On Monday, Michael was scheduled to be in symposia all day, but he didn’t have to be there until 11:00, so we had a much enjoyed quiet start to our day, including breakfast on the 4th floor of our hotel.  It has splendid views of the city and was a fun way to start our day.

I walked with him to the Universidad del Quindio which is about 5 minutes away from our hotel and left him there for the opening session.   I returned to the hotel and then walked back ONE hour later to meet a group of people to go to lunch!!!

We walked/drove to a restaurant down the street and all sat out in the open air to enjoy our meal. 

I have learned something about lunches here in Colombia.  Sometimes they have a menu available, but more often than not the server simply rattles off a list of items that are available.  It might sound something like this…..Chicken with fried potatoes, chicken with boiled potatoes, chicken with beans and rice, pork with vegetables, fried pork with macaroni, fish with potatoes and salad, fish with  fried potatoes….and on it goes. 

This is fine except that it is all done VERY fast and in Spanish!!   I was completely lost!!   The other diners translated for me and I picked out a fried pork (like Wienerschnitzel) with potatoes.  I sat back very relived that I had ordered.   Then they wanted to know what kind of soup I wanted…..YIKES….here we go again.   Finally, it was what kind of juice did I want to drink, and there were 5+ choices!!!

I was VERY relieved when she left and my order had been taken!!! 

The first thing on the table were Arepas….

Then came a delectable Cream of Broccoli soup….

and finally the main course….

The fruit slice that sits on my schnitzel is a cross between a lime and a mandarin orange.  It tastes a lot like a lemon but is a bit more bitter.  

Michael chose to take the easy way out and order off of the menu and opted for grilled chicken…

One of the other diners, Andrew, ordered fish and considering that everyone at the table was a biologist, the discussion quickly turned to  a debate of what kind of fish it was.   Being a good biologist, Andrew “dissected” it to determine it’s identity…

….such is the life of being a NON-scientist at a scientific conference!!!

I opted to walk back to the hotel but to stop at a local parque (park) on my way.  Now, I had read about this park and was envisioning acres of green grass, beautiful towering trees, benches and sedate walking trails….NOT!   This exotic park is a jungle of trees, birds, flowers, butterflies and a large rodent called a “Paca” (closely related to the Agouti). 

I paid my 1,000 pesos (40 cents) entrance fee and started walking around.  The first thing that I noticed is that I didn’t have the proper shoes on as the trails were steep and sometimes rocky. 

As I was enjoying the easier trails, I heard a funny sound and looked up to see this bird just above my head…..

I enjoyed a few minutes of watching him and then decided to leave the park and come back better prepared on another day!!

Michael arrived a little after 6:00 and informed me that we were being picked up at 7:00 for dinner!!  This time we walked to a small sports bar close to the park entrance and enjoyed hamburgers of various varieties.  Mine had BBQ sauce and guacamole….YUM!!!   Each of the dishes were named after famous sports figures and it was fun to order a “Hugo Sanchez” or a “Shaquille O’Neal”!!!

Each of the burgers were served with a plastic food service glove tied into a cute little bow.  Apparently you were supposed to use the glove on the hand that held the burger so that you wouldn’t get messy.   I say apparently, because neither of us stood on that ceremony and just ate our burgers the “Texas” way!!!

I was sitting in the middle of the table with 4 people on one side and 3 on the other.  There was a conversation in Spanish going on  to my left and Science talk to my right so I just enjoyed the music!!!

It was an exceptional start to our stay in Armenia!!

On Sunday morning, we were due to fly to Armania for the last two weeks of our trip.  We had been warned to leave early for the airport because there was a Half-Marathon that morning.   It was called the Media Maraton Internacional de Bogota and had around 45,000 people involved in the events of the day.

We could see the excitement in front of our hotel as they set up a Medical tent and hundreds of pedestrians on bikes, skate boards and non-electric scooters enjoyed the open roads…..

Just as we were driving out from the hotel we heard two gun shots that signaled the start of a mini parade with police cars and a small float carrying the Patron Saint of the race.

It was good that we left early because many of the roads were closed for the course and our poor taxi driver had to really work to get us to the airport.

Once there, we picked up a cup of coffee and “Dunkin Donuts”….Michael made me go in so that he can keep his record of NOT having US fast food while in foreign countries!!!

