A year ago we went to Café Sky to celebrate a friend’s birthday and all of a sudden I glanced to my right and saw the San Francisco El Grande church with the Volcán de Agua nicely lit despite that area was a bit hazy. I wish I knew a little history the San Francisco El Grande church so I could share it with you. Perhaps Rudy or Nelo who actually lived in front of the church can come forward to let us know about the San Francisco El Grande church. Or what about you, what can you share with us?

text and photo by Arturo Godoy.

In La Antigua Guatemala we are so lucky to be able to get excellent coffee just about everywhere. Cafetenango in Finca Filadelfia is such a place where one can drink an amazing coffee grown, harvested, dried and roasted in the premises. At Cafetenango there are baristas on site who like to draw all kinds of figures over the milk foam. I really like the views available from Cafetenango with all three volcanoes, Agua, Fuego and Acatenango, breaking away from La Antigua’s skyline. If you come to Finca Filadelfia for the Antigua Canopy Tours, make sure you make time for coffee; you won’t regret it.

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The most obvious draw to dining at Café Sky is the view. Those camped out on the restaurant’s rooftop terrace can spot Volcanoes, Cerro de la Cruz, Tanque de la Unión and the Church of San Fransisco El Grande (pictured) from the high vantage point. A local magazine even claims the restaurant has the best view of La Antigua. I think that is arguable to Cerro de la Cruz, El Sereno and some private residential houses with excellent views that I’ve had the lucky pleasure of knowing, but the vista is stunning nonetheless.

Yet, aside from the view, the restaurant has, what is for me, “hands down” the best Michelada in town. That is, the best kind with the tomato-hot sauce mix. There is another kind that uses just lime, salt and Worcestershire sauce expertly applied to your can of beer, but for the full out Michelada mix, Cafe Sky is it.

I also fancy their breaded mushroom dish… wow, now I’m hungry!

text and photos by Laura McNamara

I have posted a couple of photos of Cafe Sky before and then I told you there was nothing like a sunset. Well, today I decided to show the people enjoying themselves and waiting for the sunset while having some beers. Even thugh it was only Tuesday when the photo was taken, you can see that in Latin America time moves at a different pace: Easy and slow!

Here is another shot from Cafe Sky roof-top bar. Between this view and yesterday’s you can see Fire and Acatenango volcanoes. Fire volcano is active but far away from Antigua (about 20~30 Kms.), yet you can still see it clearly because these volcanoes are huge. Water volcano which was in the background on yesterday’s photo is only 3 or 4 Kms. from Antigua. I would worry if Water volcano were to become active.

Sidenote:
Happy holidays to people behind the Daily Photo cities in the U.S., whom, today, celebrate their Independance Day. Let’s hope we can see some great fireworks shot tomorrow.

Sunsets in Antigua are something special and even more so when you watch them from Cafe Sky roof-top bar. You sit at the roof-top bar with drinks and friends to watch the sun set against a sky line, broken by volcanoes and mountains; if you are lucky you will be greeted by Fire volcano. Sunset’s warm light falls on Antigua’s color palette to give you such rich and wonderful spectrum that makes you wonder if these are the same walls and house from this morning. To your left you can see Water volcano raise just outside Antigua. There are the things that make Antigua such a magical place.

Cheers to all of you! and my warmest wishes to all the Daily Photo Cities.

Sidenote:
The church you see just a little south is La Iglesia de San Francisco el Grande. There is buried the only Catholic Saint for Central America: El Santo Hermano Pedro de Betancourt. He was born in Tenerife, Canary Islands in 1626. The World just keeps on getting smaller. I wander if Pamela knows about El Hermano Pedro.