那个蓝房子The Blue House

2023年11月28日，星期儿，墨西哥城之旅第五天

November 28, 2023, Sunday, the fifth day of our trip to Mexico City

在这个不怎么阳光灿烂的墨西哥城早晨，我俩的目的地是充满传奇色彩的芙烈达·卡萝博物馆，在家没出发的时候就已经买好了博物馆的票。Uber三十多分钟就到达了博物馆所在的区域Coyoacán，这里是墨西哥城最古老的区域之一，它的历史可以追溯到前哥伦布时期。在西班牙征服时期，它成为了征服者的重要基地。

On this not-so-sunny Mexico City morning, our destination was the legendary Frida Kahlo Museum. It’s a popular place, so luckily we purchased tickets before leaving home. After about a thirty-minute Uber ride, we arrived in the Coyoacán area, where the museum is located. Coyoacán is one of the oldest districts in Mexico City, with a history that dates back to the pre-Columbian era. During the Spanish conquest, it became an important base for the conquerors.

一个虔诚的祈祷者，右边的那个忏悔屋其实非常大，非常壮观 – A devout prayer, the confessional room on the right is actually very large and spectacular. I peeked in to take a look!

博物馆的参观时间预订的是1:45，我俩在一个大市场吃了非常地道的午饭。

Our visit time was scheduled for 1:45pm, and so we had time a very authentic (read cheap) lunch in a large market.

左边的我的莫利酱鸡肉，莫利酱是墨西哥饮食中的一种传统的酱汁和腌料，一般来说莫利酱含有水果、坚果、辣椒和黑胡椒、肉桂或孜然等香料。右边是PJG的辣酱玉米饼馅，他非常喜欢，把盘子吃的干干净净 – On the left is my chicken in mole sauce. Mole sauce is a traditional sauce / marinade common in Mexican cuisine. Generally speaking, mole sauce contains fruits, nuts, chili peppers, and spices such as black pepper, cinnamon, or cumin. I also believe it has chocolate and it was pretty sweet. On the right is PJG’s enchilada in verde sauce. He loved it so much that he ate it clean off the plate.

我此前对于芙烈达·卡萝的了解仅在于她的样貌，她独特的连体眉毛，和她的一些画作，在飞往墨西哥城的飞机上，我看了一部关于芙烈达·卡萝的纪录片，对这位独特的女性艺术家有了更深刻的了解。她的一生充满了戏剧性和色彩，正如她的艺术作品一样。出生于1907年的墨西哥城，芙烈达的生命旅程是一系列的挑战和胜利，而她的艺术作品正是是她独特生活经历的反映。她和著名画家迭戈·里维拉的爱情故事充满了激情和复杂性。他们的关系经历了分分合合，包括婚姻、不忠、政治理念的冲突和共同的艺术追求。尽管关系复杂，她俩都在彼此的生命和艺术中都扮演了至关重要的角色。

Before this trip, my understanding of Frida Kahlo was limited to her appearance, her distinctive unibrow, and some of her paintings. PJG said he had never heard of her before. On the flight to Mexico City, I watched a documentary about Frida, which gave me a deeper understanding of this unique female artist. Her life was full of drama and color, just like her artwork. Born here in 1907, Frida’s life journey was a series of challenges and triumphs, and her artworks are a reflection of her unique life experiences. Her love story with the famous painter, Diego Rivera, was full of passion and complexity. Their relationship went through ups and downs, including marriage, infidelity, conflicts over political beliefs, and a shared pursuit of art. Despite the complexities, they both played crucial roles in each other’s lives and in art.

走进博物馆，仿佛穿越时空，进入了芙烈达的私人世界。她的生活故事像她的画作一样鲜活而动人。她的童年被一场严重的车祸打断，这次事故不仅给她的身体带来了持久的痛苦，也深深影响了她的艺术生涯。芙烈达以坚韧不拔的意志力和创造力，将这些痛苦转化为艺术，创作出了一系列震撼人心的作品。

Stepping into the museum is like traveling through time into Frida’s private world. Her life story is as vivid and moving as are her paintings. Her childhood was interrupted by a severe bus accident, which not only caused her enduring physical pain but also deeply influenced her artistic career. With indomitable willpower and creativity, Frida transformed her pain into art, creating a series of breathtaking works.

