Snapshots of Antigua, Guatemala

It seems ages ago now I walked the smokey gray cobbled streets of Antigua with my boys.

We spent a couple of nights here after our week at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.

The city noises were jarring after a week of hearing mostly just the wind or the occasional boat motor.

Antigua is loud and lively.

Bright and colorful.

And really old.

The town has been around since the 1500s, but it was destroyed by an earthquake in the 1700s so today’s population is less than half what it was before the earthquake.

But there are still plenty of folks.

We were there for the first Sunday of Lent and there was a giant procession blocking like half the city streets. People dressed as Roman soldiers and dressed as monks carrying Jesus and long robes in every color of the rainbow. It was wild.

Our hotel host said that the procession happens every Sunday during Lent and then every day during Holy Week.

Folks were pouring into the city for the procession and ladies were selling homemade food on street corners.

These little tuk-tuks were zipping all over the city. Simon and I took a wee ride in one with my sister-in-law and it was super fun!

Guatemala is well-known for making lovely chocolate, so we had to pop into the Chocolate Museum.

But my favorite treat in Antigua was probably an Avocado Margarita. Trust me it’s very special.

We also ate a lot of meat in Antigua after a week of vegetarian dishes on our yoga retreat. Maybe a little too much meat.

One night we ordered all kinds of small tacos with different meats in a wonderful restaurant called Frida’s. They had live music, so after dinner, everyone practiced their new salsa dancing skills. LOVE.

The next morning we hiked to the top of a hill overlooking the city.

It was a bit cloudy, but still gorgeous.

Here we all are…still a bit sleepy!

It was nice to get up and hike before it got too hot, as the city warmed up throughout the day.

I loved wandering around the many ruins that were sprinkled all throughout Antigua.

The details on these old buildings were just gorgeous.

I could have spent a few more days walking around just taking pictures.

The afternoon brought blue skies and a burning sun to Antigua. (YES please…my body loves the heat!)

After walking through town some more and eating ice cream twice, we followed a lunch recommendation to a place where we staked out for the afternoon.

Then we walked a few more streets and visited a market or two. So many markets!

Antigua is also full of inexpensive Spanish language schools, so it’s a bit of a haven for folks who want to learn Spanish. Taido’s sister + partner were staying on in Antigua to do some language school after we left. I was a little jealous, but it was time for us to get back to Tübingen and return to our own language lessons.

But the next time we decide to learn a foreign language, I’m putting in my request that it be in a tropical location like Guatemala!