thefouramigosblog

Every day we take a different road and around every corner is something new and exciting to see.  We did have a mission this morning.  We need to find a bank to change dollars into Quetzals, we needed to find a travel company to book a shuttle to Lake Atitlan for tomorrow, and we needed to find something to eat.  Our adventure took us past the side of the Catedral on Central Park.  We were able to look at the ruins from the gate but we will reserve a tour for another day.

The street we walked down also had a great view of the volcano. It rose above the city in all its majesty, dwarfing the buildings and people in its shadow.  A small child in typical Guatemalan dress feverishly bounds after her mother, who walks with pride and purpose.  These women stand on there feet countless hours each day selling whatever they can so they can feed their young.

Our walk took us to the tourist board where we were given some brochures as well as pointers on what to look for when we booked our trips.  Ronnie, the agent on duty,  was very helpful and a good resource to have while we are in Antigua.  Across from the tourist board we stopped for a bite to eat and a cup of coffee.  Bruce had a hot chocolate which tasted sweet with a slight hint of cinnamon.

Next stop was the bank.  While I waited outside I met a Guatemalan man named Carlos who had lived in New York for two years.  He lived near Coney Island in Brooklyn and worked doing landscaping.  He was selling bracelets made of coconut that he made himself.  Oh I also found out my Mayan sign is the bee and Bruce is the jaguar.

We found a travel agency in a lovely building and booked our shuttle for tomorrow.  After we booked we climbed up to the roof and looked at the magnificent views.

From the roof I could see Cerro de La Cruz and Compania de Jesus.  Cerro de La Cruz is a cross on top of a hill.  We plan to hike it when we come back from Lake Atitlan.

For those who know me well, you know how I love Dunkin Donuts.  Well guess what I found?  You guessed it.

And we sat in a lovely little court yard drinking coffee.  Although I have to say, I really like Guatemalan coffee.

On our way back to our apartment we came across this work crew.  Could you imagine people in the US working like this!  No heavy equipment, all muscle.

The rest of the day was lovely.  We had coffee with friends, two of which were from New York and one had graduated from my alma mater, NYU.  Then Bruce and I had dinner at a pizza place where we met a lovely couple from Vancouver who have travelled the world.

Another fabulous day in Guatemala!!

I don’t usually wake up early but with all the walking and the hard bed, I’ve not been sleeping very well.  So this morning Bruce insisted I go to the yoga class hoping it would help him get some sleep.  I wasn’t sure what to expect and didn’t know if the class was going to be in English or Spanish.  It turned out the instructor was from New Zealand and has been living in Antigua for 12 years.  It was a great 90 minute class with a lot of stretching, holding, breathing and meditating.  Just what I needed.  I always love the last 5 to 10 minutes of meditation.  The instructor handed out herbal scented eye pillows to block out any light.  Now that’s what I call relaxation.  The yoga room is lovely and quiet with scented herbs lining the flower boxes outside the room.

After yoga, I went back to the apartment for breakfast and a shower.  Low and behold I caught this picture of Fuego with the smoke above the volcano- -almost as though it had blown a smoke ring.  I guess I will get used to this but I am finding it very fascinating.

We met some new friends, Patty and Chris, at Guate Java for coffee and then they took us to a few shops to meet some of the local shop owners.  One shop is a Fair Trade Store.  I bought this lovely bag and purse for $36 and it is made by hand and proceeds go back to the people.

Afterwards we went back to Patty and Chris’s apartment to see where they are staying.    They are closer in to town and are next to Santa Teresa, another ruin.

Bruce and I spent some time sitting in Central Park people watching.  It’s the hub of activity in Antigua and when Lent begins there will be many parades throughout the streets.  In the park, the people sell their items.  I would like to get to know someone so I could buy specifically from them, especially if they have young children to feed.

The little girl was carrying mangoes, pineapple, and papaya on her head in that big basket.  She could not have been more than 10 years old.  The fruit sells for 5 quetzals which is about 75 cents.

As we passed San Jose El Viejo, another wedding was taking place.  Today I was there to catch the bride and wedding party before they entered the church.

For dinner we ate at a local Guatemalan restaurant, Cafe Ana.  I had chicken and rice and Bruce had fajitas.  It was a nice little restaurant.

 

Its been another fabulous day in Guatemala.

I was so excited this morning when I looked out my bathroom window and saw the volcano, Fuego, emit a puff of smoke.  Fuego is one of the most active volcanoes in Central America and last erupted in 1974.

