My first and only full day in Antigua was a full day indeed. And it was also a day that I will not forget.One of those truly memorable days while traveling that makes traveling so delightful and so addicting. The day included a non-stop fast speed tour of Antigua’s main sites with my blogging friend and local Antigua resident Lucy, and well over 400 pictures each. In fact, so much transpired during that one day in time that I need to break down my posts on Antigua into different topics. The first and easiest one to pursue is my eventful morning in lovely, picturesque Antigua.
The well known landmark and arch, Arco de Santa Catalina was awaiting my arrival.
Finding the perfect Bed and Breakfast (B&B) in Antigua is no easy task. The picturesque UNESCO World Heritage City boasts tons of excellent, beautiful hotels and B&Bs, ranging from very affordable to quite pricey. I knew that after a week’s stay with a large host family in Xela that I would want something nice, quiet and convenient to the center of town. So I did what I always do while planning a trip: Consulted my two favorite hotel sources, Lonely Planet and Trip Advisor.
Finding the right hotel or B&B is always something I do before leaving on a trip. Other than that, I usually don’t do a lot of other planning before going somewhere new because I like to discover it for myself and figure out once I’m there how to organize my day. Since hotel research is my only real trip planning I thoroughly enjoy it and use my time online perusing the various hotels and comparing each one by looking at the photos and reading the comments from past guests. It is my time to get excited about venturing to a new place and picture myself there.
I have always been fascinated by signs, especially when I travel. Signs can be a work of art or a simplistic view into an unknown culture. They can be fun, fanciful, beautiful or rather plain. But they are always one thing: A glimpse into the life of a place, whether it be a home, a building, a store or a country.
Here are some of my favorite signs that I found during my recent stay in Guatemala.
The week of Semana Santa (“Holy Week”) is considered the most important cultural and religious event in all of Guatemala. Semana Santa has a long, rich history, which began over 400 years ago as Catholicism spread throughout Guatemala due to the Spanish Conquistadors. Today, Semana Santa can be viewed throughout all of Guatemala, however, there is no city more important during this sacred week than Antigua. It can be argued that Antigua has perhaps the largest, most traditional and famous Holy Weeks in the world. Thousands of tourists flock to Antigua during Semana Santa to witness the spectacular religious processions, alfombras (“carpets”), fabulous floats and vigils. It is said to be an experience of a lifetime.
Unfortunately my trip was timed a month too early. The height of Semana Santa happens the week before Easter. However, little did I know that smaller scale celebrations start on Ash Wednesday at the beginning of Lent. Thus during my short stay in Antigua I was able to capture a glance at the magic and sensational beauty of Semana Santa.
Above is a glimpse of a spectacular Alfombra. Alfombras are made of sawdust or sand dyed in brilliant colors and carefully constructed as a work of art.
I finished my last class of Spanish and my week in Xela on a Friday afternoon. It was a bittersweet feeling. Saying goodbye to Xela, my class and my host family for the week proved harder than I imagined. Yes, it was only a week. But the week was way too short and quite frankly, not enough time. It felt like just as I was finally fitting in and understanding the world around me, it was time to go. Plus I knew in my heart that even just another week would have greatly improved my spanish. Seeing how much I had gone in a mere week was astonishing. I realized that true immersion is far better than any college course. It is the only way to go. Continue reading →
Yesterday was a beautiful spring day here in Virginia. The sun was bright, the birds were singing and everything was returning to life once again. We couldn’t think of a better way to spend the day than to do a two family picnic and hike along the Shenandoah National Park.
For anyone who knows me or has gotten to know me by reading my blog, it is obvious that I am one who doesn’t like to sit around. I have boundless energy at points that tends to get a little out of whack if I am not moving. I am not good at sitting still. This can be both good and bad. The good is that I’m not a couch potato; instead I am an extremely active and energetic person who can get things done at breakneck speed. The bad is that I really don’t know how to relax and tend to wear myself out to the bones.
Someday, when I’m not so busy raising a family and doing a million things in a day, I will work on gaining more balance in my life. I will take up yoga, learn to sit still and sleep better without jumping out of my bed each morning. But until then, I must deal with the cards I’ve been dealt with and face the facts: I’m kind of hyper.
Given my spirited temperament, you can only imagine how difficult it was for me to be in a new country sitting in a one on one spanish class for five straight hours. I absolutely love to learn but five intense hours holed up in a small room, seated at a desk is not my cup of tea. Thus, when my dedicated and loyal teacher Lili told me about her approach to learning on the road, I was thrilled. This is how it worked.
Leaving Casa Xelaju and taking our class on a road trip…
I have been in Virginia for less than 48 hours yet it has been enough time for me to go absolutely crazy enjoying the rebirth of nature and the flowers abound. I am concerned that I have become a tad bit obsessive but the spring flowers here are so spectacular that I can hardly stand it. So here it is. An entire post on the sensational flowers I saw today in a garden in Colonial Williamsburg. Hope you enjoy!
Like most Guatemalan cities, Quetzaltenango (Xela) is centered around a large glorious Catholic church. Espiritu Santo Cathedral was founded in 1535 after the Spanish conquered the city of Xela and has remained the heart and blood of the city ever since. It is located in the parque centroamerica and can be seen well above the city from numerous vantage points.
Although Guatemala is predominantly Catholic, many other religions have established themselves throughout the country thanks to missionaries. You can find loads of evangelist churches and even Mennonite communities as well as Mormons. In fact, you can find any religious establishment except Jewish or Muslim. For some reason, I found this surprising.
Most churches in Guatemala are either dove white or brilliant yellow-gold. The architecture was sensational of course and the churches instantly became a focus of my attention for numerous pictures. Here are some of my favorites.
