查普尔特佩克城堡 Chapultepec Castle

2023年11月26日,星期日,墨西哥城之旅第三天 November 26, 2023, Sunday, third day of the Mexico City trip.

今天我俩化身为都市漫步者,从民宿步出,踏上了前往雄伟的查普尔特佩克城堡的征途。不过旅程意外地短暂,哈哈,只需大概25分钟就从都市的喧嚣中抵达了城堡的山脚下。途中,我俩穿行于La Condesa区域,这个区是墨西哥城的一个时尚而受欢迎的居住区,以其独特的艺术气息、欧洲风格的建筑以及美丽的公园和绿地而著称。

Today, the two of us transformed into urban wanderers, stepping out of our bed and breakfast and embarking on a journey to the magnificent Chapultepec Castle. The journey was surprisingly short, haha, taking only about 25 minutes to reach the foot of the castle from the hustle and bustle of the city. Along the way, we passed through the La Condesa area, a fashionable and popular residential area in Mexico City, known for its unique artistic atmosphere, European-style architecture, and beautiful parks and green spaces.

拿着机关枪的美女保安 A beautiful security guard holding a machine gun.
La Condesa区有很多绿地和大的公园 The La Condesa area has many green spaces and large parks
马路中央的林荫人行道 The tree-lined pedestrian walkway in the middle of the road
一个有趣的建筑 a very interesting building
午饭的一个小店,我拍照片的时候都没注意到店员在给我摆姿势 our lunch restaurant, I didn’t even notice the staff posing for me when I was taking the photo
厨师在做烤肉 the chef is cooking meat

我点的两个tacos,中间的是PJG点的烤肉和芝士,右边的是各种salsa酱 I ordered two tacos, the one in the middle is PJG’s order of grilled meat and cheese, and on the right are various salsa sauces.

午饭后,准备去山上的城堡,在去之前,谷歌地图上看到这里应该有一个地铁站,想着去碰一下运气,看看能不能买到交通卡,结果地铁站竟被封了起来,买卡又一次失败。上山去查普尔特佩克城堡吧。

After lunch, we prepared to go to the castle on the hill. Before going, we saw on Google Maps that there should be a subway station nearby. Thinking of trying our luck to see if we could buy a transit card, we found, to our surprise, that the subway station was closed off. Our attempt to buy a card failed again. So, off we went to Chapultepec Castle.

各种果仁小吃 various nuts snacks
色彩和排版 Interesting colors and design
各色的面具 Various local masks

这个城堡有着悠久而丰富的历史,建造在查普尔特佩克山的山顶上,这个名字在纳瓦特尔语中意为“蚂蚁山”。它是墨西哥为数不多的皇宫之一,也是北美洲唯一的一座皇家城堡。

This castle has a long and rich history, built on the top of Chapultepec Hill, a name which means ‘Grasshopper Hill’ in the Nahuatl language (don’t ask). It is one of the few royal palaces in Mexico and the only royal castle in North America.

装饰有精致的金色浮雕的长廊,墙面和天花板也装饰有巴洛克风格的金色装饰线条 This corridor is decorated with intricate gold reliefs, and the walls and ceilings are adorned with Baroque-style gold decorative lines.

它的历史可以追溯到18世纪,当时它作为西班牙副王的夏季宫殿。19世纪中叶,城堡曾短暂地成为墨西哥皇帝马克西米利安一世的居所。在这段时间,城堡经历了大规模的扩建和装饰,增添了许多欧洲风格的装饰元素。1847年,城堡是美墨战争中查普尔特佩克战役的关键地点,这场战役是该战争中最著名的战斗之一。在这里,墨西哥士兵和青年军校——后来被称为“查普尔特佩克的儿童英雄”——为防御入侵的美军作出了英勇的抵抗。

Its history dates back to the 18th century when it served as the summer palace for the Spanish Viceroy. In the mid-19th century, the castle briefly became the residence of Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico. During this time, the castle underwent extensive expansion and decoration, incorporating many European-style decorative elements. In 1847, the castle was a key site in the Battle of Chapultepec during the Mexican-American War, one of the most famous battles of that war. Here, Mexican soldiers and young cadets — later known as ‘The Boy Heroes of Chapultepec’ — heroically resisted the invading U.S. forces.

