Volcán Irazú y Cartago

 One of my favorite colleagues, Graham, came to Costa Rica last week to do some work in our office. On Saturday, I had the chance to tag along with him, Daniella, and Krisya to see the Irazú volcano on the east side of town and then to the city of Cartago - Costa Rica's former capitol. 

We woke up very early on Saturday morning in hopes of ensuring that the volcano would not be clouded over. Leaving at 6:30 am did the trick - we had absolutely perfect weather the entire day. Because the volcano is very high up, it tends to be very cold, windy, and rainy there. But on Saturday, it was in the 50's and absolutely sunny and gorgeous. Irazú is an active volcano and could erupt again at any time. It leveled the city of Cartago that sits below the volcano in 1723. It's last major eruption was in 1963 and lasted for 2 years covering even San Jose in ash. Currently, Irazú is sleeping. But, as a precaution, when we pulled into the parking lot, they made us back our car into the space in case we needed a speedy exit. I guess it never hurts to take precautions! As you can see, Irazú is not a conical volcano, but more of a crater with a very greenish blue lagoon at the bottom.

 Daniella, Graham, Krisya, and I.

Due to some previously unlucky tourists, barriers have been placed around the crater to ensure that curious idiots don't try to climb down into the volcano. This sign is warning that "For your saftey, do not go past the barriers." Graham is a rebel...I dared him to do it. 

  We even met a very friendly pizote on our way out of the park. He was just trying to find his breakfast too.

After our early morning tour of the volcano, we began making our way down the mountain and to the city of Cartago. On the way we stopped at a very interesting little restaurant to have a typical Costa Rican breakfast. The walls in this restaurant were covered in business cards, money, notes, and photos from other travelers. So, of course, we had to leave our mark too!

 Graham's typical breakfast of gallo pinto (rice and beans), meat, eggs, cheese, and a fresh fruit juice.

Cartago sits at the base of Irazú and served as the country's first capital city until 1823. Each year in August, people from across the country make a pilgrimage to Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles. Part of the pilgrimage is to walk for miles to the plaza in front of the church. Then, people get on their knees and walk that way from the plaza to the alter.

 Even on this day, people where walking on their knees to the alter in prayer to La Negrita (a statue of a black Madonna that supposedly has miraculous healing powers.)

 At the back of the church is the rock on which La Negrita was found. A natural spring is there and many believe that the water is holy. So people bring empty bottles to fill with the holy water to take home with them.

The Santiago Apóstol (St. James Apostle) Parish Ruins are located in the center square of Cartago. On this spot churches have been erected since 1575. But, each finished church was ruined by a subsequent earthquake. Finally, they got the hint and stopped trying to rebuild the church in 1910. Now it serves as the city's ruins of sorts. Inside is a beautiful garden that opens on Sundays for people to enjoy.

 So there you have it - some Costa Rican history for you. Thanks for reading! More coming soon!

<3,
Amber