Our flight was delayed by about an hour but was a fairly easy trip.  We enjoyed talking to the young man sitting next to us.  He was a player on one of the Tulsa Professional Soccer Teams (Football Clubs).  I didn’t catch his name, but figured that I could find him easily online.   Little did I know that there were more than one club so I don’t know who he was!! 

We were met at the airport by Henry, Victor & Katherine and they escorted us to our very nice hotel!!! 

Our first impressions of Armenia were exciting as the mountains rose on either side of us.  Armenia is the capital of Quindio which is a Department in Colombia.  To the best of our reckoning, a Department is the equivalent of a state in the US.  The city has about 200,000 people.

There was a huge earthquake back in 1999 that leveled much of the center of the city.  It has now been rebuilt and is beautiful.  However, the area is still tectonically active so we were told to expect to feel tremors.

We had a walk around our hotel area and were able to find the University that Michael will be teaching at.  After a while, we decided to eat dinner at a place called “La Fogata”.   We enjoyed a fantastic meal…..beef for Michael……

…and Chicken for me…..

We felt horrible when we realized that the restaurant had actually closed about 15 minutes before we left, but they never hurried us at all!!!

We were excited about being in a new city and pleased to meet the people who had made our trip here possible!!!!

 

Michael was off today (HOORAY) so we headed to the next place that we both wanted to see….the local market. 

Before our taxi driver could go a single block, we were stopped while a movie was being shot.  One of the crew had on a shirt that said New York Film Academy….don’t know if they had anything to do with it.   In this scene there is a fight and the guy on the left (in tan shirt) gets thrown to the ground……

Apparently the stunt was not done exactly right as he was still on the ground when we were allowed to pass with several people standing around him obviously asking if he was ok!!!  

With no further stops, we arrived at the market and started out by looking at the vendors on the outside of the building.   I was flabbergasted by their display techniques and, at the same time, horrified that my bag would knock one of the fruit towers over!!

We moved inside the building and were met with row after row of fruits and vegetables….

It was interesting watching the vendors as they worked their wares.  This woman was meticulously de-cobbing corn….one kernel at a time!!!!

Along the sides of the market there were stalls that sold everything from restaurant equipment and supplies…..

…..to HUGE bags and bottles of ketchup, mayonnaise and other condiments….

….to the always useful “Glue for Mice”….yuck!!….

We kept hearing cheers through out the market and finally came upon a large group of men watching TV and happily celebrating the Tour De France ride of Colombian rider,  Nairo Quintana!!!….

Unfortunately he didn’t win the day but it was fun seeing everyone’s excitement.

So, onto the meat section of the market.   You have to love these cow hooves….

They look like they are lined up to do the Can-Can!!!

This gentleman did not want me taking a photo but I cant imagine why….

Quite the opposite, this lovely woman allowed us to watch and photograph her as she prepared thin sheets of fat and skin that we assume will be used to make Chicharron.

Her two children were in the stall with her and they thought that we were nuts!!!

I loved the diversity of these types of sausages…..

….and what can I say about these skinned-out pigs…..

There was almost a uniform that the meat vendors wore, consisting of an apron and rubber boots…..Now we moved into an area that sold flower supplies.  This shop sold ribbons, bows and cellophane wrappers for fresh flowers…..

….and this shop had baskets, flower pots and other wonderful things.  

I took this photo before I shopped with the woman in the picture.   She was so sweet and we asked if we could photograph her but she said “No” and that she was “mui feo”, meaning old and ugly!!   We all laughed

We had been told that there was a colossal flower market on the site and we finally found it when we walked outside…..

It was filled with all sorts of flowers, but the rose vendors seemed to be the most prevalent.  It was interesting to see how these roses were packaged….

It was fun to see people walking around with huge bunches of flowers…..

….but I especially enjoyed seeing these two little guys….

There was a fascinating variety of flowers and business was brisk…..

I loved this “thistle” looking fower…..

We kept hearing people make a shrill whistle and couldn’t figure out what was happening.   Finally, we realized that it was the vendor’s way of saying “get out of my way….I am coming thru”.  We listened more intently from then on.

Also, when big trucks are backing up they don’t beep at you, but instead play a little song.  One of them played “London Bridge is Falling Down” as they backed!!

We had planned to go across the street to another market area but, in the end, we couldn’t figure out where the street was again!!!

Thus began an interesting part of our trip….how do we get out of this maze??? 

