it has been a few days since i have written, but i will make it up to you. my weekend was brimming with adventure...but before i made my way north to la fortuna for the weekend, i had to summon my patience....for an early morning field trip.
friday morning, my spanish class heads east for cartago, the antigua capital of costa rica. it was paper planes the whooooole waaaay..........zip zip ziiiip
cartago sits at the base of the irazu volcano. it has erupted 23 times since 1723 and is the highest active volcano of costa rica. noted.
our main goal was to check out one of the countries busiest open food markets as well as to pay respects to the church,
Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles.
mother nature was moody this day....too much sun maybe....
this church´s idol, is the black madonna, know as la negrita, who supposedly has healing powers. the story goes that the statue was found by an indigenous girl in 1635. she brought it home several times, but it continued to disappear and return to its orignal spot. the rock, that the statue sits on, is said to be the very rock the statue was found on and in the very location the indigenous girl found it. today, la negrita is revered as a sacred relic and an object of prayer.
and wouldn´t ya know, you can even buy la negritas....at a store...set up disturbingly close to the continuously running holy water. uhhh....don´t think so...
but i will wash my face and fill my water bottle up...
it really was a very beautiful church with history that dates back hundreds of years. i just wasn´t buyin it...pun sooo intended.
and tomarrow, we are off to la fortuna....
