If you have not tried the Iced Coffee Honey made with Yucatan floral honey at the Condesa Barra de Cafe yet you are missing out.
What are you waiting for? Don’t want to go out in the heat? Call one of the many delivery services! The Big Guy & I both love our coffee though I do tend to lean more toward the sweet concoctions versus the heavy leaded espresso. Ha.
Back in the states, we walked at least a few miles a day & have continued that habit since we landed in beautiful Merida. Having said that, Merida can get pretty hot. Most days have a breeze which makes it enjoyable but there have been a couple really HOT days as well. Recently on one of those hotter than usual days we were to the point of needing a pick me up to get us back to the hotel.
Our new favorite coffee hang out is the Condesa Barra de Cafe & we love the Iced Coffee Honey made with Yucatan floral honey! It is cool, not sugar sweet & definitely hits the spot as my new favorite iced coffee.
Condesa Barra de Cafe– Ice Coffee with Honey?
We were looking for a particular coffee shop that we had seen a day or so before while taking an Uber to grocery shop. We had already passed a Starbucks but we really enjoy supporting the smaller businesses when able. We just had to find the shop. Luck was with us when we looked over across the street & saw Condesa Barra de Cafe. It literally jumped out at us with its brilliant colored store front.
Coffee shop street view.
Johne & Daniel [baristas] of Condesa Coffee shop & The Big Guy
We asked both Johne & Daniel what drink they would suggest we try? They both instantly said Iced Coffee Honey. We wanted something cold & Iced Coffee Honey did the trick. A very simple concoction really, coffee, water & Yucatan floral honey for sweetness & then shakened. It was awesome & definitely cooled us down. I believe, if I understood correctly, the color of Yucatan honey is related to the type of floral that the bees had access to. For a very interesting story on the honey/beekeepers check this out!
The drinks were $45 pesos each, a very reasonable price for an awesome glass of iced coffee! Very affordable for seniors on a budget! Especially when compared to prices that you pay at the Int’l coffee chain! On our F/B check out the short conversation we had with Daniel & Johne!
Daniel was so charming & instantly made us feel as if we belonged. That is an awesome feeling that you don’t get to often in life especially from a stranger! Mexico has been a breath of fresh air to both The Big Guy & me.
When you reach Merida, just head over to the Calle 50 & 59 area & pop in to try a coffee with Daniel. It doesn’t have to be the Iced Honey Coffee, I saw some pretty nice looking frappes going out the door as well. There is also a small menu to choose sweets from! I really don’t think you will be disappointed! Happy travels!
Oh, I can’t possibly not give a shout out to Daniel’s FaceBook Page – Cooking in Yucatan & check it out. His business went sideways due to Covid but he is hoping to get back to his love of cooking & teaching preparation of dishes soon. Check it out!
We made it! We will share with you our mistakes or – rather – lessons learned from our Merida, Mexico flight…
Flight to Mexico
We were so excited when we bought our initial tickets to Merida, Mexico that we overlooked several issues. Those few items that we should have researched a bit are listed below. At the end of the day we made it to Merida & have not looked back but know that we cannot afford to make these type of silly mistakes again. You know – lessons learned!
In no particular order here is what we did wrong that will not happen again.
Flight – We bought our tickets at the very beginning of this year in anticipation that the border would be open & allowing flights into Mexico. In being so excited that we were actually going to make our escape we did not research flights thoroughly. Really all it hurt was our pocketbook but we spent more than we had to. We flew out of Austin to Merida with two connections. I’m pretty sure we could have found a more direct flight for close to same price if not cheaper but since we chose to use credit card miles we were limited to which flights/airlines we could use.
Lesson Learned – shop airlines. Sometimes direct flights are comparable priced to flights with a few stops.
We Got Searched! – The Big Guy bet me he would be searched at the Airport & yes he was pulled to side & scanned. I, on the other hand, was searched, scanned & backpack emptied when we hit the Atlanta airport. I had gone thru the checkout first so I could watch our backpacks while Horace was being searched BUT GUESS WHAT?! While they have me standing to the side waiting on a female to search me, they waved The Big Guy to move on, he was fine. You know he got a kick out of that!!
Electronic Tickets – We thought we were being proactive loading our airline app w/flights on our iphones. Electronic check in was so easy until we got to Mexico City Airport. When we got to the final check though to get to Gate C, we were denied entry. The airport app we had on our phones [that had been fine at the other U.S. airports did not contain a date!] so we had to go back to the main airline desk to request paper tickets. On our side was the two hour layover & the flight attendant was great printing our paper tickets for us. Once we got the paper ticket in hand, we were told to look for the flight number & departure time [circled in red on our boarding ticket] as they did not print gates on tickets. Once we got back thru security we were able to check out the Departure Displays to see that we needed to go to Gate C.
