Day Trip

Today started the same way that most of our days start - without a plan. We had a relaxing morning, then decided to visit a Japanese botanical garden. As we were driving the sky clouded over, everything turned gray, and we decided the gardens were out. We passed by a huge and beautiful church and decided to stop. Apparently it's the church in Costa Rica. There's a tradition here where once a year everyone walks from wherever they are to this church. Some people even make the journey on their knees to the historical church where they are greeted by nurses ready to treat their bloody knees.

We just drove there. The church was built in the same style as the churches in Spain. Practically everything is original, which means over 300 years old. The ceiling is multi-level, which gives it a very exotic look. The original stained glass looks just as immaculate as if it were new. The alter is something fit for a king and people walk to it on their knees to pray. The artwork is mesmerizing both because of its beauty and its meaning. Everything had mysterious symbols whose meanings I would love to know.

After walking through the church and disturbing all the faithful worshipers, we walk around a bit until find a pizza place. Oh, how I love pizza. We went to a place with movie posters all over the walls and The Incredibles playing on two TVs. While we ate two children separately came to our table to try to sell some trinket for money. We gave money to neither, but rather gave some pizza to the first and some soda to the second. We then went and took some pictures of the church. I loved walking around in the courtyard in front the church. It was made of stone brick and makes a great sound when boot heals walk it. And of course, on our way back to the car two or three more people tried to sell us lottery tickets. We bought a ticket from one girl, gave some change to the other, and then she kept demanding our leftover pizza right up until we closed the car doors.

All in all, it was a very nice trip. Remove the very aggressive beggars and it would have been perfect. The overcast sky actually improved the atmosphere in this particular place. The grey sky was a perfect background for the grey and white church. The nippy, windy air made us feel like we were in a different city, even a different country, even though we were only 20 minutes from home. This is what I love about Costa Rica. Just a short drive away you can find almost anything you want. There are beaches, volcanoes, rain or cloud forests, gorgeous historical churches, city life, little markets, all kinds of parks, there's never a dull moment if you don't want one.