Our comments went something like this….”No, that is the same coffee vendor again”…..”Maybe if we go this way!”… “No, let’s just circle and see what happens”….”We are SOOO lost!”.  But, what a fun place to be lost in!!!

We finally found a way out of the market and into a taxi and enjoyed a ride back to our hotel.  On the way we passed a series of shops that were selling things for funerals….boxes for urns, flowers, monuments etc.   We realized why they were all clumped together when we passed a VERY large cemetery.

We arrived back at our hotel and downloaded our photos from the market…..hmmmm…1-1/2 hours and 157 photos….sounds about right!!

After a brief rest, we headed out to the Old Town again to see a few new sights and for Michael to see the best of what I had already seen.  Keeping with our tradition in foreign countries, we were stopped by a couple and asked for directions!!!   I guess we just look like we know where we are going.  Little do they know!

In particular, Michael wanted to see the Botero museum so that is where we headed first.   Since I now had a photographer with me, I had to get a photo in front of Mona Lisa….

It is a bit bigger than the one in Paris!!!

We walked passed the Centro Cultural and quickly checked out an exhibit by one of Colombia’s favorite poets.  The presentation was interesting with an industrial feel

The art was colorful, but not really my style….

We decided to just walk around some of the government buildings but then saw this sight from a distance…. Naturally, we had to investigate and finally figured out that it was Iglesia Del Carmen.   Unfortunately the church was not open but we enjoyed looking at the outside architecture and I even found some quilt blocks…..

I have now looked at photos online and seen the interior of this church.   I am very sad that we were not able to see inside it!!

We next ran across the “Museo Arqueologio” and, based on the blurb in the travel guide, almost gave it a miss.  We are so glad that we didn’t pass it up!!!

The initial displays that we saw were not all that impressive although we did enjoy this string instrument…..

We took a few photos of the outside of the building…..

However, as we were leaving and thinking that we weren’t impressed, the guard motioned for us to follow him as he unlocked a door and motioned us in.   This section of the exhibit contained some beautiful pottery…..

This pot with a face on the side reminded me of a character from a Dr. Who show (remember the “Face”?)….

We couldn’t see any other galleries so we headed out toward the front door.  Once again the guard motioned asking if we had been upstairs yet.  We had seen the stairs with the “Prohobido el paso” sign, and being the rule following people that we are, we had not passed!!!  The guard walked us to the stairs, removed the cord blocking the way and motioned for us to go up…..

We entered a striking gallery that had several things going on at once.   The first was ethnic music being played.  Secondly there were sheer fabric screens between the exhibits with a video being played thru the fabric.  Finally, there were small boxes of pottery with very bright lights shining thru the boxes and displaying shadows on the far walls……

It was a stunning gallery as it tickled many senses at the same time!!

After leaving we continued down the street and came to a large building with tall ironwork fences going around it.   There was a statue in the middle with a guard in front of it so I walked up to the fence, stuck my hand thru and took a photo…..

We walked a few more feet and I stepped up on the sidewalk again to take another photo and was approached by a smiling guard who said that we couldn’t walk on the sidewalk.   In thinking about it, I am amazed that they let me go up to take the initial photo.   We finally decided that they must have decided that we were “mostly harmless”!!

Eventually we figured out that we were at the “Capitolio Nacional”….

….thus the need for additional security from clueless Americans!!!

It was well after 2:00pm and we were both hungry but didn’t want anything big because we were planning to eat a larger dinner, so I suggested that we get an ice cream cone from McDonald’s!!  Now, Michael and I have tried to keep a tradition of NOT going into American food establishments when we are traveling overseas so this caused a bit of consternation.   The decision was made when we realized that we could order from an outside window and not have to go INTO the building…..crisis averted!!!   We got a mixed cone that had vanilla and a light caramel flavored ice cream.   It hit the spot!!!

As we walked back home, we joined throngs of people who were out enjoying their Saturday afternoon.  We wandered up on one gentleman who had a collection of Guinea pigs in the middle of the street.

At first we thought that they were for sale, but soon realized that they were a betting game.   You would put a coin on top of the “house” that you thought the Guinea Pig would enter and would win if you guessed the right one…..

I was mostly amazed that the Guinea Pigs didn’t run away and I wondered how they fared against the dogs that roamed the street!!!

