The Letter

Queridos Hijos,

¡Hola mis amores!  How are you?  I really miss you!  I have been very busy, and my trip has been fantastic and interesting, along with a very special souvenir that I received for a Man in the Red Hat.  I have been exploring and seeing many new things and I want to tell you all about them!

I have learned lots of new Spanish phrases and slang.  My hotel is in a great location, I am not very far from "el centro", the center of the city.  Everyday I walk there and buy fresh fruit and flowers.  El centro offers markets instead of malls, and street venders and outdoor cafes rather than air-conditioned restaurants.  This is the main tourist artery where street venders, artists and musicians, specialty shops and boutiques, and dozens of excellent restaurants offering every type of cuisine imaginable may be found. Some people love to discuss religion and politics with anyone that is interested.  They are especially interested in finding out what foreigners think about and what are their beliefs.

It is quite evident that Catholicism is the prominent religion here. It is very interesting to see how much it influences their culture and daily lives.  While on a tour of the city, I learned many things from my tour guide, including that there are four languages spoken here caused by the development of the country throughout history.  I also learned that there was a time period when the country was governed by a dictatorship.  I can't even imagine having my life so controlled by a government!  Another interesting historical fact that he told me was that there were several battles in the early 1800's that had a great impact on the country. One random fact that he told me is that the country is ranked third in the world for the number of monuments with world historical value.

The other night, I went to an interesting show!  It was a music and dance show.  It was not just any ordinary music and dance show. I had never seen anything like this, and I can't wait to show you the pictures.  Since the dance originated in the country, people from all over the world come to learn it from the experts.  At the performance we were served the best wine, "sangria", along with olives, "tortilla", and some amazing fish dish.  The city has the second largest fish market in the world, (behind Tokyo.)  Oh, and I can't forget the dessert, it was the best part!  "Flan", it was delicious.  It is like pudding, but much better!

The weather has been nice.  It is usually somewhat cool in the morning, but it normally gets hot in the afternoon.  I have been able to spend the days touring the cities, because it hasn't rained once since I've been here.  And you know how your mother hates rain!  Since my favorite activity is hiking through the mountains, I have plans to spend a few days outside the city exploring and camping in the mountains.  The country is surrounded by water on two sides, so I also hope to make it to the beach for a dip in the familiar Atlantic Ocean.  It will be refreshing after all the hot weather!

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you about my trip to the art museum.  It was quite interesting and very educational as well.  It was exciting to see such famous paintings up close.  I saw Grandma’s favorite, Goya, who is actually from here, but mine was Frida Kahlo, whose paintings are more modern.

Well my darlings, I can't wait to see you and I will be home soon!

Mucho Amor,
Mama