AeroMexico Boarding Pass with flight number, loading & departure times circled for our benefit.
Lesson Learned – We will always have a printed copy of our itinerary with us with dates. If we had that we would have been okay. This was the first time I was lax in printing our flight itinerary & it bit us in the butt!
Gate C – Gate C wasn’t a gate. It was a huge room of passengers waiting for various flights to be called. The Attendant behind the partition was very patient with us. I know I asked him at least twice if “that was our flight” & he would just shake his head. We sat there long enough that I was able to understand other flights being called & it was kind of hilarious when a few passengers for a particular flight came strolling to check in – the first few passengers were lucky – the Attendant yelled at them to run as the door would be closing. The last gentleman wasn’t so lucky – he told the Attendant his flight was 1:20 & the Attendant told him it is 1:25 p.m. & doors shut.
Lesson Learned – Patience is a virtue & it is okay to ask for assistance.
Language Barrier – the more you can speak of the language, the easier it is to get where you are going or get what you need. If you are not ‘there’ yet be sure to have the Google Translate App or whichever works for you on your phone & do not be afraid to try to pronounce words. If you at least try, they will help. I for one have a lot to learn but I know I will get there:) Since we have been here I’ve been told to learn 5-10 new words a day & practice practice practice.
Currency – We did not bring any pesos with us as we knew we could buy at the Mexico City airport. We compared currency values at the various Currency Counters & bought just enough to get us by for a day or so. What we didn’t know was all the paperwork to be filled out/signed with Passport. I was kind of impressed by the exchange transaction.
Mexican pesos bills & coins
Lesson Learned#1 – I’ve only bought currency in advance of a trip abroad one time & that was years ago. Since that one time we wait until we land in ‘that’ country & go straight to currency exchange for a few pieces. What we did learn & will not do again is get currency from our hotel ATM. For $100 pesos [$25 USD] it cost us $6 so in the end we received $19 in pesos! Yes! $1 ATM fee & $5 hotel fee. Once we made it to a currency exchange we exchanged $300 US & received $5870 pesos – costing us $14.07 US. So you are at the mercy of currency rate exchanges as they can vary from shop to shop – just keep your eyes open.
Lesson Learned #2 – We have not had any problems using Amex at Sam’s Club, Costco, Sears & most restaurants. Now the smaller street shops & vendors, yes you will need pesos. I would suggest smaller denominations of bills for ease in change.
Lesson Learned #3 – Arturo, our waiter, at Habanero’s Restaurant told us about Elektra for walk in currency exchange. We had one close to our hotel so we checked it out. You can’t miss the huge bright yellow building. It is a store but has a bank on second floor that anyone can get currency exchange & you don’t need an account with them – unlike banks in the states. Easy transaction & great customer service & a pretty good rate.
Last But Not Least: Back to the Airport – Baggage Pickup – We arrived in Merida, exited the plane & followed the other travelers from our flight right out the front of the Airport…Yes….we went right pass the Baggage pick up area but realized it to late. This was my fault…The Big Guy had just got his vaccination the day before…not the best idea before a flight…he had a headache & in general was just not feeling it…so he was following me. Anyway, we were turned away from re-entering, of course, and luckily the Pilot was coming out of security & realized we were in a bit of a pickle & very kindly listened to our problem. After we explained to him what happened, he told us who to go see at the AeroMexico counter & that gentleman was so nice. He called back & they delivered our roller bags to us!
At The End of The Day…
We are thrilled to be here in Merida! We definitely had some bumps but we figured there would be. The nice thing is that at the end of the day all is well! Everyone we have met for the most part has been engaging & happy to help us out with directions or how to change American word into Spanish. We’ve heard the phrase “you teach me English & I teach you Spanish.” Works for us.
Follow us on our trip to Habanero’s for our first taste of some authentic Mayan food! Fingers crossed!
I hope you follow us on our journey. Watch how two senior travelers navigate this thing called international travel on a budget!
If you ever get the opportunity to visit Atlanta, Georgia then one inspirational day in The Sweet Auburn Historic District should be on your list….The top of your list! Recently while anxiously waiting for our May flight to Mexico, we made an extended trip to North Georgia to pass some time. While there, we visited state & national parks as well as many local park trails. We even made it to The National Center for Human & Civil Rights but that is another post. Having said that, the one day we spent on Auburn Street in Atlanta walking the historic district it was clear to me that Auburn Street deserved its own post!
