Antigua

 Our Airbnb included breakfast, and it was wonderful. We had a fresh fruit salad—the pears were absolutely delicious—along with various rolls. It was the perfect energy to start the day.

We decided to begin with a hike to Cerro de la Cruz. It starts off steep, but the good thing is that it’s a paved sidewalk with steps, and the total distance is only about a mile. The reward at the top is a fantastic view overlooking Antigua Guatemala and views of a volcano.

From there we wandered all over the city—and by “all over,” I mean we probably saw most of the streets. At one point we stopped for a fruit slushy. We are definitely getting used to these smoothies!

The arch in Antigua is an iconic landmark built in the 17th century. It was designed to connect a convent with the school, allowing the nuns to pass without being seen.

Today we were lucky enough to see three different weddings at three different churches, a quinceañera, and a Lent procession. Apparently Antigua is a very popular wedding destination, and couples often book venues almost a year in advance.

A quinceañera is a celebration for a 15-year-old girl, symbolizing her transition into womanhood. It includes a religious ceremony followed by a reception. The young woman we saw wore a beautiful flowing red dress and graciously allowed me to photograph her.

Because Antigua is largely Catholic, there are many church processions during Lent in the weeks leading up to Holy Week. The floats in these processions can weigh up to 7,000 pounds. The people who carry them rotate throughout the parade because it’s such a demanding task. While watching one float pass by, I caught the eye of a young girl carrying it and gave her a thumbs-up. She smiled back and looked proud of herself.

The streets are decorated with elaborate “carpets”—intricate designs made from colored sawdust, pine needles, flowers, and other natural materials. These displays can take up to ten hours to create. If there are two processions in a single day, a second carpet will often be built for the next parade.

Later we had a late lunch at Restaurante Rinconcito. They were grilling the meat right inside the restaurant, and our table happened to be close to the grill—not ideal since we stayed pretty warm during the meal! Still, we thoroughly enjoyed the “meal of the day”: delicious roasted chicken with buttered potatoes, coleslaw and freshly made hot tamales.

We also wandered through the big market and several smaller ones. They were truly a feast for the eyes—bright colors everywhere, women in traditional dress, chubby-faced children, piles of flowers and spices, and beautiful Guatemalan textiles.

We torched the ruins of the capuchin convent. It had an interesting dormitory that was built in a circular fashion, and the nuns rooms were in this circle at the time the non-spent most of their time in their rooms praying.

The buildings in Antigua are brightly colored in keeping with its Spanish colonial heritage and to maintain a harmonious aesthetic as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s truly a quaint and beautiful city—although it was very crowded today with tourists, which apparently is the norm.