After 6 days of sun, sand and upset tummies, we have landed in Antigua. Although it is tourist central, we are very happy to be here. It is full of amazing ruins, gardens and yummy easy on the tummy restaurants. The weather is great and no mosquitoes! It is like going to Banff and being able to afford to stay at the Banff Springs and eat anywhere you want. Even the shopping is great.
Our first night we stayed at a cute little place with access to the kitchen, but it was tiny and one thing we have learned is that a little space makes everything better. We looked around at quite a few places and decided on a beautiful old mansion called the Posada de Don Rodrigo. Jason checked in while I waited with Lena at the Central Plaza (the town square where all the action is) to get a braid weave thingy in her hair. An hour later I was ready to see our room and it was huge! There were stairs to the bathroom upstairs and more stairs to the shower downstairs. Everything was beautiful and spotless (important when Reed is all over the floor). The hotel is quite a landmark and tourists would be walking through all day. There are 2 courtyards and traditional music played by 7 men in traditional costumes all day and through the evening. I was getting used to this!
The reason we are here is to take some Spanish lessons. We were all going to do a home stay, but 5 of us in someone else’s house for week just sounded like a disaster. We have started our Spanish lessons, but are flashing out on the hotels instead of the homestay. As I was off to my lesson this morning, the front desk told me they didn’t have a room for us tonight, but that they had an Annex just up the road if we wanted. I had to run as my class started at 8AM so I left Jason in charge of finding us a new room.
I came back from my Spanish lessons at 12:30 to find Jason reading his book in the gardens, Reed crawling around in the grass and the girls blowing bubbles they were given at breakfast. Check-out time in 30 minutes and my family is living like royalty completely oblivious to our impending homelessness!!
Of course there was nothing to worry about as the Annex is beautiful and the girls love this room, too. It has 2 stories with a spiral staircase going up to the girls’ loft. There is also a playroom up there.
So, at the moment Reed is having a nap and Jason and the girls are at their Spanish lessons. Jason and the girls are studying in the afternoon and I go in the morning. Reed and I have just returned from lunch in this fabulous cafe set in a garden with fountains and cobblestone. I’m not sure I want to go anywhere, but I have to go pick up the girls from “school”.
As I said.... ahhhhh Antigua.