A Little History of Sweet Auburn Historic District
Originally called Wheat Street, it was renamed to Auburn Street in 1893 & quickly became the place to be for Black Americans. At one point Forbes magazine called it the ‘richest black street in the world’! The Sweet Auburn Historic District history was made all the more powerful with the Black American culture & the many small businesses with several strong churches to act as religious base for the community. It really was in my view its own little ‘town’. Banks created by Black Americans served the needs of the blacks not serviced by the white banks. Businesses were created to fill their everyday needs – beauty salons, barbers, markets, insurance needs. etc as well as social clubs,etc.
Though Sweet Auburn Historic District was designated a historical site in 1976, sadly in 1992 it was recognized by The National Trust of Historic Preservation as one of “America’s Top 11 Most Endangered Historic Places due to ‘lack of investment, crime & abandonment…’! To add to that, the city basically overnight eliminated an entire section of the area to make way for the new highway. The saying was that one day homes were there & the next day the area had been wiped clear!
Sweet Auburn Decline Plaque
Beginning with Martin Luther King Jr’s birth home & working its way outward, the city has seen some renovation by The Historic District Development Corporation [HDDC]. They are one of the oldest non profits in Atlanta & they cater mainly to rehabilitating homes in what is known as The Old Fourth Ward.
Here are a few highlights of our awesome trip down Sweet Auburn!
Sweet Auburn Street Highlights
In no particular order, here are just a few of the sights that inspired us.
Churches
Ebenezer Baptist Church located at 407 Auburn was founded twenty years after the Civil War. It was the church Martin L King Sr ministered & where Rev. Martin L King Jr. delivered his first sermon in 1947. The church is still active in that you can sit in the church & listen to sermons of Rev. King Jr & it still plays a huge part in the fight against racism & civil rights movement.
The Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Temple is located at 220 Auburn, with roots back to 1847 when enslaved men & women – with permission – were allowed to go to church. To this day The Bethel Temple works to keep the integrity of the Sweet Auburn Historic District in place.
Ebenezer Baptist Church located in Sweet Auburn Historical District
Street view of Bethel Temple in Sweet Auburn Historic District.
Martin Luther King Childhood Home
Martin Luther King’s homestead is located at 501 Auburn St where he was born January 15, 1929. Read here how the Rev King [both Jr & Sr] came upon their names.
MLK Homestead in Sweet Auburn Historical District. MLK Jr was born 1/15/1929 in this home & lived there for many years of his young life.
For more information about Martin Luther King Jr. please go here for some interesting facts!
Shotgun Houses
I personally loved these little houses! These houses are one of the historic neighborhoods of Atlanta built in early 1900’s originally for blue collar workers. After the Atlanta Race Riots of 1906 the workers deserted the homes. The homes then became rentals for blacks to move in. The name “shotgun” comes from the way the houses are built with front & back doors perfectly aligned. In other words a gun shot thru the front door would go straight thru the back door. On our visit there, some of these were tagged as private residences. More info check this out!
Shotgun homes located at 472-488 in Sweet Auburn District
The Royal Peacock Club Atlanta
The Peacock Club located at 186 Auburn had been a hot spot for contributions to the black entertainment world for decades. Originally The Top Hat in 1930, it was renamed under new ownership as the Royal Peacock in 1949. Entertainers such as Aretha Franklin, Glad Knight, BB King & Ray Charles to name a few cut their so called ‘teeth’ at The Royal Peacock.
During our visit it did not look like it was open though I saw that it still host parties but I also read that it was undergoing renovations so maybe we can look forward to a major part of black entertainment to spread her peacock feathers again!?!
Street view of The Royal Peacock Club.
Some miscellaneous Black Businesses that left their mark on Auburn Street!
Banks – Citizens Trust Bank was an early bank to provide services to Black Americans who were not being served by white banks.
Insurance Companies– Atlanta Life Insurance was founded in 1905 by former slave Alonzo Herndon. He started the company with a $140 investment. For more info check this out. The company is still in operation!
Newspaper – The Atlanta Daily World was the first Black American owned newspaper [and the oldest] located at 145 Auburn St. opening its doors in 1928. Although urging blacks to shop black owned businesses was an important issue for the paper, they also covered lynchings, police brutality & school segregation to name a few. The paper is under different ownership since 2008 but still maintains an online paper presence.
Atlanta Daily World Street sign. Opened in 1928 it is the oldest black newspaper in Atlanta.
The Refugee Coffee Co. – The Company itself is only six years old. It is housed next to the Atlanta Daily on Auburn Street. Our barista, Fray, an Ethiopian immigrant, chatted with us about how Refugee Coffee Co. works & trains refugees & immigrants new to this country. Fray was trained as a barista five years ago & works at this location. And the coffee was fabulous!
