De Encuentro is a place around the corner from us where we get our weekly loaf of fancy toastin' bread. It's located along the way between our condo and the grocery, so Judy passes it multple times each week. Usually it's busy with people on their laptops, chatting over coffee, hanging out with their dogs, etc. A solid little neighborhood cafe.
Most people seem to like it, including Daniela
Recently Judy noticed they had a new product offering: soft pretzels. Last week or maybe the week before we got one and I agreed it was indeed soft and tasty. Today we decided we were gonna get ourselves more pretzels. However, when we stepped up to the counter we saw a display case with zero pretzels.
Those dark loaves in the plastic bags are the fancy toastin' bread we get
They said they'd be coming later, so we asked if they could set a few aside for us and send us a whatsapp when they came in. De acuerdo.
Judy negotiating the contact details
I took a couple pics of the unusually empty little tables outside.
A little later they messaged us and we went to fetch the pretzels. 4 for $148 MXN.
After my busy Saturday in Łodz (read part I, part II, part III), I had set aside Sunday for a fuller exploration of Warsaw. First on the agenda was a highlights / overview tour with one of our Warsaw partners. I'd be getting orientation in the Old Town, some additional perpective on the Muranów neighborhood, and also a quick pass through Praga. Our agenda was not necessarily the typical tour, but something of a hybrid and a chance to meet Marcin.
I had some concerns that doing a tour in one of these would be corny or really make me stand out as a TOURIST. But what I experienced was that people love the Zuk. Or are at least fascinated by the Zuk. Old timers seem to have a warm nostalgia for it. Younger folks were curious about it. And I did not see any others driving around Warsaw. It seemed unique, unlike the dozens of classic car tours you see rolling around Lisbon, for example. The vehicle was definitely an ice breaker / attention getter, but not in a crazy disruptive way. Just every time we parked there would be one or two people commenting and others doing double takes and smiling. I'd say it is maybe akin to the effect that a VW van has (had?) when you'd see one in the wild. But with more working class vibes than flower child energy.
Functional space in the back for tours up to maybe 6-7 people. I rode shotgun for my personal tour.
First stop, Sigismund's Column and the entrance to Old Town. Took a few establishing shots, including the prime location McDonald's (more to acknowledge the interesting juxtaposition than as a scouting shot for lunch later).
Our timing coincided with the trumpeter , so I snagged a video with some awkward audio as Marcin got self-conscious mid recording.
As we walked around Marcin explained how the area was destroyed in the war and rebuilt by the communists (who leveraged the reconstruction in propaganda illustrating how pro-Poland they were). He pointed out some elements here and there where you can see if something is original or was rebuilt. Honestly I don't remember those tips. But in the bottom two pictures below you can see how the bricks around the foundation are distinctly different than those further up the wall.
We maneuvered through the streets of old town and I took some of the obligatory pictures. I'm a sucker for tidy symmetrical scenes like this.
Also a fan of elevated walkways between builings. Bonus for the peek out to the Vistula river.
After a spin through the old town we took the Zuk to the Muranów neighborhood, which was where much of the Jewish Ghetto was during WWII. My Friday tour covered some of the more traditional elements and sights related to the Jewish Ghetto. With this tour Marcin wanted to show some of the less obvious, perhaps overlooked aspects. We stopped on Nowolipki street, between Smocza and Jana Pawła II, near the church of St. Augustine (pic below).
The area is now residential flats, with some murals honoring local figures, some of whom participated in the Uprising, like Irena Kwiatkowska.
Marcin flipping through his materials
The detail that Marcin wanted to emphasize was how this area was built right on top of the demolished buildings of the ghetto. And that thoughout the area the bricks of the old buildings are still just under the surface. To make his point, he kicked through some dirt and turned this up.
The demolition was so vast and the resources to rebuild so scarce that they mixed the ashes and debris of the old buildings with cement and raised the apartment blocks right on top of the old ghetto ruins. So as you walk around what is now a peaceful seeming residential area, literally right under your feet are reminders of the absolute horror that took place 85 years ago.
After that soaked in for a moment we hopped back in the Zuk and made our way over to Praga. On the way I took a few scenery shots.
