Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Antigua - Iglesia de San Francisco
We had a late breakfast, then asked the front desk to reserve a spot for us for tomorrow on the 12:30 shuttle to Panajachel, leaving us another day to wander around this very cool city. We checked out the local market, next to the chicken-bus station, then walked by some of the ruins on the west side of town.
Fountain in the Mercado de Artisans
Convento la Recoleccion
Eventually, we found ourselves back at Parque Central, where we located an ATM to top off our funds, then took a quick look inside the Cathedral, where they were having some work done in the sanctuary.
Catedral de San Jose
Painting in progress
After stopping back by the hotel to stash some cash and take a mini-siesta, we returned to 7A Norte Pizzeria for lunch. The staff seemed to have recovered from all the partying last night and into this morning. We saw them clearing out a bunch of Red Bull swag as we ate. I guess that explains last night's noise.
Flags flying over the palace, Parque Central
Park pigeons
Iglesia de San Francisco is in southeast Antigua, in a quiet part of town. We would not have just walked by it if it hadn't been our destination. It's one of the oldest churches in Antigua, dating from 1579, and partially destroyed by multiple earthquakes in the 1700s. There's nice gardens to walk through, with ruins strewn about, and a small museum.
Iglesia de San Francisco
A man who needs no introduction...
Ruins of La Iglesia de San Francisco
Ruins with a view
At lot of the ruins in Antigua are open to the public, with a fee for each one, so I'd researched which to visit before deciding on Iglesia de San Francisco. I didn't even realize it was going to be bargain priced at 8Q ea. Several of the ruins charge 40Q, but this was the one I most wanted to see, so we lucked out on the price.
Impaired arch
Collapsed cupola
Don't dawdle in the doorway
Lovely gardens
Due to our lack of imagination and love of beer, we found ourselves back at the Antigua Brewing Co. tonight. This time we tried the Canchona Belgian Ale, Fuego IPA, and La Manguera Laguer Chapin. I was a little jealous of Tom's bacon cheeseburger last night, so I had that, while he tried the pork quesadilla. The burger is so good I just can't even tell you.
Later, back at the hotel, we sat outside the room and watched periodic red bursts of lava flowing down the sides of Volcan Fuego. Wow! Rum with OJ while watching an erupting volcano is a great way to finish the day!
