Antigua, Guatemala: Santo Domingo del Cerro

Santo Domingo del Cerro, Antigua, Guatemala. April 2016.

To get to Santo Domingo del Cerro, you go to the illustrious hotel, Casa Santo Domingo. From there, you can get onto a free shuttle from the hotel to the mountain.

Santo Domingo del Cerro, Antigua, Guatemala. April 2016.

Here is a flashy video of Santo Domingo del Cerro that the hotel produced. It's pretty.

Santo Domingo del Cerro, Antigua, Guatemala. April 2016.

In addition to the angel, maybe my favorite experience at Santo Domingo del Cerro was with the birds.

Santo Domingo del Cerro, Antigua, Guatemala. April 2016.

Santo Domingo del Cerro, Antigua, Guatemala. April 2016.

Santo Domingo del Cerro, Antigua, Guatemala. April 2016.

It felt special to have one hop onto my finger then waddle up my arm to my shoulder. It was good to focus all of my attention on what this small bird was doing, to be mindful of nothing else.

Santo Domingo del Cerro, Antigua, Guatemala. April 2016.

I wasn't able to capture its quality with my camera, but the light shone through the chairs' muslin covers like soft candles. The chairs glowed where the sun struck them.

Santo Domingo del Cerro, Antigua, Guatemala. April 2016.

Outside the chapel, a large foot. Don't ask me; I don't know.

Santo Domingo del Cerro, Antigua, Guatemala. April 2016.

You might be surprised, but I've seen a few celebrity toilets. Such as Stalin's. So coming across the toilet used by the late Pope John II, well, I'm just adding it to the list.

Santo Domingo del Cerro, Antigua, Guatemala. April 2016.

Santo Domingo del Cerro, Antigua, Guatemala. April 2016.

All in all, Santo Domingo del Cerro is a must-see in my book. Mostly because of the diversity of things to entertain all of the senses. 

Poet Miguel Ángel Asturias. Santo Domingo del Cerro, Antigua, Guatemala. April 2016.

There are sights and sounds to see up close and far away. 

Santo Domingo del Cerro, Antigua, Guatemala. April 2016.

There are things to touch, flowers to smell.

Santo Domingo del Cerro, Antigua, Guatemala. April 2016.

There are whimsical works and contemplative works.  Much of the artwork is by Guatemalan artist, Efrain Recinos.

Santo Domingo del Cerro, Antigua, Guatemala. April 2016.

Although I didn't find my lunch entree or coffee to be particularly remarkable, both were perfectly OK and besides, pairing food and drink al fresco is a good in itself.

Getting ready for a party. Santo Domingo del Cerro, Antigua, Guatemala. April 2016.

Santo Domingo del Cerro, Antigua, Guatemala. April 2016.