Sorpresas en el Bosque de Chapultepec

The world's great cities, it seems, also provide extraordinary respites from their own frenetic energy. In México D.F., a thousand acres of trees, lakes, and winding paths extend through the city in the Bosque de Chapultepec, or Chapultepec Park. Today, running through the park, we encountered two surprises.

First, as we approached the main lake through the forest, we heard classical music and a voice giving staging directions over a loudspeaker. As the view of the lake emerged, we saw a stage extending over the lake and sheltered by a canopy of trees. A ballet company was rehearsing Swan Lake. I cannot imagine a more magical setting for this ballet. Just the rehearsal was enchanting - but punctuated by rather curt corrections by the sunglass-shaded director. She wanted to see the ballerinas' feet move faster.

Then, we climbed the hill to the Castillo, a fantastic castle first built in 1785, remodeled by Maximilian (who was sent to Mexico by Napoleon) in the mid-1800s, and later inhabited by the rebel-leader-then-president Porfirio Diaz. We were amazed by the views of the Valley of Mexico from the hilltop castle's terraces - We could see across the park's green and the shiny skyscrapers and miles and miles of buildings to the distant mountains. The guide book states, "There should really be wonderful views from here, across the city to Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl, but of course there never are." But on this unusually sunny and smog-free day - a gift of last week's rains - we could see all the way to those two giant, snow-capped volcanoes.