At one point, in the 1680s, the city was the richest colonial town in the entire Americas. Within a hundred years it was mandated abandoned. Fucking Spanish.
By the time we made it to the city school was letting out, we only had a few hours to spend trying to soak it in (that was plenty), and my, er, bowel situation had finally become just that--a conscious need to be near a porcelain depository for more than hourly deposits. The discomfort in my belly area was noticeable; the constant pressure like a person standing on my stomach was more annoying than painful, but the occasional bad pressure, like someone grinding their heel on me, while brief, was lame.
But, for invading blonde giants like us, a few hours in Antigua is more than enough. We saw the various ruins in the city, we saw the volcano off in the distance, and we paid thirty-damn-American-dollars for appetizers and fruit smoothies at a restaurant.
Here are some pictures of the colorful streets, ruined churches...the volcano. That's Antigua! It struck me the whole time as weird that such a "Jesus"-crazy place wouldn't have done more to fix-up the old churches and cathedrals.
The volcano:
This is easily the coolest fountain I've ever seen, and I've been to Rome and Paris and Prague and Florence.
This yellow church wasn't destroyed. I don't remember the name.
Colorful streets...here the world that people who live here experience is behind those colorful walls. Every once in a while you could, while walking around, catch a glimpse into an interior courtyard and see how the world was quiet and un-cobbled.
This is one of the famous ruined cathedrals.
Once was enough. I might put up some different pictures at a later date, like maybe some of Mrs. Blonde Giant's pictures from the market we went to, or some more ruins details, but we'll likely never set foot there again. I don't think I can, or would want to, say that about many of the random places I've been.
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