Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul (Blue House) is about an hour out of the city centre. It's my first trip on the metro and I'm surprised at how clean and cheap it is, at about 1p a journey. The downside is the large number of hawkers trying to sell you stuff, particularly pirated CDs and every genre of music from 80s pop (still popular here although not quite as popular as in South America) to rock 'n roll and traditional Mexican rhythms. They all have portable speakers so (loudly) play samples from their CDs as they stroll from one carriage to another. Not ideal if you have a headache or need some quiet time.
I first became interested in Frida Kahlo when the Tate Modern exhibited some of her work a few years ago. I found her art which largely reflected her tragic life very poignant. On almost every canvas she spills her raw emotions for all to see. She 'lived dying' one friend said.
La Casa Azul in Coyoacan, a small town on the outskirts of Mexico City, was where she was born and later retired to paint. The garden painted in a vivid blue colour reminds me of the Majorelle Garden in Marrakech. The house is now a museum displaying a few of her paintings although most of the original works are not here.
http://www.museofridakahlocasaazul.org/casaazul.htm
(Photo - La Casa Azul)
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