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After breakfast, Bruce and I headed out looking for the Saturday Weaver’s market.  Along the way we came across Tanque de La Union and Santa Cruz, a ruin of a cathedral.

The market was colorful with many Mayans selling their handmade items.  I am learning how to tell the machine made from the handmade.  A handmade table runner can take up to two weeks to make.

Bruce and I stopped to have a light lunch at a little cafe called Epicure.  Like so many places here, it looked like nothing in the entrance but when we went to the back, it opened up to a lovely garden.  We both had pineapple and guava crepes with a mocha ice cream.  Bruce had tea and I, of course, had coffee.

I have have to say it’s very dangerous walking around and gawking.  As I was passing by the many large, wooden doors it suddenly opened.  I quickly glanced to see what was behind the door not minding my step.  At that moment a whole opened in the pavement, I lost my footing and I went down with what I believe was with the grace of a gazelle.  Actually, I caught my fall on the pads of my hands and no harm became me.  But after that no more gawking and walking.

The weavers market was at the cathedral ruin of El Carmen.

This one street reminded me of Rainbow Row in Charleston with all the colors.

Bruce and I walked to a farm near our apartment but we arrived too late for the Saturday market.  Next week we will get there early.  Its an organic market and during the week they are open for lunch.

Saturday is very lively in Antigua.  Lots of weddings and other events.  The gates were open at the cathedral ruin, San Jose El Viejo and some caterers were setting up for a wedding.  They joked with us and locked the gate with Bruce and I inside.  We all laughed and then they let us out.

For dinner, Bruce and I cooked up some pasta and started making our plans to go to Lake Atitlan.  We are really loving Guatemala.

Some other random photos – bird bath – a man on his horse going by our apartment, late afternoon shot of Fuego, and I love the colorful flowers everywhere.

 

Guatemala is a land of color.  The women dress in vibrant colors, colorful and fragrant flowers abound in window boxes, and buildings are painted in shades of pastels, burnt oranges and vibrant yellows.  But the chicken buses are each uniquely painted with multiple colors and always with a high gloss or metallic sparkle.  According to Lonely Planet, the buses fill far beyond capacity, are cheap to ride and have often been in major fatal accidents.  Here’s a sampling of some of the colorful chicken buses I saw today.

We met a lovely couple today, originally from Upstate New York but now living in Alabama.  They have been coming to Guatemala for several years and gave us some good pointers on Antigua.  I found out one of the best places to buy coffee is at Guate Java, a little coffee shop a few blocks from where we are staying.

After a nice cafe americano, we took a leisurely stroll back to our apartment taking in the splendor around me.  I came across my favorite flower growing in the courtyard of San Jose El Viejo, a ruin.

I also found a place to take some yoga classes just a block away from the apartment in a lovely hotel.

Later in the day we went to visit some friends.  They are staying in a lovely two bedroom house on the other side of Antigua.  We spent a few hours there, then Bruce and I had dinner at a Mediterranean/Guatemalan restaurant called Mamas.  I had a shrimp and garlic dish and Bruce had fish.  Very delicious.  For dessert I had coconut ice cream with a coconut brittle and Bruce had a carmel flan.  The service was wonderful and the overall experience exceptional.

 

Another lovely day in Antigua.

 

 

 

All day yesterday I was wondering where the volcano was located.  A little bit of cloud cover obscured it from our view; we had no idea where it was.  This morning we opened the shutters in our bedroom window and there it was in all its glory.

Before I move on to our day, let me tell you about the quirks of being in a third world country.  Last night I wanted to wash up around 9:30 and low and behold – no agua.  I tried the bathroom sink, the shower – nothing.  We did have a little in the kitchen sink.  Water was restored about 3 am.  Come to find out we only have cold water in the kitchen.  Very interesting.  The landlord called it “normal” water.

Back to the things I love about third world countries.  Bruce and I  had breakfast next door to our apartment complex at a lovely garden shop.  As we sat and ate our delicious breakfast, I had a crepe filled with papaya, banana, apple, pineapple and covered with yogurt and granola.  Bruce ate eggs ranchero with beans and homemade herb bread.  They served it with plantains.

After breakfast we took a long walk looking for the only large grocery store in Antigua.  On our way we came across some more ruins.  This city has so many fascinating sites to explore.  We finally found the store and bought quite a few things.  I was getting tired and thought it was too much to carry so we decided to take a tuk-tuk back to the apartment.  A bumpy ride but we arrived home safe and sound.

