We were all ready for a relaxing day on Sunday. We went to church, which is structured differently at the CCM so we only stayed for the first two hours, one of which I spent outside with Amirah. It was such a nice day, and the grounds at the CCM are so serene. I had no complaints.

We ate lunch in the cafeteria again, which the kids loved. (Jello, jello, jello.) Then we took naps and walks in the afternoon, and played a game of Spanish Monopoly. In the evening we hopped in a mission bus and drove to the temple to see the Christmas lights.

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Monday was our last day and so Nacho took us into the heart of the old city and we got to see all the amazing architecture. It is such a mix of so many styles, it was a visionary delight.

We ate a really yummy breakfast first, with real Mexican hot chocolate that my kids spooned excessive amounts of sugar into. The fruit was yummy and we tried new kinds. And of course it was all unbelievably affordable for these New Yorkers.

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It was a lot to absorb, Nacho filled us with history and trivia about the city and interesting events that took place over its dramatic past. We did a lot of walking, and Nacho was a fast walker!

Our last stop for the day was a market. Markets are my second favorite places to go in foreign cities, (restaurants are first.)

The market was so fun. It was expansive and I could have spent many more hours (and pesos!) there. Unfortunately the kids (and maybe some adults too) were tired and worn down so we kept our shopping to a reasonable amount of time (and pesos). My nine year old heart lept with the chance to purchase Mexican huarache sandals and I took my sweet time picking the perfect pair.

After the market we went back to the CCM to rest for a bit before going back to my parent’s favorite taco place across the street. We finished up with more churros for dessert and then called it a night.

The next morning we woke up early and one of our drivers picked us up and drove us to the airport, where had a pretty uneventful (thankfully) trip home.

I loved this vacation so much. Of course having my parents do so much of the planning and coordinating was a huge benefit, but it was low stress and huge reward. Everything met or exceeded my expectations and even though it was one of the longest trips we’ve taken it went so quickly and was so fulfilling. Of course the highlight of travel is the wonderful people that we meet and spend time with. Our experiences in Mexico were exceptional in that way, circumstances made it possible to spend more time with the people we encountered and interacted with. I’m so grateful to my parents for their sacrifice in serving in a mission and for their efforts in hosting us.

VIVA MEXICO!