“All architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the persons in that space. ” – Philip Johnson
Reaching towards the sky….lies the impressive building which hosts the Museo de Arte Colonial in Antigua.
I couldn’t help myself. I am overwhelmed by the beauty of spring and the delightful array of colorful spring flowers.
I believe strongly that nature can heal you. Enlighten you. And brighten your soul. I was drawn to visit the Minnesota Arboretum in the outlying suburbs for an afternoon of photo taking and embracing the beauty of mother nature’s rebirth and revival.
Hope you enjoy! No worries, too. After this post, I’m back to Guatemala with a visit to some of Antigua’s famous ruins!
The tulips were so brilliant, they hurt my eyes.
When I was planning out my travel schedule this year, it never occurred to me that I would have the fortuitous opportunity of experiencing three Springs. Spring is one of my favorite times of year. After a long, cold, brutal, colorless winter suddenly there is a huge rebirth of color and everything comes to life. This rebirth of life brings so much joy to me that at times I find myself engulfed in absolute spring fever madness.
I can’t concentrate. I can’t stand to be indoors. My heart and soul are bursting with energy to be outside and to be alive once again. I want to run faster. I want to breathe freer. My soul is begging me to be outside, experiencing the thrill of mother nature at her finest.
Photo of tulip bursting with color and brightness and growing towards the sun…
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.
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.
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.
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!
“No matter how sophisticated you may be, a large granite mountain cannot be denied — it speaks in silence to the very core of your being”. —-Ansel Adams
Around 10:30, five hours after starting our hike up the dark and slippery path of the Santa Maria Volcano we had finally arrived at her pointed peak. The clouds had started to form and blanket the valley of Xela thousands of miles below. Yet fortunately they hadn’t fully conquered the peak. There was still a spectacular view of the surrounding volcanoes and valley beneath.
As we approached our resting spot for an early lunch I was perplexed by a low humming sound. The sound of voices, high and low, big and small, filled up the empty open space around me. As we come closer to the noise I realized with amazement that it was a human chain of chanting. The Mayans were singing their prayers to their gods. The voices of their chants flowed smoothly together making a monotonous tone at times, entrancing me and captivating my soul.
“The Beauty of the Mountain is hidden for all those who try to discover it from the top, supposing that, one way or an other, one can reach this place directly. The Beauty of the Mountain reveals only to those who climbed it…” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
View of the grand Santa Maria volcano off in the distance as I was leaving Xela via shuttle on my way to Antigua.
There are things you’ll experience in Guatemala that will stay with you forever: the smell of a freshly grilled tortilla; the assault-on-all-senses of a jungle trek; the people you bump into on the road and become lifelong friends…..In the west, a volcano looms on almost every horizon, almost begging to be climbed. (Opening lines in the introduction to Guatemala, Lonely Planet 2010).
It was with these words, “almost begging to be climbed” that I joyously opted to skip my already-paid for Spanish class on Wednesday and wake up at the break of dawn to climb Guatemala’s fourth highest volcano, Santa Maria (elevation 3772 m/12,375 feet). It didn’t matter that I was utterly exhausted nor that I didn’t have the right gear. All that mattered was there was an enormously, inviting volcano begging to be climbed. There was no way I wasn’t going to climb it.
I have never before seen such an enormous symphony of color as I did in Guatemala. The past Spanish colonial influence combined with the vivid Mayan culture and tradition of brilliant colors reflect deeply throughout Guatemala, especially in the Highlands. Xela is the heart of the Mayan culture and community. If you take a walk around her lovely, hilly streets you will be reminded of her past, present and future. You can see it reflected in the lovely colors of the buildings. Some of which are on their fourth generation of color.
Come….take a walk with me through the streets of Xela and experience all the joy that color can bring to the soul.
Looking up to the hills. A typical street in Xela lined in ancient foot-burning cobblestones and a gorgeous splash of color.
From golden yellows to turquoise blues the colors never cease to inspire me and make me smile. Above is a cheerful looking “Tortilleria” where fresh tortillas are made from scratch and grilled hot before your eyes.
As you can see, there are many gorgeous colors to capture and many more to come….
Spring has come a month early this year in Minnesota. After an unseasonably warm winter with hardly any snow to amply cover the ground or build a snowman, Spring has launched full force in what most people consider “Minne-snowta“.
The ice off nearby city lakes such as my beloved Lake Harriet faded into our memories almost a month early. The trees are in full bloom and the allergy index is high. My eyes are itching, my nose is running and I have desperately scrambled to unpack my summer cloths while the temperatures soar on average 30-40 degrees higher than normal. The average high for today of 44 degrees F is a long ago memory as each and every day another record is set and it feels like June.
In fact, it seems like we just skipped past Spring all together and jumped into summer. But the telltale signs of the trees, bushes and flowers in full bloom reminds me that yes it is still spring. The spectacular showing of brilliant reborn green has been making my eyes water as I marvel at their sensational beauty and watch the world around me come back to life. It gives me joy, inspiration and miraculous hope for the future as I witness the rebirth of Spring and embrace the phenomenal changing of the seasons that encompass the circle of life.
Here are some of my favorite photos I took today during my morning walk around Minnehaha Creek and Lake Harriet nearby my home.
I landed in Guatemala City on an excessively windy day on Sunday, March 4th. After a fitful night’s sleep at a mediocre airport hotel I was ready to leave Houston and finally continue my way south to Guatemala. I had the usual feelings of excitement and anticipation which I always get before I land in a new country and enter into the mayhem it brings. The whole bag of usual mixed thoughts raced across my mind.
What would it be like? Would I enjoy my stay there? Would I understand and be able to communicate in my broken Spanish? Would I be safe? Would I get sick? Would my ride be there as expected, waiting for me outside the baggage claim? Would the bus ride suck?
You would think that a seasoned traveler would get over these worry wart antics but it never seems to fail. I’m always a worrier and I also go through this kind of strange mixed up, emotional nonsense. At least now I am fully aware of it and try my best to take things as they come. That is the best advice I’d ever received about traveling in different countries: Just let go, and go with the flow! Yet words can mean more than actions for a type A person who is normally as organized and orderly as drill sergeant.
I exited the plane and felt the warm air flow through my Minnesota veins. It felt great to finally be there and to be somewhere warm! I grabbed my mighty red suitcase, stuffed to the rim, and quickly passed through immigration and headed out the door. I was ready for the flood of people waiting frantically outside of the airport doors, with signs and smiles and searching looks across their faces. Of course I was an instant attraction as it isn’t every day a tall, blond-haired woman walks out of the doors, completely alone and searching the crowd as well. My eyes scanned the horizon and sorted through the mass of chaos until thankfully I quickly located my name on a white placard. My ride was there.
