Antigua in Five Days

 

She really came! Joanne (Ryan) Boyle and I have been friends for 50+ years, so it was a special 5 day visit during my year away from home. The challenge was to show her Antigua, San Felipe, and this beautiful country in FIVE days. We gave it a really good attempt. Here we are with our host family Jose and Esperanza Abril in their home.

 

Here  we are on the roof with Volcano Agua behind us. We had some rain, some cloudy days, but sunshine as well.

On Day ONE we headed for The Dreamer Center, (Nuestros Ahijados) where I teach English in the 2nd grade. We reviewed countries and flags, then started learning "opposites."

Here we are with some of the kids. In the second picture, my arm is around my new Goddaughter, Julissa. On Monday, day four, we visited her home.

Friday afternoon, we visited a Jade store, a chocolate factory (Guatemala is known for its lovely jade, and great cocoa beans.) We ended the afternoon at Dona Luisa's Restaurant,  just in time for hot banana bread out of the oven.





Day TWO- Guatemala City

This day was filled with new experiences for both of us. I had been to visit a few places in Guatemala City; Luis Bedoya's home, a huge mall, and some poor, very dirty streets. Saturday we went with my friend and driver, Josue Castellanos, and my Godson Luis, to see the National Palace,  the National Cathedral, and the market.

 Here is a view of the Palace flying the Guatemalan flag. We had a tour with a very nice guide. The Palace is the site where visiting dignitaries are received and fed. It was also the place where the peace accord ending the civil war was signed.

 In the courtyard is a commemorative statue. Two left hands, coming from the heart join in a commitment to peace.

 This is the reception hall.





This is the National Cathedral of the Annunciation. We were not allowed pictures inside, but we attended the last half of a quincinera, a ceremony marking a girl's reaching womanhood.
 
 This guy is a mime on the street outside the mercado. We had lunch at a little bar frequented in the past by Che Guavera called El Portal and had supper at  Saul's. Picture below with our friend the zebra and a young Grace Kelly. We had squash (pumpkin?) soup, and some crepes to die for.

Joanne, Josue, and Joanne at Saul's Restaurant