Around town part 2

We attended Sunday mass at the iglesia de la San Francisco. Of all the churches we have seen here, this one seemed the most down to earth. The seats were full and the service completely in Spanish so we didn't understand it all but enjoyed the music and got the cultural feel.

There is an upscale hotel here - Hotel Santa Domingo - that was once a convent ruined by the earthquakes. A couple bought it, changed it up and made it a house. It was sold to a family who developed it into an upscale hotel and convention/event center. It is amazing. It has the old ruin look interwoven with a contemporary style. A wedding was taking place there while we visited. It is truly a 5 star venue.

We returned to Antigua Cerveca - El Bosque , the brewery in the woods. It is such a peaceful place to enjoy the great weather here. We also revisited Caboa Farms for a late breakfast and music . We had met an expat who invited us to Snack and Yak, a group of expats who get together there on Saturday mornings. We saw them and their table was very full. If you wanted to move here, you definitely could connect with Americans.

On Sunday, we walked to a neighboring little town of Jocotenango. It is not a touristy town at all and had the feel of a true neighborhood. Like all of the towns, there is a central park and a church in the center. We walked around the streets and then decided to get dinner at their fast food place of Pollo Campanero . We were very surprised, after walking around poorer looking streets, to find a mall filled with a food court and many stores. So different from the typical neighborhood but just around the bend.

From Jocotenango, we walked to the stadium for a soccer game. It was a preseason game for the new season for the Guatamalan teams. Antigua won the title last season. The stadium was pretty full and the crowd was exciting - cheering, a pep band playing, fireworks and flares, and some hecklers. Typical of what we have seen in Guatemala, there were no refreshment stands but food and drink sellers walked past constantly. These are the same ones you would see around the park - all ages, carrying their products, working hard. The game was fun, had a lot of yellow cards and one red, and ended in a tie. There is another game on Wednesday that is a against a rival team and so should be even more exciting.

Two things that stood out about the game. There was a huge police presence at the two ends of the field. They were in riot gear. A guy sitting next to us told us that this was normal for every game. I guess things can get out of hand though this crowd was not rowdy at all.
The other standout item was that when the Guatamala national anthem was played at the beginning of the game, everyone sang, and I mean everyone. As poor as this country is, they take great pride in their homeland.

One more trip to the rooftop of the Antigua Brewing company for great views although we have discovered none of the viewpoints are better than our apartment rooftop for seeing Fuego's eruptions.Læs mere