Antigua

We stayed at Casa Capuchinas 11 years ago and loved it then.  We were not disappointed this time.  The grounds, and rooms are beautiful with fire places in many of the rooms and beautiful weavings and pottery decorations.  We have a great, personable guide for the morning to show us the most important points of interest in Antigua.  Antigua was the capital of Guatemala during the colonial times.  It was moved after a major earthquake.  As a UNESCO world heritage site, there are many regulations as to the changes and reconstructions that can be made.  The colonial cathedral was heavily damaged during an earthquake and not repaired.  Currently, they are using the front portion and the ruins are behind it.  

Next we visited the church, La Merced.  A funeral procession came in as we were visiting.  It was for a woman who was an alumna of a private girl's school.  There were about 12 girls who carried the casket.  Touching. 

Our next stop was the Las Capuchinas, a cloistered nunnery during the colonial times.  Interesting to see the huge ovens, small personal rooms, veiled area of the sanctuary. 

Many of us went to a jade museum/store where we learned about different colors, hardness of jade and how the Maya carved it and royalty used it.  We enjoyed lunch at a nearby place and then separated for a free afternoon of shopping, relaxing, exploring. 

Our dined at a great restaurant, Epicure.  The setting was in the patio of an old house with little lights, a fountain.  The menu was broader than usual with interesting daily specials. It was hard to decide which of the specialties to settle on.  The owner, John Mellon, talked with us for quite some time, answering questions about the political and social situations in Guatemala.  There is a small village about an hour away from Antigua that he supports. He owns a large farm outside the village where they grow all of the fruits, vegetables and livestock used in the restaurant.  He supports the education in the town to help guarantee a good pool of employees.  Interesting insights.

Sergio, the guide we used in Antigua, advised us to get a very early start to drive to Lago Atitlan so we wouldn't get caught on the lake in the middle of the day when winds patterns from the volcanoes came down and swirl making the lake extremely choppy. Challenged everyone to be on the bus and ready to go at 6AM.