For dinner, we searched for a restaurant and figured out how to get there from our hotel.  Naturally we were lost in about 2 blocks so we decided to just walk past a few and pick one out.   We ended up at “Chichombia” and enjoyed another Bandeja Paisa.   This one not only included Chorizo (sausage) but a Blood Sausage as well.   The flavor of that one was good, but it was dryer and was not a favorite……

Our waiter did not understand English and we were having a hard time asking for Dessert.  I finally said “chocolate” and he smiled and said “Postre”.  I knew that word from our stint at McDonald’s so we smiled and said “Si”.    He described (in Spanish) a dessert and said that it was very good, so we said to bring one even though we weren’t sure what we were getting.   We should not have worried!!  It was a very moist vanilla cake covered with a creamy caramel sauce….delicious…

The night ended with a slow walk back to the hotel, enjoying the sights and sounds of beautiful Bogota!!

 

According to Weather Underground, it was supposed to be a warm day…NOT.  Michael called me right after he left the hotel and said that it was windy and cold!!!

As I started making my way to my first stop, I mused on the fact that I seem to be the only person who crosses the street quickly…especially when crossing against the light!!!

Now, over the last week, I have been trying to see inside two churches that were very close together.  At last one of them, Iglesia de Veracruz, had their door open when I passed,  

The mass was just finishing up when I entered, with a gorgeous pipe organ blasting the final anthem of the day.  It was beautiful, as was the church.  This one is very different from any I have seen as it is decorated with DARK, DARK wood carvings……

I took the photo of the church itself and then this photo in one of the alcoves…..

and then I saw the sign that said “No Photos”…..oops….

As I was leaving I could hear a pan flute playing quietly in the background and thought that it was a nice touch.  Then I realized that it was playing “The Sound of Silence” which seemed a bit strange. All was revealed when I stepped back out onto the street and realized that the music was coming from a street vendor just outside of the church!!

I walked across the street and entered the most attractive “Museo del Oro”.  This highly praised museum is filled to the brim with golden delights and I cant imagine how much money is represented here!!

The first gallery was about the people who worked the gold and it was noted that the goldsmiths were greatly respected and held dual status because of the technical and supernatural knowledge that they possessed.

The Peruvian Andes metallurgy was know for their hammered gold, even using small stones (some shaped like irons) to further smooth and flatted the gold….

Because the thin gold would crack during the process, they learned to heat the metal and then dunk it in cold water to give it more strength.  This is called annealing.

It was incredible to see how thin the gold could be cut and still not break….

There were many, many objects that had been made using a wax mold and I had never understood how it would work….I mean, wouldn’t the wax melt when the hot metal was poured onto it?

The answer came around the next corner when I shared a bench with 2 little girls and watched a video of the wax process.   It is done like this…..

First the wax is used to sculpt the object that you are going to make from gold.  Then clay is formed around the wax.  The clay is now heated so that the wax can melt and be poured out of the clay.  Now you have a clay mold that has the indentations from the wax…..see where it is going???   The  next step is to pour the metal into the clay  and allow the metal to fill up all of the holes left from when the wax was melted out.

Finally, the clay form is broken and the metal piece can be polished and brought to life.

Unfortunately this process only provides a one-of-a-kind piece of art!!

Many of the gold pieces that were displayed were taken from various sarcophagi that had been found.  This tomb had been carved out of a tree trunk ….

It looks to me like a person would have to be REALLY skinny to fit!!

This piece was used to cover the face of the deceased…..

 

I loved this mask, especially that it comes complete with earrings and a nose ring….

 

This stone stamp was used to put temporary tattoos on skin.  Love the design!!

 

These three nose rings were interesting.   The cut out area was placed in the nose and the circular part was to protect the mouth…..

The intricacy of the work was astonishing when you realized what tools they had to work with!!

By this stage….about gallery number 3…. my eyes started to glaze over and I reverted to my old habits of just looking at what caught my eye and not reading all of the descriptions.

These three are musical instruments (you blow into the “mouths”) but mostly  I loved the facial expressions….

The museum did a  magical job with their presentations.  In this display you could see the gold items that were found in the tomb, with the shadow behind showing the body that they were found with…..

The quilter in me found this design to be interesting….

The note about the design talked about their use and love of line and symmetry!!

One of the most interesting exhibits was a sound proof round room that you entered entirely in the dark.  One ingenious tourist pulled out their I-phone and lit our path.  Once inside, you started hearing the chants of a Shaman and the walls started being lit up to reveal beautiful gold treasures.   Many of the displays looked like birds or butterflies in flight.  It was very moving….