We are getting into Guatemalan living so we took a short siesta before heading out to dinner.  The largest church in Antigua is on Central Park – Cathedral de Santiago.

We found a lovely place and had a delicious meal.  A Guatemalan woman was weaving a scarf at the restaurant.

After dinner we had coffee with friends and headed on home.  It’s a full moon and I took a few night shots in Central Park.  A lot of people are selling their wares, but for the most part it feels safe.

Our first stop when we left our little apartment this morning was the local caffe for a capuchino for me and tea for Bruce.  We also split a delicious fruit filled croissant.

What’s a visit to Rome without seeing the Vatican.  I know I was pushing the envelope with Bruce making him go- for him it was like me going to his gun and knife shows.  After the first two rooms I could see religious art was not his thing.  Not to mention that we got lost getting there and ran through the streets in a down pour.  We were soaked and late for our scheduled ticket time but they let us in anyway.

The main reason I wanted to go to the Vatican was to see the Sistine Chapel.  I wasn’t disappointed.  When we were in the chapel a priest was saying prayers.  I could feel the spirit in this room.  They do not allow photos to be taken while in the chapel, and although some people did not honor this rule, I felt compelled to just by the power of the room.

The exit ramp from the Vatican Museum was quite interesting and would not be a good exit route for someone with vertigo.Later in the evening we went to Trevi Fountain – we took pictures of a fountain earlier in the day thinking that was Trevi Fountain but when I looked up on line a picture I realized we went to the wrong place.

After the fountain we found a quiet little restaurant to eat at and had bruschetta, lasagna and tiramisu for dessert.

Tomorrow is a long day – we leave for the airport at 4:30 and head back to the USA

 

I always heard that Nice was nice.  And it was.  Unfortunately, traveling on a cruise tour we only spent two hours there.

The coastline was absolutely fabulous.  Beautiful mansions overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, it was breathtaking.  Bruce and I met up with our friends Lynn and Luka to explore this region.

We had to tender into port on the ship’s life boats.  The weather was a little cloudy and reports were 70% chance of rain.

Although we didn’t get to spend any time in the port town of Villefranche, from a glance I saw many captivating structures.  Even a castle with a drawbridge.

Our first stop was in Nice.  We went to a marketplace where the Flowers and Fruits and vegetables looked fresh and colorful.

The bell peppers were the largest we’ve ever seen.

Strolling down the narrow streets in this lovely seaside town stopping for a cafe aulait- what more can one ask for in life.  Such bliss.

Nice was also preparing for a marathon the day we were there so the town was bustling with runners.

We next went on to Monaco where Grace Kelly once was a princess.  We visited the church she was married in and her final resting place.

We took a bus from Monaco over to Monte Carlo where we visited the Grand Casino – made famous in James Bond movies.

That’s our friend Lynn photobombing us.  Bruce and I paid the 10 euros each to go into the casino.  We planned on playing 10 euros.  We were down to a 30 cent ticket and I said put it into a machine.  The 30 cents paid $111 euros.  So we won at Monte Carlo.

We took a leisurely stroll back to Monaco and walked on the Grand Prix track.

The homes were stunning but nothing cost less then a couple of million.

Bruce would love to call the sailboat his home.

We had one final view of Nice before we headed back to our ship.

What another lovely day – on to Italy tomorrow.

I thought I’d be up and ready to go early today but I still felt pretty tired.  So although coffee was delivered at 8 we slept in until 9.  I really like the feeling of not having to rush.  We went for breakfast and then when out on our travels.  Today we decided to explore the sidevstreetscoff Las Ramblas.  The first stop was the Barcelona Maritime Museum.

The big odd shaped thing is a 150 year old submarine.

Traveling on we came to The Erotic Museum and a condom shop.

There are many interesting buildings in Barcelona – many designed by Gaudi who designed La Sagrada Familia.

We also visited a bustling marketplace where we could get a fruit smoothie for 1.5 euros.

So many beautiful cathedrals.  This one was under renovation.

Bruce and I enjoyed all the street performers.  They really are very creative.  The alien was very creepy.

It was a wonderful second day in Barcelona.  We had a leisurely walk but I still clocked a lot of steps on my Fitbit.  We absolutely loved Spain.

It was elegant chic night tonight, so we dressed up and went to dinner with some new friends.  Afterwards we danced a little to some disco and now we are getting ready for our day in France.