Refugee Coffee – a non profit for refugees & immigrants.
Prince Hall / Revival Masonic Lodge & the Odd Fellows Building – both located on Auburn, were two of several fraternal or social clubs supporting the black business community.
By 1960 the Masonic Lodge, after having gone thru several businesses onsite, became the base for Martin Luther King Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference [‘SCLC’] & National Association Advancement of Colored People [NAACP] in 1957. The SCLC has published The SCLC magazine since 1971.
Southern Christian Leadership Conference president Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and Mathew Ahmann, executive director of the National Catholic Conference for Interracial Justice, at the March on Washington, D.C., August 28, 1963.National Archives, Washington, D.C. (542014)
Movers & Shakers in Civil Rights Movement on Auburn
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. – We will go more into Rev Martin Luther King Jr in a separate post but for now go here for some interesting facts about the awe inspiring Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Art Installation at The National Center for Human & Civil Rights Museum in Atlanta
John Lewis – This Hero Mural was dedicated to John Lewis upon his death in 2020 I feel so honored that we were able to visit it on our visit to Atlanta. John Lewis led the walk to Selma, Alabama, in 1965, a landmark event in the history of the civil rights movement that became known as “Bloody Sunday.” For a CNN timeline of highlights of John Lewis, check this out.
This was quote posted with the Hero mural.
john lewis mural in sweet auburn historic district
John Wesley Dobbs – co-founded the Atlanta Negro Voters League with A.T. Walden which lead to registering over 20,000+ blacks to be able to vote mid 1930s-mid 1940s! He was instrumental in changing political power on Auburn Street district enabling the hiring of the first eight Black American Police Officers in 1948. Another kudos to Mr. Dobbs was the city’s installation of street lights along Auburn Street! I think it is very easy to figure out why he was the “Mayor” of Sweet Auburn.
John Wesley Dobbs Poster. There are posters like this all thru the Sweet Auburn Historical District explaining the importance of that building or of what happened in this spot!
Dedicated to John Dobbs at Dobbs Plaza. This 7 ft tall “Through His Eyes” was dedicated
The Peace Rose Garden/Martin Luther King National Historical Park –
The ‘I have a dream’ Peace Rose Garden sits directly in front of the Martin Luther King Library – its beautiful rose bushes were just starting to bloom on our visit. Surrounding the garden are poems written by students from kindergarten to seniors of how they were inspired by Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech. Here are some of photos from the Peace Rose Garden.
‘I have a dream’ Peace Rose Garden at MLK Library in Atlanta
MLK National Park in Atlanta
Entrance to MLK building. Due to Covid, a lot of the buildings were not open but you could walk around and see a lot!
Directly across the street from the Peace Rose Garden is the final resting place for both Rev. Martin Luther King & his wife, Coretta. Directly behind the pool is the “Freedom Walk”.
Here are a few other photos of the Sweet Auburn District. Enjoy. If you ever get the chance to be in Atlanta this is a must see.
Carrie Steel Logan Plaque in Sweet Auburn Historical District. She opened her home to the homeless ‘boxcar’ children with no homes. Thru donations – opened an orphanage, hospital & school building, providing care for over 200 children.
Underpass where African Americans gathered to vote
Papi’s Cuban Grill in Stockbridge was our lunch choice after an awesome day visiting The National Center for Human & Civil Rights in Atlanta this past April. After working our way through some horrendous traffic downtown, we headed out to Papi’s Cuban Grill in Stockbridge! Yes, parking was accessible & the menu was Cuban Caribbean!
Between the five of us we had Grilled Chicken Breast [above], Chicken with vegetables & the Lechon Asada [pork].
Papi’s Cuban Grill – Lechon Asada – all plates came with yummy plantains!
The Lechon Asada plate included pork marinated for 24 hours in Papi’s ‘special’ seasoning, slow cooked for pulling. All the plates at Papi’s were served with white or yellow rice [w/spices], black beans, salad & plantains! The Big Guy thoroughly enjoyed his choice.
The Grilled Chicken Breast was cooked with onions & seasoned with ‘mojo’ dressing with all the sides above. The chicken was so tender! We started our meal with an Empanada Sampler of mixed meats wrapped & fried. My mouth is drooling just typing this. Ha.
I can’t say that all the other “Papi’s Cuban Grills” are as awesome as the Stockbridge establishment but Papi’s Cuban Grill at Stockbridge was the perfect ending to our wonderful day & did not disappoint! Try it out for yourself!