富丽堂皇的餐厅 The grand and magnificent dining room.
从城堡这边看到的两座金融区的标志性摩天大楼,两座大厦中间的大道是著名的改革大道,是建于1860年代的一条12公里长的大道。左边的经主塔大厦,楼顶有一家LingLing饭店,我俩一会儿就回去那里喝咖啡 From the castle, we saw two iconic skyscrapers of the financial district. The avenue between the two buildings is the famous Paseo de la Reforma, a 12-kilometer-long boulevard built in the 1860s. On the left is the Torre Mayor, with Ritz Carlton’s Ling Ling restaurant on the top floor, where we are going to have coffee later.
在历史与现代交汇的窗前,游客们漫步于这片云端之上的棋盘。每一步都是穿越时空的探险,每一瞥都是城市故事的一页 In front of the window where history and modernity intersect, visitors stroll above the clouds on this chessboard of time. Each step is an adventure through time and space, each glance a page in the city’s story.
历史建筑的现代化瞭望台 Someone is enjoying the view from the observation deck of this historical building.
这个雕像是为了纪念墨西哥-美国战争期间的“尼尼奥斯英雄”(Niños Héroes),即六名在1847年战斗中阵亡的军校学生,它们各自讲述着墨西哥丰富的历史和遗产。 This statue commemorates the ‘Niños Héroes’ (Boy Heroes) from the Mexican-American War, six military academy cadets who died in battle in 1847. They each tell a story of Mexico’s rich history and heritage.
铜像与游客并肩而立,似乎在无言的交流中探讨城市的过去与未来 The bronze statue stands shoulder to shoulder with tourists, seemingly engaging in a silent exchange that explores the city’s past and future.
这个角度可以看到全部的6个尼尼奥斯英雄的雕像 From this angle, you can see all six of the Niños Héroes statues.
城堡里的非常美丽的雕花玻璃 Very beautiful stained glass visible from inside the castle.
美女与野兽 Beauty & beast

20世纪初,城堡成为了墨西哥总统的官邸,直到1939年,拉萨罗·卡德纳斯总统将其转变为国家历史博物馆。如今,查普尔特佩克城堡不仅是一个历史遗址,也是墨西哥城最重要的文化标志之一,吸引着来自世界各地的游客。

In the early 20th century, the castle became the official residence of the Mexican President, until 1939 when President Lázaro Cárdenas transformed it into the National History Museum. Today, Chapultepec Castle is not just a historical site but also one of the most important cultural landmarks in Mexico City, attracting visitors from around the world.

城堡里的一个塔楼 The tower
位于城堡的主楼梯上的这幅画是墨西哥著名壁画家大卫·阿尔法罗·西凯罗斯的作品,西凯罗斯是墨西哥壁画运动的主要代表之一,以其充满活力的、政治性强的作品而知名。这幅壁画描绘了墨西哥的历史和革命。天花板的画叫做尼尼奥斯英雄的牺牲,画家是加布里埃尔·弗洛雷斯·加西亚,描绘了墨西哥历史上著名的“尼尼奥斯英雄”(Niños Héroes)的牺牲场景。The painting located on the main staircase of the castle is the work of the famous Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros, one of the main representatives of the Mexican Mural Movement, known for his vibrant and politically charged works. This mural depicts the history and revolution of Mexico. The ceiling painting is called ‘The Sacrifice of the Niños Héroes’, by the artist Gabriel Flores Garcia, depicting the famous sacrifice scene of the ‘Niños Héroes’ in Mexican history.

逛完城堡,去对面的经主塔大厦楼顶和咖啡。但是误打误撞之下,我俩在误入了13楼的一家餐厅,点完了咖啡才发现这里不是LingLing餐厅。当然,真正景色是不容错过的,我俩又去了56楼的LingLing餐厅,那里的视野开阔,从那儿俯视,查普尔特佩克城堡的雄伟全景尽收眼底,城堡宛如置身于迷你世界中的精致模型,又像是一件精致的古董,而我们则是欣赏它的珍贵藏家。

After touring the castle, we went to the Torre Mayor for coffee. However, by mistake, we ended up in a restaurant on the 13th floor and ordered coffee before realizing it wasn’t the LingLing restaurant. Of course, the real view was not to be missed, so we then went to the LingLing restaurant on the 56th floor. The view there was expansive; looking down, the majestic panoramic view of Chapultepec Castle was fully visible. The castle looked like a delicate model in a miniature world, or a fine antique, and we were the appreciative collectors.

