Sunday, January 26, 2014

Antigua

Yesterday, Marie and I went to Antigua, Guatemala with our wonderful family. Antigua is a very popular tourist location if people visit Guatemala. It used to be the capital city before an earthquake ruined the city enough to move the capital to a different city.

First, Marie and I ate very yummy sandwiches and cake with our family and then we were free to explore for a few hours.

We visited a "souvenirs market" to buy some souvenirs because Antigua has many options. :) It was my first time bartering for gifts. It was a fun experience. Plus, many of the shop owners thought Marie and I had excellent Spanish accents (Marie more than me of course...) because most of the tourists spoke very little Spanish. Marie even helped a shop owner learn how to say "Anything else?"

Here are some of the frequent phrases you hear in a place like this as you walk through (for those of you that have never experienced like me...):
-"Special price just for you!"
-English speakers (new for us)
-"Anything else?"
-"Both for (insert lower price)."
-"What are you looking for?"

Of course, many of the phrases are spoken in Spanish or sometimes in English. It makes for a very interesting experience. :)

We did not have much time after our shopping, but we did get to see a famous arch in the entryway. We also took a peek inside the Catholic Church in Guatemala.

It was definitely interesting being around so many gringos (white people) and English! It was a wonderful experience. It's interesting to think, however, that many Americans or tourists experience so little of Guatemala when they visit!

Oh, and our family blessed us with traditional Guatemalan dresses in our favorite color!! See a picture below! :) 

Here are some pictures!
 Marie and I in front of the famous arch.
 The outside of the Catholic church
 View of some of the buildings in Antigua, many of them were very bright colors!
 View of the main street with the arch in the background



 Park in the center of the city
Buildings and city, notice the volcano covered by the clouds!

Marie and I in our traditional Guatemalan dresses! :)

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