Ciudad de Guatemala

I probably wouldn't have spend any more time than necessary in Guatemala City if I wouldn't have met Ines in Lanquin.
Her parents are german but she was born and raised in Guatemala and she invited me to stay with her and her family for a while. I was really happy about this invitation as it is an opportunity to get to know a city in a way not a lot of backpackers will.
After Ines and her brother Thomas had picked me up at the bus station we went back to their mums place for a typical german "Abendbrot". It was delicious with good bread, cheese and ham. Ines and I finished 2 bottles of wine and talked till late. What a nice evening to start my stay in the city.

The next day I got the complete Guatemala City Tour. I guess most backpackers only see Zona 1 and the historical buildings around Parque Central but with Ines and Thomas as my local tour guides I got to see a lot more.

We started at Mapa en Reliefe (see extra post) but already on our way there we passed by a lot of buildings and areas Ines and Thomas would point out and explain to me. From there we continued to Zona 1 and the historical buildings mentioned above. We also strolled down 6 Avenida a bit to check out some shops around here.

Our next stop was Ciudad Cayalá. We had lunch and some Micheladas on the terrace of La Playa. From up here you have a good view over the whole city. It was a bit cloudy but you could still make out a lot of the areas we had already visited and also saw the volcanoes in the far.
After this we made our way to Plaza Berlin for another nice view and to see some pieces of the Berlin Wall - I wonder who brought them here? :)

On our way the two kept showing me more stuff and we made some stops to buy necessities for me - things you need to do when visiting a big city.
For sunset we went to an empty apartment Ines family owned on the 14th (or 15th?) floor of an building close to the airport. Even though the sunset was partly covered with clouds it was really cool being up there. Ines pointed out the volcanoes to me and I caught my first glimpse of Fuego erupting (I'm super excited to go to Antigua now!). Also we could watch the planes land right in front of us. It was crazy how loud you could here them up there once they were in the right spot.

For dinner that night we went to Cafe Saúl. Not the typical backpacker dinner but definitely the best food and wine I had on my trip so far. And I really liked the design of the restaurant! A place to remember.

The next morning Ines and her mum dropped me off at the bus station to catch the chicken bus to Lake Atitlan. And after 2 unusual but most amazing days in Guatemala City I jumped back into the backpacker world with a stomache full of good food, a backpack full of freshly washed and good smelling clothes and a mind full of nice memories of a city most backpackers might skip. I'm really thankful to Ines and her family for this and hope I can return the favor one day!Read more