how good it is to roam around this colonial splendor. the last 2 mornings i have eaten in a courtyard spilling over with vines and potted plants. water pours from fountains, flowers bloom, the rich smell of coffee perfumes the air, and the tortillas are thick and luscious.
i eat slowly and draw then paint in my 2 sketchbooks while i sip my coffee.
naturally i do everything in slow motion. what need have i to hurry? i am here for 3 weeks after all. after a couple of hours i amble along to my next resting place.
i stop at the solo bench outside the compania de jesus a former outpost of jesuit priests, until spain decided to expell the jesuits from all the kingdoms of spain. all of it’s priests thusly abandoned their station in guatemala in the mid-1700s. with them went their renowned college of philosophy, theology & literature.
most of the statues are headless now.
including the one of ignatius of loyola, the founder of the jesuit order.
many earthquakes and centuries later, i sit in front of the vast complex and draw on a bench. i have the whole place to myself.
if you were wondering about the weather, it is usually cool in the shade. nightime lows are in the upper 50’s and daytime highs hover in the mid 70’s. i arrive home overheated, but cool quickly on a shady bench in the breezy courtyard.
the gardener josé tends to the plants while i tend to my sketchbook. this is a drawing/painting walkabout i’m on after all. it’s good to have the luxury to do nothing else.
the tiled windows from the street of the house i’ve rented. so pretty.
i love the indoor outdoor living. each room opens to the courtyard and walkways. there are no screens and no flying insects that i have noticed.
the house is quirky and delightful. large. rambling. endless opportunities to imagine the centuries-ago lives of its former residents.
the streets are drenched in color.
i found an old book here on a dusty bookshelf. written in the 1930s it tells the story of a 400 year old house here in antigua. i just found the house and as its no longer open to the public except by appointment, i have requested a private tour for later this morning. details of my visit to follow!
i’m also reading an unputdownable memoir (on my kindle) by none other than bernal diaz de castillo. a serious page-turner written in the 16th century. he is buried here in antigua. oyvey!
i could read, draw, daydream, and wander all day long here in this former central american capital of the spanish empire.
but first i must rouse myself from bed where i sit writing you this long missive. the vulcán de agua is staring at me through the open window. the morning air is cool and delicious. i have explorations to conduct. breakfast to linger over. and the former home of don luis de las infantas mendoza to visit.
see you soon!
please tell me about that business card watercolor travel case!
How do you find all the wonderful houses that you stay in on your trips?
Your visuals and dialog always deliver a vivid sense of place. Thank you for choosing to share your journeys with us. Even if I never travel to any of these places, I feel like I have already been there – and for that I am truly grateful. Safe travels dear friend.
Gorgeous images, photos and words both! Mary Ann, you travel so much and seem to do so quite comfortably, do you speak any languages other than English?
Beautiful colors in each and every photograph. I love the tablecloth in the food photo, and your little place to sketch with the cushion and the folding table. Outdoor living, slow living, oh the luxury of it all!
Oh Mary Ann, thank you for sharing the world through your camera and your sketchbooks! With every dispatch I am longing for my next adventure! Guatemala has never been on my “list.” Until now. 🙂
you tell the best stories Mary Ann. I am falling head over heals through your words and photos. Contentment as far as the eye can see.
What a luscious place to travel! Such beautiful colours and patterns. How did you overcome the fear of drawing in public? I always set out with excitement, but seize up with embarrassment and end up taking only photos to copy when I get home ?
stella,
try sketching in public with friends first it will embolden you to do it alone.
one thing that helps me is the realization that people don’t really care what other people are doing around them.
You are such a great writer. So descriptive. I need to work on that. I’m now in Nagoya, Japan and it’s a fairly contemporary city. I need to hunt down beautiful details that I know are here.
Pomegranates are in season now. See what lovely concoction you can order up featuring those lovely little red gems. With tequila? or rum? Sprinkled on a stuffed pepper? mmmmm Then, of course, report right back.
Oh I so enjoy your posts arriving in my email of a morning ,while you are talking about starting your day with exploring I’m enjoying the previous day’s adventures over coffee ,thanks so much for sharing your wonderful stories and beautiful pics with us…..can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings and I think you are so brave you are like Dora the Explorer in my mind…..Sweden now this….
PS. my advice is not to bicycle on the cobblestones. I did with an embarrassing performance in Belize. Most tires are not inflated properly, that’s a real oh vey moment.
Holly
Love the historical information, and stunning tile & iron work. Do you plan to investigate textiles & local embroidery?
Once again your words transport me to another place and time. I am excited to see a new daily post. Adventure time again… How are you doing with the cobblestones? Xo
Glad I checked in this afternoon. Enjoying your trip for sure!
Like a dream!
Oh my, these photos are dreamy! What wonderful adventures you are having. Lucky you, with 3 whole weeks ahead of you to wander about and explore. Any chance you can climb over that fence and take a look inside that old building?!! 😉
Ah food photos! Plants and flowers are nice but you can EAT food. :0 I’m wondering if those are gooseberries in the photo of the two green things. Not olives, not like grapes I know so that’s my only other thought. We always manage to see the local Jesuit places when we travel as dh had them for 16 years. Solid teaching I must say.
maureen,
those are coffee plants!
Well, I moved house and lost my broadband connection for a few weeks, and when I return, there you are in Antigua! How wonderful! I love seeing photos and sketches of your amazing travels. Time for a cup of tea and a catch up with what you’ve been doing! Have a good trip xx
Everything is so lush and colorful. It makes me want to paint from your pictures. Especially the tiles and plants! That hangy downy one calls to me. And I personally thank you for including a plethora of unique doors and windows. I doubt there is a boring window in that entire paradise. Be well, eat well, and art well Mary Ann!
ahh, breakfast at cafe condesa. can’t wait. where is the 400 year old house & how can I make an appointment? knew you’d love it.
Casa Popenoe – now owned by Universidad Francisco Marroquin
i had the best tour given to me by Loren. the house is drop-dead FABULOUS. found an old 1937 vintage book in the house started reading it and that’s how i found out about it. Highly recommend. Loren is very knowledgable about the colonial history of the home.
What a wonderful time you are having. No hurry, hurry, hurry. This is how I like to travel. The flowers must be so gorgeous. I anxiously await the tour of that house. I hope they let you take pictures. Travel on…..
Mary Ann,
It is even more beautiful than it was 30-odd years ago when I visited. Please get name of hanging red/yellow flower plant in first pic.
All well in the hood, cats at window keeping watch.
xos
CLOCK VINE thunbergia family!
tell cat posse not to have any parties!
Thanks for sharing your adventures, pictures and sketches. Always so exciting when I see Dispatch from LA pop up in my inbox and I can read about your day’s adventures.
OH WOW. I want to live there!! Eat there, smell there, luxuriate there. Can you message me where you are staying? I want to put it in my Bucketlist file — for real! 🙂
you know want luxury means…….
Loving being with you in Guatemala, dreamily looking at the shapes, the colors, the history, the food…………………
Thank you for taking us along!
ps — at the bottom of the post, the page offered me a link to a much older post. Love the journal page about the voices………….
oops, it thinks I’m spam because I’ve included a url. Let me clip the http:// from the front and see if it will accept it………….. Still not good enough. Now I’ll clip the .html from the end, and try again……………..
dispatchfromla.com/2007/04/spanish_for_lun_1 🙂 🙂 🙂