Coffee Finca
Some people just have the right business idea at the right time and set it up in the right place. Just outside of Antigua, in a small town called Jocotenango, lies "La Azotea", a coffee plantation (finca) slash coffee museum slash traditional costume museum slash music instrument museum slash cafe slash souvenir shop. Everything the tourists might be interested in in just one convenient stop!
La Catedral
The Cathedral of Antigua is the city's third oldest building, after the church of San Francisco and the Merced. It was originally build in 1552 to provide an ecclesiastic center of government to the Spanish colonial empire in Central America. The building was largely destroyed in the 1773 earthquake and the cathedral was rebuilt in Guatemala city. The ruins were mostly left untouched, except for the entrance hall which has been rebuilt into a parish church.
The interior of the ruins makes for quite an interesting afternoon. Some features (especially the brick arches) are reconstructions for the benefit of tourists, but much of the more elaborate masonry is original.
Enjoy the pictures, courtesy of Venla!
La Recollection
La Recollection is a monastery that was just outside of the old town of Antigua. It was founded in 1701 by two monks who wished to do mission work principally among the Maya. Despite their humble origins and humble intentions, the colonial governorship initially rejected their application on the grounds that the town already supported more monasteries than it could pay for. Further, town elders feared that descendants of the humble monks would not keep up with the vows of their founders and soon begin to desire the ever larger and more elaborate housing that the somewhat isolated location of their monastery would enable.
San Jeronimo
Hey, we visited the ruins of the Convent of San Jeronimo a few days ago, but we fell behind on getting our pictures on line.
Copan Ruinas – Part two
As promised, here is part two of our trip to the ancient Mayan city of Copan, Honduras. The first covered the city itself, and this one is about the collocated museum, which houses many of the significant carvings and sculptures found in Copan.
Macadamia Nut Finca
Another school activity took us to a macadamia "finca" (farm or plantation) a few minutes away from Antigua. After a very crowded but thankfully short chicken bus ride, we arrived at the Valhalla finca, where we were shown around by a friendly guide and treated to some delicious samples. And of course encouraged to buy some of their products... apparently macadamia nuts are good for just about everything, from healthy eating to skin care, up to and including working miracles on disabled people (according to the testimony hanging on the wall)! Matt and I, however, decided to stick with enjoying them slightly roasted and salted!
Copan Ruinas – Part One
Hello and welcome to part one of Venla's and my visit to Copan, Honduras.
Married Again
Today the school took us on an excursion to a town called San Antonio Aguas Calientes a bit outside of Antigua to visit a group that works to keep their traditional Maya lifestyle alive. There was a presentation about the different parts of traditional Maya dress, food and weddings. For the wedding, they needed a couple of volunteers from the audience, and Venla and I had the luck of being the slowest to hide behind our chairs.
Xetulul- muy muy bonito…
On Sunday morning at 5am, we set out for what was to be a strange but ultimately very interesting and even fun day.
Volcan Pacaya
Volano Pacaya, located about 25 km from Antigua, is a very popular attraction. Not only do you get to climb a volcano, but you even get to climb an active one... Smoke, heat and lava streams await you close to the top, and the views of the other tree volcanoes (Agua, Fuego and Acatenango) are impressive. All in all it was a really trippy experience: probably the only time I will stand on rocks younger than I am.
Volcanoes
Today was the first clear morning since we got here: a chance to see the summit of 2 of the 3 the volcanoes that surround the city.
Los pueblos de Antigua
What better way to discover the outskirts of a city than to take a lovely afternoon bike ride?
Well, if the city in question is Antigua, a motorbike ride might actually be a better idea, as the streets here are made of a kind of broken up cobblestone that makes Brussels streets look smooth as a mirror. But if you do not mind going to bed with a aching backside, a bike ride is a fantastic way to get around to the hidden pueblos in the outskirts of Antigua.
Las Capuchinas
More old piles of stone on the menu today, as we visited the ruins of the convent of las Capuchinas.
One evening at Cafe Sky
Antigua is a very well protected city. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and a tourist magnet, it it is well taken care of by its inhabitants - and by the law.
In an effort to preserve the harmony and atmosphere of the center, many rules have been put in place since 1969 to define what may or may not be done. And so what may look like just a nice old town to the innocent tourist is actually the product of much careful planning and law enforcing.
First day of class in Antigua
After a relaxing week-end spent testing park benches in the city, we packed our backpacks and headed for school on this beautiful Monday morning. Our hosts had prepared a huge breakfast to help us get through this big day, with fruit piled up at least 5 cm high on our already rather large plates. So with full stomachs and much anticipation, we worked our way through the cobblestone streets and joined the ranks of students flocking to the center for their lessons at one of the 70-some Spanish schools the city harbors.
La Merced
Besides language classes, one of the "things to do" in Antigua is visiting old churches. So here we are finally: feast your eyes some old piles of stones!
Arrived in Guatemala
We left Chicago late last night and got to Guatemala this morning. The airline we flew, TACA, was probably the nicest I have flown yet: the seats are large and comfortable, the food is free and good, and the service is just outstanding.
Arrived in Chicago
We had a great time in Chicago over the last couple of days. That is one gigantic city, I must say. It's not New York, but it is still impressive. We saw my sister, her husband and my beautiful niece for the first time in about a year, which by itself made the trip worth it. That is a good thing, because we didn't do much else besides go to the zoo (which was also greatly improved because we went with the family). Anyway, we got a couple of really nice pictures of the family, check out the gallery!