山脚下的纪念尼诺英雄的纪念碑 The monument commemorating the Niños Héroes.
左边大厦的56层就是我俩的目的地 The 56th floor of the building on the left is our destination.
咖啡和提拉米苏甜点 Our coffee and Tiramisu at the first place.
远处的城堡,城堡周围的查普尔特佩克公园是墨西哥城最大的公园,也是一个受欢迎的休闲去处。The distant castle, surrounded by Chapultepec Park, which is the largest park in CDMX and a popular leisure destination.
屹立在远处的雄伟壮观的查普尔特佩克城堡 The majestic and imposing Chapultepec Castle standing in the distance.
LingLing饭店 the LingLing restaurant

坐在高楼的观景台上,我和PJG一边啜饮着果汁,一边俯瞰着墨西哥城那几乎触手可及的云端。这时,Matthew轻描淡写地发信息给PJG说,我俩正坐在海拔2240米的高度上,这让墨西哥城成为了世界上海拔最高的大都会之一。难怪有时会感觉喘不过气来和轻微的头晕。从高空俯瞰,墨西哥城的摩天楼和建筑群构成了一幅壮观的画面。密密麻麻的城市现代建筑和历史建筑交织在一起,绘制出一张展示了多样化和丰富历史文化的都市地图。晴朗的天气下,这座城市的壮丽景色尤为令人印象深刻。

Sitting on the observation deck of a high-rise building, PJG and I sipped juice while overlooking the almost tangible clouds of Mexico City. At that moment, Matthew casually messaged PJG to inform us that we were sitting at an altitude of over 7000 feet, making Mexico City one of the highest metropolises in the world. No wonder we sometimes felt short of breath and slightly dizzy. From this high vantage point, the skyscrapers and buildings of Mexico City composed a spectacular vista. The dense urban modern and historical buildings intertwined, creating an urban map that showcased diversity and rich historical culture. Under the clear weather, the magnificent scenery of the city was particularly impressive.

一杯菠萝汁,一杯莫斯科骡子 A glass of pineapple juice, and a Moscow Mule
这个视野里的城堡 the view of the castle

夕阳西下时,我俩回到酒店顶层,迎接着城市天际线上那壮观的日落。夜幕降临,我再次踏入La Condesa的街头,找了一个餐馆里品尝了美味的晚餐,为这一天画上了完美的句号。

As the sun set, the two of us returned to the top of our hotel to witness the spectacular sunset over the city skyline. As night fell, I once again stepped onto the streets of La Condesa, found a restaurant, and savored a delicious dinner, putting a perfect end to the day.

回酒店的路上在公园里遇到表演披头士歌的乐队
On the way back to the hotel, we encountered a band in the park performing Beatles songs.
民宿酒店楼顶的日落 the roof top at our hotel

落日余晖洒落在远处的那两座火山雪山上 he setting sun’s afterglow casting over the distant snow-capped volcanoes
圣诞装饰的饭店 the dinner restaurant decorated with Xmas decorations

左边的是PJG的大虾饭,右边的是我的鱼和土豆泥,晚饭不是传统意义上的墨西哥菜 On the left is PJG’s shrimp bowl, and on the right is my fish & mashed potatoes. The dinner wasn’t traditional Mexican cuisine in the usual sense.

6 thoughts on “查普尔特佩克城堡 Chapultepec Castle”

  1. Couldn’t locate this blog page until today! I noticed the familiar customer reading something inside the TacoNaco. Perhaps the transit gods are conspiring against you! Did you try any nuts?
    I see our familiar visitor below the clouds and on the balcony. The soldier with the rifle doesn’t seem to particularly worry James.
    I love the stained glass window inside the castle with the beautiful leaves. The staircase of murals must have been a beautiful sight!
    You were meant to make the mistake of which floor restaurant to be in so you could enjoy your Tiramisu. But did you order anything at the LingLing?
    How nice to get realtime texts from Matthew.
    The photos at the top of your hotel are magnificent.

  2. 今天是行程满满的一天呀!
    那个果仁小吃和面具很有意思,如果是我也许会买一个面具玩😝
    富丽堂皇的壁画很好看,还有彩绘玻璃。
    云端观景台几张照片里 看到了小熊的身影,还有两杯果汁🍹很诱人,你俩的照片是自拍的吗?不能想象那么高会不会晕。
    正想问问墨西哥街头有音乐艺人吗,今天就看到了!
    继续游!

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