Again, we docked in an industrial port and took a tour to Antigua, the beautiful and protected colonial town which is now preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The designation is well deserved. The bus we took was not allowed in the city so we boarded small vans to get around the city proper. The cobbled streets, interesting doorways with tranquil-looking courtyards beyond were charming and picturesque. This iconic arch is actually a passageway used by nuns to cross, unseen, from one side of the convent to the other. There were a lot of tourists, and almost everyone was hispanic. Apparently, Antigua is a university town and also has a lot of Spanish-language immersion programs.
Part of a working church with services going on as we visited. This section is the old nunnery and since it is now part of the UNESCO site, it can't be disturbed/reconstructed.
This is part of another old nunnery which is now being used as a high-end hotel with a wonderful restaurant where we had lunch.
After lunch we did a little shopping.
The facade of this church was ornately decorated and sports those two large openings on the left. They act as microphones. We could clearly hear the priest inside giving the service.
The textiles were beautiful.
The street venders were persistent.
On the ride back to the ship we crossed a temporary bridge with work furiously continuing in an attempt to finish before the rainy season. This devastation happened recently in June of 2018, killing over 160 people and wiping out many homes.
Tags: Guatamala