There was one display on the floor of the museum that was a movie of kids working on an “archaeological “ dig.  They divided the area into squares and then each child carefully cleaned out one square, revealing the “ruins” below.  The final analysis was that it was the site of two people laying on the beach listening to records, eating a meal and enjoying the surf.   It was a special demonstration!!!

I was impressed with the knowledge of the guides as they took small groups of people around the museum.   Even if I didn’t know what they were saying, they were emphatically proclaiming the history and beauty of the displays!!

I wandered further down the street and found a small “Cafeteria” where I could get a couple of Empanadas and a drink.  The only problem that I had with ordering this time was whether it was to eat there or to go!!

The Empanadas were excellent and I was surprised to find a boiled egg quarter in the middle of the meat!!  There was  a green sauce on the table and it was a savory addition to the pastry……

The pigeons that were wandering between the tables promptly ascertained that I was the one who was going to make a mess eating so they grouped around me hopefully.   I did not leave them wanting!!!

Now I was heading to an Art Gallery that I had seen a couple of days previously and knew that I needed Calle 11.  My plan was to continue walking down Carrera 7 and then turn left on Calle 11.  But first, I had to stop in to do some shopping in  one of the Vendor halls.   I think that my lack of English preceded me as I made my way up and down the aisles.  One gentleman talked to me  incessantly in broken English and was desperate to sell me a necklace, but I held my ground and kept walking.

I did buy a purse from a young couple who were so very friendly.  She spoke fairly good English and was so sweet.   After I had paid and was getting ready to leave, she brought out a braided bracelet in the  Colombia colors, tied it on my wrist and said that it would remind me to come back to Colombia!!!

I kept walking, switching every few minutes from my umbrella and coat to no coat and sweating.  The weather probably changed 20+ times during my hours out!!!

I found another religious icon store and went in looking for a Nativity scene.  I didn’t find one that would fit comfortably in my suitcase, but did find many HUGE icons and people were buying them as fast as they could.

I should have known better, but I decided to detour down Calle 12 so that I would miss some of the construction that was going on…..BAD move.   I never really figured it out, but Calle 12 is actually two or more streets….12, 12a, 12b etc.   I managed to turn myself around completely and ended up, 45 minutes later, back at the restaurant that I had eaten at…..SIGH!!!  I have decided that I have the most problems when I try to do anything with confidence.   That ALWAYS gets me in trouble.

So I took off again and didn’t stop until I hit Calle 11 and the Bolivar Plaza.

On one end of the Plaza is the Palace of Justice which houses the Supreme Court of Colombia.   This was the site of a Guerilla attack in 1985, killing several justices and holding 350 people hostage.  The military counterattacked and took the building back, but over 100 people were killed and the building was destroyed by fire. 

At the other end of the plaza is the Capitolio Nacional which houses the Colombian Congress.

At last I found the Museo de Arte Del Banco de la Republica….a long name for a wonderful art gallery.

The exhibit halls were stunning with excellent lighting ……

I enjoyed this painting by Luis Alberta Acuna.   I am always intrigued by what true artists can do with small dots of paint!!!

I found two paintings that were side by side and found them extremely thought provoking.   They were both painted by Emiliano Villa and this one is call  “La meurte del Justo”  (The death of the just)

The next one is “La muerte del Reprobo” (basically…the death of the reprobate)….

The difference in the tone of these two paintings was captivating!!

I was drawn to this character lurking behind the bed of the second painting.  I thought that I could find something online about the painting, but haven’t had any luck so far…..can any of you artists help me out???? 

One gallery contained only portraits of dead Nuns.  Supposedly each Nun’s portrait was painted twice….once when she first took her Orders and then soon after her death.   They were a bit eerie!!

I stumbled onto a kids area where they could experience different types art including fiber arts, drawing, painting, clay designs and shadow art.

It would be a fun place for a kid!!!

 

The museum had a massive modern art section, encompassing several galleries.  I found this guy intriguing….

There were guards in every room however he was standing outside of this particular gallery and he entered when I did.   The reason for his standing outside soon became clear.   There was one art piece that was made up of metal strips and it was jiggled by a small motor and made the most awful noise.  There was no way that he could have stood in there for any length of time without going completely crazy!!

I loved this piece……

….and even more when I realized that it was made up of stripes painted on the canvas and red glass strips running perpendicular to the painted stripes.