I liked this guy's hat
A glimpse down Przyrynek from Wojtowska. Marcin noted it's a very nice street for people who have more money than he does.
A shot over toward the old town while traveling on Wybrzeze Gdanskie
And then we entered into the Praga side via Most Slasko-Dabrowski. The intersection of Targowa and Aleja Solidarnosci had vibes of some big ol' Chicago intersections.
Maybe Western and Diversey or something like that. Maybe Fullerton and Ashland. On the edge of interesting neighborhoods but with a gritty/grim mundanity. The necessary 'vialidades' as we call them in la CDMX, that connect one part of a city with another, more practical than charming.
We only did a quick spin through a small slice of Praga, with the point being to illustrate how uneven the redevelopment is as a result of the very complicated issues related to determining ownership and accountability. Block by block, building by building, lot by lot, you saw how 80 years later this part of Warsaw is still wrestling with the weight and complications from the war.
Our time was winding down so Marcin pointed the Zuk back to my apartment where I'd grab a coffee to fuel up for the next stage of the day (next post).
Been a little while since I posted about local life here in la CDMX. This past Sunday was a nice little outing with the wife. Had some good weather and some things to do, so we headed to Coyoacán. We lived in the Del Carmen / Santa Catarina colonias of Coyoacán between 2017 and 2022. Judy gets back at least once a month I think for errands. And I pass through there every couple of weeks on my errands as well. For a while walking through the center was an every weekend activity. But we don't head there together as often now, so it was nice to get out there for afternoon.
Coyoacán is generally great and charming, of course. But one of the things that Judy misses is the top notch La Comer that we had in the neighborhood. And one of Judy's favorites times of the year here is Temporada Naranja. As I recall it first hit our radar 8, 9, maybe 10 years ago when it was a sale that ran in June with many things offered 2 for 1 or maybe 3 for 2. Specifically I recall giant costco-sized packages of toilet paper stacked to the ceiling in our old market over in Del Valle Sur (formerly La Comer, now a Soriana). Over the years it has grown into a monster promotion that spans multiple months with waves of promotions and huge displays at the grocery.
(Correction: a little googling reminds me it was originally "Julio Regalado", which of course ran in Julio)
We do have a local Sumesa within walking distance of our condo, but since we had other things to do in Coyoacán anyway, we stopped by our old favorite grocery store for a shopping run. This foto below is not staged. Judy was indeed taking a pic of the sign to share her excitement with local friends.
We had a productive run, savoring a full lap of both levels. I noticed the the Cafe Britt coffee and took a shot as a benchmark, since I'll be in Costa Rica next month. I'm curious to see what kind of premium they charge here in México.
We stocked up on various things, including our staple Peñafiel and some non-Britt coffee, which should last me a few weeks.
From there we parked the car on our old street and walked into the center of Coyoacán, heading toward the Mercado, but stopping first for lunch at Maratea.
Judy had been before with friends, but it was my first time. It's nice. Feels a bit like an oasis from all the activity outside on a busy Sunday (aka, a typical Sunday) in Coyoacán. That's a common phenomenon in la CDMX. You can't always see beyond the facade of a place, whether it's a house or a restaurant or even a Notaria. But then you step into a courtyard and a whole other experience from what you were just walking through on the other side of the walls.
It was a relaxed, traditional Sunday lunch with family and friends kind of vibe. Orange trees, water feature, garden pebbles. Very tranquil.
We got a margherita pizza and their version of a caprese salad.
Solid and hit the spot. Their reviews are semi mixed, but we had at least a 4.5 star experience. Pizza, caprese, Topo Chico, una naranjada, and a double espresso for about $650 MXN pre-tip.
During our walk over to the Mercado we passed by the Jardin del Arte Allende where they are still having their weekend dance gatherings.
Stopped by the stand of a contact Judy buys decorative tiles from. She'll be restocking her shelves in Paskwarho with them this coming weekend.
Our final stop was over at Viveros, or, more specifically, within the Mercado de Plantas, where every 2-3 weeks we pick up another 3-4 linear meters of pasto cuernavaca for our balcony (aka, el jardin de perros, aka, our version of an outdoor litter box for the hounds). It's a little bit of a trek and not a small amount of effort, but it's always a nice garden-y vibe there.
