Enough about flu.
Jim's son and his novia visited us recently. It was a great visit. We spent one day just wandering around the city of Veracruz.
Historic building as parking garage
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El Catedral de Veracruz (La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción) is on the main plaza. It was completed in 1731, though it would be hard to figure out what comes from that era since so much has been changed and rearranged. It is one of the great sights of the city. Since you can find so many pictures of it online, I include just a few shots taken inside of pieces of art that interested me.
No matter how I tried, I couldn't get this photo right. It is actually of a sculpture. The hand is in three dimensions and seems ready to give a blessing.
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A commemorative display
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Jesus in Mexico is suffering Jesus. His suffering is a manifestation of his limitless love and compassion.
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On a side street off the main plaza, there was a shoe sale.
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Carnaval was in February, but there are still colorful posters above some of the offices where the Carnaval is planned. Probably they are getting ready to think about the Carnaval in 2010 already.
The black ribbon marks the death of a man clearly important to Carnaval. Below is a poster
commemorating him.
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Lucia wanted to find a specific kind of guitar that an artisan in Veracruz was known for making. We went looking for him along some ordinary streets.
near El Centro
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A government building
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Looking down a narrow street.
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The main fire station
And a statue honoring firemen in front of it:
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There was a space between two buildings. This is what I saw when I peered through it.
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We reached the guitar maker's store. It is just past these two older women who are making their way to a taxi with the help of a third woman. You can kind of see David if you look hard enough. Jim and I left David and Lucia at the store by themselves so we wouldn't seem like an oppressive mob of tourists.
Unfortunately, the instrument Lucia wanted wasn't available and wouldn't be for some time.
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After this, we headed north up the coast to try to see the ruins on the site where the indigenas saw Cortés sail towards shore for the first time. We arrived minutes too late, so we headed across the road to eat something at a restaurant on the beach.
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And then we drove home.