There was an entire floor of “installation” art, some of which was interesting and some was simply strange!!  There were two rooms dedicated to photos of some of the riots of past years.  Those were interesting, but what I really liked was the way that this display was presented…..

The photo was printed on glass and split into strips.  Then a bright light was shown thru the glass, reflecting onto the wall.   It was very effective!!

The most interesting (and frightening) exhibit was a small thin hallway that had mirrors on all sides that had a small wooden “bridge” that you walked across.  The problem is that the mirrors were all showing images of the ocean and the roaring of the ocean waves was very loud……

When I made my first step onto the bridge, I got dizzy and felt like I was going to fall off of the bridge.  I quickly stepped back and had a good look at the exhibit .  Surely there was more to the floor than just the bridge!!!!  Finally, I knelt down and made sure that there was a floor under the bridge so that I couldn’t fall off.  Of course there was and I knew that in my head, but had to check it out anyway!!!  This was the view looking over the edge of the bridge…..

It was a bit  eerie, but VERY cool art!!!

As I came down from the Installation Art, I noticed that there was a sign pointing to the Botero museum.  Since I had enjoyed his art so much the other day, I decided to check it out as well.

There were numerous galleries all filled with the pudgy Botero people…..

Even his flowers take on a roly-poly persona……

I love that he can even make his buildings and other inanimate things look rotund and in need of a diet…..

And to my quilting buddies, is this what we look like when at the machine???

 

This “Mona Lisa” was one of the most photographed and was one of my favorites…

I entered several other galleries and found much of Botero’s personal art collection.  He had quite a diverse eye for art.  Pieces included those by …..

….Henri Matisse

…..Pablo Picasso

 

…..Max Ernst…  I loved this painting called “Explosion in a Cathedral”.  I am sure that I was drawn to all of the triangles, diamonds and other shapes in the outer edges….

 

….Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

….Pierre-Auguste Renoir….

…..Claude Monet

….and MANY other artists that I didn’t recognize.

As I finally left the museum, the skies opened,  it started to pour rain, the wind started blowing and I was totally miserable for about 15 minutes.   At least I didn’t take any wrong turns in the rain…..that would have been debilitating!!!  Then, magically, the rain stopped, the sun came out and it was gorgeous by the time I reached the hotel.

One phenomenon that I did observe was that the streets were eerily quiet when it was raining.  Then I suddenly realized that all of the vendors had moved out of the rain and that was why it was quiet.  However, as soon as the rain stopped, they were all out again with their speakers blasting out slogans of what they were selling!!

We were met by Henry and Juliana this evening and enjoyed a wonderful meal at a restaurant called La Taparia, and yes we had Tapas!!!   Six wonderful dishes starting with…..

….potatoes in cheese sauce  (fairly spicy)…..

….a plate of various sausages and cheeses…..it was magnificent….

….fried Calamari with a spicy sauce……..

…..a beautiful grilled Eggplant with cheese and tomatoes…..

…..glorious sautéed mushrooms….you can see how hot they were…..

….and finally a plate of fried chicken with a spicy sauce….yes, we bought chicken wings!!!!

All in all, we had a wonderful day but were VERY tired at the end……

 

Yikes….. I am already 2 days behind on my blogging….I better quit sightseeing and start typing….not really!!!!

This morning (Thursday), I was planning to visit several places that were on the other side of Plaza de Bolivar which meant a 2 mile walk to start the morning.  Instead of making that trek, I decided to get a taxi from the hotel and enjoyed a good but bumpy ride.

Once I got to the Plaza it took me a few minutes to get my bearings but then I started looking for Iglesia de Concepcion.  I walked passed it the first time but finally went back and quit looking for massive entrances and yes, there it was….just a small door leading into a gorgeous church.   The door was actually on the side of the sanctuary, opening right into the worship area.

As usual, there were quite a few people in private prayer or study and the mood was reflective and worshipful.

The altar was gorgeous as was the geometric ceiling.

There was one altar that seemed to be most beloved.  The figure of Jesus was behind glass and many people would walk up and place their hand on the glass.  There were also piles of receipts that had been pushed into the altar between the cracks in the glass.  In looking at them, I think that they were receipts for money that had been donated to the church.

As I left the church, I looked at my guide book and it said the following:  ”Farther down the street beyond the Iglesia de la Concepcion is the historic labyrinthine artisans market know as the Pasaje Rivas”.   “Artisans Market”……sounds right up my alley!!

