This post is orginally from February 21, 2023

Saturday we traveled 3 hours from picturesque Lake Atitlan to the charismatic city of Antigua. It was a complete success as I wasn’t sick during the entire ride. Phew! 

I’ve been to Antigua once before and I remember it being such a beautiful place.  The once colonial city is tucked among three massive volcanos. One of the volcanos remains active to this day and when the sky is clear, you can see the red lava spitting into the sky from afar.  Unfortunately it was a bit cloudy during our two days, so we weren’t able to see any of the light shows. Within the city there are a mix of restored colonial buildings next to picturesque ruins.  The entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which means that even fast food chains like McDonalds and Starbucks are hidden behind beautiful traditional building facades. In fact, we visited both in the last couple days (yes I know we probably shouldn’t support the big chains, but every now and then you need the comforts of home – if you can call it that). Both places have the most magnificent courtyards and by far are the most gorgeous McD’s and Bucks I’ve ever been to! 

From big time American chains to the most wonderful local restaurants, we definitely got to experience it all. Our favorite place that we visited was the cute and friendly Cafe Cafe Guatemala. Located in central Antiqua in the heart of all the action (the address is Sacatepequez 7Av. Norte casa No. 18B), it is open every day of the week from 6am to 9pm. If you are looking for the perfect cup of java, look no further as Cafe Cafe Guatemala supports local coffee farmers distribute the best artisan coffee. You can even buy bags of coffee to take home as souvenirs. There are plenty of healthy options to choose from; fresh smoothies, sandwiches & wraps, as well as sweet and savoury crepes. For the sweet tooth there are also a plentitute of delicious desserts. Not only is the food to die for, but the staff are incredibly friendly and you can see the cooks preparing the food right in front of you so you know it is clean and well prepared.

Other than eating, we spent the rest of our time in Antigua getting some much needed rest (for me), wandering the streets and doing some shopping in the local artisan markets. Good ol’ Estavan was a very happy man when we left his leather shop. We bought the most beautiful leather bags and wallets that also showcased the Guatemalan textiles.

The last time I was in Antigua I took a salsa lesson, but this time we opted for something a little less physical…we decided that it would be fun to take a chocolate workshop. In this workshop we learnt about how the Mayans first discovered cocoa; how they would crack the fruit, dry and ferment the seeds, crush the seeds into paste and finally produce delicious chocolate. They supplied us with the melted chocolate that we poured into a mold and from there we could choose from a multitude of ingredients and flavors to add to our bar that we could take home with us. Not a bad way to end our time in Antigua I’d say!