Petersen Visit-Part 2

The second half of my parent's visit was spent taking short day trips around Guatemala City.

They attended church with us. Unfortunately, there was not a translator that day or our English Sunday School teacher so they sat through three hours not understanding anything. My mom reached back to her college Spanish class and could catch a few words but like me, at the end of the block she had a headache. It was very nice to have them there Sunday afternoon when I spend the day alone with the kids. This Sunday though, Blaine and I spoke at a youth fireside on dating so they watched the kids for us.

We went to the Kaminaljuyu museum. It is dedicated the city buried underneath Guatemala City. Many scholars believe this to be the City of Nephi. Apparently all museums are closed on Mondays and so we opted to spend the day at a local market where we stimulated the global economy.

We attended the temple.

The four of us were the only people in our session. It was neat to be there with just my husband and my parents.

We went to the Popol Vuh Museum dedicated to Mayan artifacts. I am going to have to go back since I spent the whole time trying to keep Luke quiet. Each room is set up in sequential order so you can see the evolution of products and influences of other cultures. It was fascinating. (Does using that word make me sound like a grandma?)

We went to Antigua, a Spanish inquisition town that used to be the capitol of the country. We went to the local market and found great things. We then crammed ourselves into one of these bad boys:

to get to my favorite restaurant in Antigua, Santo Domingo.

It is actually an old convent

that was converted to a hotel. This is the outside reception area complete with macaws.

My favorite thing (besides the food) at Santo Doming is these flowers that are dripping down from every wall. It is so romantic.

Normally I could just remember the food tasted good but at Santo Domingo it is also about the presentation:

My dad ordered pecan encrusted salmon with lentils and peeled steamed asparagus.

My mom ate jumbo shrimp with lobster and sweet potato cookies. The polka dots are three different dipping sauces.

I had roasted duck with gnocchi and porcini mushrooms.

It was heavenly. I loved how each food was brought out on a different shaped plate.

The last day my parents were here we visited Lake Amatitlan.

It is so peaceful and the drive really gives you a sense of Guatemalan life. We HAD to drive through Villa Canales were Blaine's cousin is now serving his mission and did a quick drive through of the city. No Elder sightings but we did take a few minutes to visit the little chapel. It is so amazing to see this beautiful building on the edge of that little town.

Mom and Dad, thank you so much for making the huge effort to come visit us. It was great to spend time with you and let the kids get to know you. I loved every minute of it.

p.s. Sorry this is the best picture you could get of the volcano while you were here. It was cloudy everyday. I guess you will have to come back.