24.06.2013 - Cartago, Costa Rica

Today, I rented a car! Let me just say that this trip gives me a terrible carbon footprint - flying around the world, renting cars, taking buses. Sustainable tourism is NOT A THING! Not until we can develop eco-friendly fuel sources to support the lifestyle to which the 20th century afforded those of us with the privilege to enjoy it at the environmental expense of everyone else in the world. More on that later.  For now, the joys of driving in a new urban environment. 

Laura, Sonja, Mike, and I drove to Cartago to see the Jardín Botánico Lankester, a botanical garden now operated by the University of Costa Rica. We wandered through the 9 garden areas including the orchids, succulents, and ferns. A few wildlife spottings along the way and some beautiful floral colors to enjoy on a cloudy day.

We stopped on the way back at the Basilica de Nuestra Senora De los Angeles, dedicated to the Black Virgin who is now the patron saint of Costa Rica. She is named for the dark color of a stone statue of the Virgin Mary found in this spot in the 17th century. Lore holds that the statue was moved into the local church twice but mysteriously disappeared back into the forest. So, the locals decided they might as well build the Basilica around the statue instead. For those not in the know (as were we until a Google stop), the difference between a Basilica and any other Catholic church is that it has been recognized as a place of miracles. Religious pilgrims from as far as Nicaragua and Panama walk the roads to this healing site often finishing the final stretch down the aisles toward the alter on their knees.

There was a noon service underway when we arrived so our group opted for lunch across the street at  La Puerta del Sol where we enjoyed another casado dish. Not a disappointing meal yet. We returned to rest in the Basilica for a bit and appreciate the beauty of the light filled architecture and hand painted columns. We then walked around to an outside corner of the building where people were washing themselves and drinking the water that flows from the rock where the original statue of the Black Virgin was said to have been found. The healing powers of the water were too tempting not to take a sip and the heat was enough to tempt me to rinse my face in the cool stream. 

Our group wandered back toward San Jose stopping at the Santiago Apóstol Parish Ruins. This shell of a structure is the ruin of a cathedral built to honor Santiago, the Patron Saint of Spain and the first patron Saint of Costa Rica. Construction began in 1870 but the building suffered destruction after multiple earthquakes before the project was eventually abandoned. Today it outlines a nicely maintained garden courtyard open to the sky above. We lingered in the plaza in front of the ruins and watched the people of Cartago passing in the movement of their days. A group of children chased pigeons and one another - my heart lingers in this space. 

We decided to take the long way home which became an undecided opportunity to get lost in Tres Rios. But, home we made it none the less with enough time to rest before dinner. We loaded up the rental car again, this time trading Mike for Alicia, to get lost in the town of Escazu on our search for the Plaza Itskatzu and... wait for it... an All Gluten Free Restaurant! The hole-in-the-strip-mall spot is called Cafetal and it bodes a wide variety of GF options from pizza to pasta on their list of appetizers and entrees. We each chose a different pasta dish - two types of lasagna, cannelloni, and my seafood fettuccine - and shared bites to extend our pallets' reach into the indulgent feasting. But the crowing glory of any gluten free establishment is, of course, their bakery case. This one was filled with delights and we chose not to limit ourselves, each of us taking home a goodie bag of selections. I would spend the next week working my way through the tres leche, the chocolate cookies, the macaroon, and the almond bars. Well worth every buttery calorie. No rest for the weary... but a little sugar gets ya' by.