store, all along the two blocks heading from the AirBnB to the main road. I walked another block up, took a right turn, and walked to the second 7 Eleven. It was across the street from the Metro bus stop. There were also three taco stands, on the same side of the street, as the 7 Eleven. I couldn’t have picked a better location.

A few days later, I decided to Uber over to the Museo Nacional de Antropología. I picked a Sunday and the driver had to drop me across the street. Each Sunday, (from 8 am to 2 pm), some main streets in Mexico City are closed to cars and filled with people walking, jogging, cycling, and rollerblading. Earlier in the year, I experienced the same thing in Guatemala City. After visiting the museum, I had to walk a few blocks to catch the Hop on Hop off bus, as the bus stop near the museum was still off limits for a few more hours.

The coffee shop on the end of the corner from my Airbnb was amazing. I walked by it, a half dozen times, before finally going inside. I couldn’t believe my eyes, when I saw the old red London telephone box in the main sitting area. I’d already booked my flight to Heathrow and took it as a positive sign. I hated leaving Mexico City. It’s been on my travel bucket lists for years. It has the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the world! Twenty one million people can seem like a lot and so some travelers skip visiting. Trust me! You need to go to Mexico City. It’s beyond bragging rights! It’s amazing!

I had to be out of the AirBnB by 10:00 AM. My flight from Mexico City to London was at 9:00 PM. Luckily, I already knew about the pod hotel in the airport. There’s an izZzleep hotel in terminal one and two. I’d slept in the latter, on my birthday trip to Puerto Escondido, in 2022. This time the hotel was a better option than the airport lounge. The five hours of sleep was totally worth the extra cost.

British Airways was having an “Internet” issue. The airline’s app would not allow me to check-in and the airline was the only major carrier not part of the airport’s self check-in system (along with American Airlines and three others). There was no British Airways staff at the airport, until three hours before my 9:00 PM flight. When I was finally able to check-in, I was (of course) assigned a middle seat, in the back of the plane. Once through security, I waited for the first announcement for my flight and then approached an agent. He’d already been told that I had been at the airport, since 10:30 AM. He had my seat changed (to an aisle) and allowed me to board first, with those needing extra time.

I traveled from Heathrow to the Paddington Station. I passed on the fast Heathrow Express (£25.00/15 minutes) and the slower Piccadilly line (£5.50/50 minutes), and picked the new Elizabeth Line. The trip took around 25 minutes. For some reason, we had to stop and wait five minutes before the final station. The trip only cost £12.80. Paddington Station has certainly had some work done. There’s a newly remodeled entrance, with a shopping center attached. It was a tad shocking to see. My hotel (Point A Paddington) was less than a ten minute walk away. Note to self: do NOT book the windowless hotel rooms ever again!

I now find it so funny that I thought Mexico City was cold, in the mornings. What was I thinking? London was freezing and you’d never know by the way people were dressed. I bundled up and kept explaining, “I was just in Mexico City!” “Oh, you poor thing!” They always reply. Luckily, half of my “under the seat” suitcase is filled with fall items. I simply layer them, when it’s cold. I must admit that I am very happy that I finished knitting that beanie, in Mexico City. I purchased the wool in Shetland, Scotland, during my September Northern Europe cruise.

Forty years ago, I arrived in London, the day before Band Aid, recorded “Do They Know It’s Christmas.” Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the studio! Blame it on jet lag. We all know that I am better than that! Who snuck into the 1978 Grammy awards and after party? Who snuck into the Grease premiere after party and was pushed into a seat, at a table, directly across from where John Travolta and Olivia Newton John would be seated?Six years later, my mojo had gone.

Now, I’m back in London and “Do They Know It’s Christmas” is celebrating its 40th anniversary. I purchased the single, as soon as it was released, in London. It went straight to number one. Forty years later, I’m actually OK with “just” being a part of that! XOXO — GGT