Day Fifteen, Antigua

Casa Madeline

 This Saturday, the day before the presidential elections here in Guatemala, all the students at Casa were told to stay in Antigua and be extra careful; just be extra safe. So Gloria and I planned to have a relaxing experience here in Antigua. We decided to sleep in in the morning and when I woke up at around 9:30am Gloria was looking at the different spas here in Antigua for a day of pampering ourselves. We have had a lot of work the last two weeks, and we will only be getting more and more as this program continues, we also only have a handful of free weekends when we can leave Antigua safely, so we thought we would take advantage of the opportunity to take a spa day. We also left a note for our host family (they had left for the day by the time we had gotten up) letting them know that we would not be making it for lunch and dinner; a lesson we had learned the night before.

Courtyard, Casa Madeline

Gloria first found a high luxury spa on the map that was given to us by the Casa, she then did online research about the places and we made a decision based off of what they offered and prices. We went out to brunch then spent the afternoon at a beautiful hotel spa on the outskirts of Antigua called Casa Madeline. It is a tiny high luxury hotel with a lovely little spa tucked in the corner. Gloria and I were able to lounge with a view of the volcano Agua and the light pattering of rain. We both got a hot stone massage at the same time, and it was one of the most relaxing, luxurious things I have ever done. We then were able to lounge in their outdoor Jacuzzi and relax for the rest of the evening. After we left Casa Madeline we went out to dinner and got a lovely Italian meal in Antigua.

View of Agua, Casa Madeline

By taking a day to totally relax and pamper ourselves in a colonial city geared toward that very tourist aim, Gloria and I were able to recharge and get ourselves back into gear for getting more work done the rest of the weekend. Not only that, but we both feel that we are not burning ourselves out on this trip; by taking our time, going slow, we are relaxed and ready for all the work and travel we are doing as par of this semester program. We are also experiencing a level of Antigua "reserved" for tourists, and learning about the people/places that cater to that form of tourism. Or perhaps we are simply taking time to thoroughly enjoy ourselves in this foreign and beautiful city!