I wondered if I would be able to recognize it but found that would not be a problem at all!!!

This was not what I would call an artisan market, but it certainly seemed to be where the native Colombians shopped.  There was everything imaginable along these few blocks and it was a maze to work thru.

The first row that I went down had women’s formal attire….everything from prom type dresses to the undergarments that you wore with them.

The shops seemed to be grouped by type, however there were always a few that were outliers.

In this particular area, children’s clothing, toys and supplies were on the second floor while women’s clothing was in the basement and kitchen supply stores were sprinkled throughout.

The ceilings were low and every aisle was crammed with merchandise, vendors and customers…..

I came upon this outside row and had a magnificent time walking along and checking out all of the woven goods and other interesting things.  If my suitcase wasn’t already so full, I would have certainly purchased some of the baskets!!!

My next planned stop was to be the Escuela de Artes y Officios de Santo Domingo, an art school that specializes in woodworking, embroidery, silversmithing and leatherwork.  My guidebook said that you could walk around and that tours were available, but apparently they were wrong.  I was not allowed any admittance and left a bit deflated!!

I had started out the morning looking for the Iglesia Museo Santa Clara but had come to a street that was blocked off so I thought that I couldn’t get there.  I decided to try again and was happy to discover that the street was only closed to automobiles but pedestrians were allowed although you had to have your bag searched first.   The reason for this is that many of the government buildings are in this area and all precautions are taken.

This building was originally a church but is now only a museum and my first view of the interior was breathtaking…..

The altar was resplendent with lots of gilding and statues…..

…..and the side walls contained portraits, both religious and secular….

But I became rather confused when one display would have this holy painting……..

…..with blue shoes and epaulets  on the shelf next to it…..

There was also a display called Tigersprung” by Barbarita Cardozo that contained some rather bizarre clothing….

…and there was a long dark hall that had pen and ink drawings of Nuns in risqué poses.  It was all a bit much!!!

As I came out of the museo, I was met by this group of soldiers patrolling the area.  Initially I couldn’t get my camera out and ready to photograph, so I followed them down the street until they turned again..

As I strolled around the government buildings, I observed that there were some very nice and very expensive restaurants and that they were all fully occupied!!!

My next stop was the Museo de la Policia Nacional (Police Museum) and I knew that I was on the right track when I started seeing store after store that sold nothing but military and police clothing and equipment…..

I didn’t expect a lot from a Police Museum and there wasn’t a whole lot to see, but I had some pleasant and memorable interactions with the men and women who were on duty in the Museum.  The first one met me at the door and, after ascertaining that I spoke English, immediately greeted me in English.  He placed a sticker on my jacket that signified that I was a tourist in the museum although he jokingly told me that “this shows everyone that you are a police officer…..not really!”.

The second officer told me about the museum and encouraged me to ask questions of anyone that I saw in the museum.  The displays were located on three levels with the fourth level being an open air patio.

The first thing that I saw was a photo of Moses with the 10 Commandments.  I guess this was to signify the first laws that were every known….

Many of the displays were showing the police successes in capturing various criminals.   There was an entire room devoted to Pablo Emelio Escobar, know as “El Patron”….

Most of the doors had quotes written over them and many had English translations as well.   Two of my favorites were…..

”Glory means being great by being helpful”

“The police, of all men at the same time, the most needed but the least desirable.”

As I walked around, I got the impression that they wanted me to ask questions so that they could practice speaking to me in English.  The result was that I now know more about the  Colombian National Police that I ever thought possible.

As promised, the view from the roof was amazing, although the rain had set in so things were a bit hazy…..

By now I was getting hungry and started looking for a place to eat.  I tried one small café, but there was absolutely no way that I could tell them what I wanted, so I smiled, said thank you and departed.

Next I found a café called Torrado and I decided to give it another try.  A nice young man met me and I finally explained to him that I wanted a table.  He quickly cleaned one off for me.  Then I asked for a menu (men-oo) and he shook his head no.  Now I was stuck as I was hoping for something that had photos that I could point to!!!!

He smiled at me and started trying to tell me about what they had to eat.  At first he said “Soupa” which is soup and I shook my head no.   Then I remembered the word for plate so I said “plato”.  He shook his head yes.  Finally, I just pointed to a woman sitting at a nearby table and said “that one”.  He asked me a few other questions and I just answered “Si” to all of them.   He motioned drinking and started to suggest a juice but then pointed to a sign with a bottle of Coke.  I said “yes…coca cola lite”.  He smiled and quickly brought me a bottle.

