Awe in Antigua

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From the calm tranquility of Lanquin I ventured to the lively city of Antigua. It is a beautiful town with many layers. I ended up staying for about a week exploring the city and the incredible vast expanses of the local Mercado. I was in Antigua at the same time that I was getting reports from my family of their adventures and the PNW fair. The fair has always been one of my highlight of the summer. I love the energy and the sights and the smells. So, it was fitting that at the same time I am missing my hometown fair I find something that just might rival it. The Antigua market is huge and full of life. There is an ebb and flow of people amoung the tiny stalls and as you wind your way around you become lost in the marvel of it all. But we all know that one of the best things abotu the fair is the FOOD!!! And the antigua market did not disappoint. The enticing smells led you to the back of the market where you could find anything from fried chicken and chips, to hot dogs, to delicious pasteries, and beyond. I spent a great deal of time in the market, for many days in a row, just wandering and soaking up the life. I think that a bit of my fondness for Antigua lies in the fact that it provided my summer strawberry delight. In the market I was able to buy a pound of red ripe strawberries for only 50 cents. While they obviously couldn´t compete with Boxx´s berries they were certainly a fine substitute. The hostel where I stayed had a small kitchen that we were able to use and I took great pleasure in taking my daily trip to the market to buy fresh ingredients. Another wonderful aspect was the many panaderias and pastelerias which served up some of the most incredible fresh baked breads and pasteries.

The architechture of the town was very beautiful. It has a very european feal with the narrow cobbelstone streets, beautifully intricate churches, and even an incredible archway that on a clear day is accented by the grand volcano towering over the city. The buildings all connect to a single face along the blocks. The difference from one shop to the next is generally indicated by a change in the brightly colored paint. However, while from the street the faces of the buildings all look fairly similar it is the inside that contains the true beauty of the building. Each store, eatary, hotel, home they are all unique. Many contain incredible, lush, green courtyards within their fairly simple exterior walls. Every place seems to possess its´ own simple and natural beauty.

During my time in Antigua along with wandering the market and exploring the streets I also greatly enjoied my time in the park. After a morning of walking the city streets I would find a spot on a bench in the middle of the parque central. Each day I would choose a new bench, facing a new direction and I would watch the people flow by. People would come and go, some would join me on the bench for a while. Young and old, tourists and locals, groups, couples, families, or alone. Some seemed to have places to be striding quickly along the curved paths of the park, others walked as if they were fully appericiating each step as a new experience. It is amazing to watch the people pass by, everyone at a different point in their lives, everyone with different dreams and goals, but for what every reason all in the same place at the same time. And there on that bench there is complete contentment. I couldn´t wish to any other place in that moment, I have reached a goal, I have actualized a dream, and my life is truly full.

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Photos

Potters Paridise
In the market in Antigua

Market Goods
This is me with my doller twenty five purchase of three eggs, six bananas, and a pound of strawberries. Couldn´t be happier.