左边的是迭戈·里维拉的卧室，右边的是芙烈达白天的床，床上面的镜子是她和自己接触的一种媒介 On the left is Diego Rivera’s bedroom, and on the right is Frida’s daytime bed. The mirror above her bed served as a medium for her to interact with herself.

6岁得了脊髓灰质炎，从18岁的严重的车祸开始，一直到47岁去世，芙烈达经历了至少30多次的手术，直到因坏疽而不得不把右腿从膝盖处截肢，她变得异常焦虑和抑郁，纪录片中说到了她也许是自杀或是迭戈帮助她完成了自杀而逝世的。她通过很多的自画像探索和表达自己的身份、性别、文化背景和政治观点，包含了强烈的个人和女性主义主题，反映了她对自己身份的思考和对周围世界的批判。芙烈达不仅仅是一名画家，她是一个文化图标，代表了坚韧不拔的精神和深刻的个人洞察。尽管她在生前并未获得广泛的认可，但逝世后，她的作品和生活故事激发了全球范围内对她艺术的兴趣和赞誉。今天她被广泛地认为是墨西哥最重要的艺术家之一，同时也是国际女性主义艺术的先驱。

At the age of 6, Frida contracted polio, and from the age of 18, following a severe bus accident, she underwent at least 30 surgeries until she had to have her right leg amputated from the knee down due to gangrene. This led to extreme anxiety and depression. The documentary mentioned the possibility that she may have died by suicide or with Diego’s assistance. Through many self-portraits, she explored and expressed her identity, gender, cultural background, and political views, incorporating strong personal and feminist themes, reflecting her contemplation of her identity and critique of the surrounding world. Frida was not just a painter; she became a cultural icon, representing resilience and profound personal insight. Although she didn’t receive widespread recognition during her lifetime, her work and life story have inspired global interest and acclaim after her death. Today, she is widely considered one of Mexico’s most important artists and a pioneer of international feminist art.

能来到她曾经居住的地方是一个特别的体验，但是让我有点点小小失望的是，这个博物馆并没有多少她的作品，看的很不过瘾。不过很感谢迭戈去世前把他们的蓝房子捐赠给了大众，让来自世界各地人了解她的故事，和他俩的爱情与艺术。

Being able to visit the place where she once lived was a special experience, but I was slightly disappointed that the museum didn’t have many of her works of art on display. However, I’m grateful that Diego donated their Blue House to the public before his death, allowing people from all over the world to learn about her story, and her love of art.

逛完博物馆，坐Uber回酒店，去酒店的楼顶的洗衣房洗衣服。然后去附近的一个饭店解决了晚饭。完美和轻松的一天。

After touring the museum, we took an Uber back to the our paradise and headed to the rooftop laundry to do some laundry. Then we had dinner at a nearby restaurant. It was a perfect and relaxing day.

左边的我的玛格列特鸡尾酒，右边的是一杯梅斯卡尔酒和龙舌兰酒，两杯酒很类似， 但是味道非常不同，梅斯卡尔酒有很难的烟熏味 – My beginning margarita cocktail on the left, and on the right, later two glasses of mezcal and tequila. The two drinks are similar, but the flavors are quite different, with the mezcal having a very strong smoky taste.

After dinner, PJG expected he would have to carry me home due to the huge shots of tequila we consumed, but surprisingly, neither of us were unusually drunk! We headed back to the apartment to have a relaxing time on the balcony before bed.

因为我们喝了一大杯龙舌兰酒，PJG 以为晚饭后他得背我回酒店了，但令人惊讶的是，我们俩都一点儿也没有醉！ 我们回到公寓后，睡觉前在楼顶享受了轻松的时光。