When he brought my plate, he told me that his name was Antonio.  The food was scrumptious……..

….and consisted of meat of some kind (probably pork ribs), a dab of BBQ sauce, French Fries, Plantain, Rice and Tomatoes and onions.   Antonio came by several more times to see if I was ok!!!  

I left the restaurant fully satisfied.   I’m still not sure what I ate, but it was fried and delicious!!!  AND, my interactions with Antonio and his willingness to help me find something to eat will stay with me for a long time!!!

Now that my stomach was full and my energy had returned, I decided to check out a department store that I passed.  It was fascinating to see how the store was laid out.  There were LONG aisles devoted to just one type of product….one for dog stuff, another to hair stuff, and this aisle was nothing but Bathroom mats……

By now it was raining again so I resolved to find another museum to hide in.  The first one that I came across was the Museo de Trajes Regionales which showcased traditional costumes from the different regions of Colombia.  As with all previous museums, it was built  over several floors and around an open air courtyard.

The galleries were all dark when I would enter but lights would come on as I walked thru it.  The costumes were incredible…..

….and I especially enjoyed this Mola shirt..

There was a sunning display of bobbin lace……

I must admit that I hadn’t expected such fine lace to be a part of Colombia history.

There was a sizeable display of weaving and there were several large looms……

….along with this Back-Strap loom…..

This was my favorite loom and I loved how it was made so simply from a tree limb fork and two other pieces of tree branches…..

As I went to the bathroom, I found this unassuming piece hanging alone in one hall.   I do love Molas…..

In the courtyard there was an engaging weaving in progress….

I loved seeing the different stitches and textures that have been used…..

Now it was time for me to be heading to the University to meet Michael so I started walking that way.  As I walked down one street, I saw the tell-tale outline of a church…..

I turned the corner and found myself face to face with the Igesia de la Candelaria

Of course I had to go inside and found a quiet sanctuary without a lot of the ornamentation that I have seen in other churches….

Although the Altar was magnificent…..

….and I particularly like this Madonna……

As I have visited all of these churches and seen people inside praying or worshiping I have thought how nice it would be to have a local church were you could pop inside for a few minutes of quiet reflection!!!

I left the church and  moved back onto the street….now which was was I walking!!  I checked my map to see which streets went thru and wrote myself a note  to walk down Carera 4 and turn right on Calle15.  Oh look……there is a sign to Universidad De Los Andes….I’ll go that way.  Now I don’t know where I am so I will keep walking.  OK, I recognize this from yesterday…..now if I can just keep from getting hit by the bus…

I knew where I was when I saw some street art being painted……

When I was walking here yesterday, several people were measuring and marking off this white wall that curves around the corner and I wondered if they were planning a mural.   Obviously I was right and I love how it looks so far.  Sure wish that I could see it finished!!!!

In the last block before Michael’s building I saw a little girl with an ice cream cone and I thought that it sounded really good.   I never could find a place to buy a cone but went into a Photocopy store and bought a chocolate ice cream bar.  I was very surprised when I hit something red…probably strawberry or raspberry and super tasty.

As I sat on the bench and waited for Michael to come out I ruminated on the fact that the weather website that we were using (Weather Underground) sucks.  It had said that today would be sunny and in the 70’s but instead it rained off and on all day long and I cant believe that it got much higher than 60!!!!

At long last Michael came out of the building, weary from his day of teaching…..

….but his day wasn’t over yet.   The students wanted to take us out for Empanada’s and Cheap Beer!!!  So, we spent the next two hours with 14 students in a TINY bar/café  called “Comidas Rapidas Henrry” (Henrry’s fast food) eating Empanada’s and drinking beer and watching a couple of the students salsa……

You can click here to see the video…..Video of Salsa Dancing

I did learn one new thing about buying and eating Empanadas.  They are presented in a bowl with two small napkins….one under the Empanada and one over it.   You are supposed to pick up the pastry with the top napkin and then return the bowl to the server.  There was a small bowl of guacamole on the table that you could smear over the Empanada if you wanted to.   The food was excellent and it was so much fun to meet some of the students that Michael has been working with this week!!!

All in all, another fantastic day!!!