Our first full day in San Jose was a blast! First of all, it started out with wonderful scrambled eggs, rice and beans, pineapple and other assorted foods for breakfast. It was delicious! The weather is everything we expected and more. Beautiful sunshine and, somehow, just the right amount of humidity.
After breakfast, we took a coach bus tour of San Jose with Costa Rican Tours. They were simply wonderful. The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and was able to answer all the questions that our students had to ask.
The picture to the left shows us waiting for the tour bus to arrive.
After just a short while, our first stop was the Teatro Nacional (National Theater)....
A beautiful establishment and representation of Costa Rican culture, this theater was completed in 1897.
Inside this theater was a lot of impressive architecture and paintings that are very symbolic of the Costa Rican culture. Here are some pictures for you to envision something that is very difficult to give justice to with a simple description...
A painting on the ceiling that is also on the Costa Rican currency 5000 colones. This painting shows the hard working people of Costa Rica with bananas, coffee, etc.
Anasia and MaeAnna next to an impressive statue on the second floor of the theater. You can see in the background, the impressive gold trim, that is actually a reduced amount of what used to be on the walls. They removed some after people started stealing it (not surprising!).
The skillfully painted ceiling of the theater with a chandelier that was actually donated by France.
Between the Teatro Nacional and our next stop, we were able to walk around San Jose with our tour guide. While on our way, we were able to get a great group shot! Check it out!
Our next stop was very impressive as well. It was called - Museos: Banco Central de Costa Rica. This was a museum that displayed a lot of Costa Rica's Pre-Columbian artifacts and art. Here are more pictures for your enjoyment :-)
Pre-Columbian artifacts made of stone
Gold jewelry worn by the indigenous people before the arrival of Christopher Columbus.
After a great experience at the museum, we did even more touring on the coach bus! It was simply a long day of finding out how amazing San Jose really is. After our tour, Costa Rican Tours included a meal at a restaurant called Nuestra Tierra. This was a very nice restaurant where we were actually serenaded by some local musicians. What a treat! Here are a couple pictures....
Our Serenaders :-)
Chicken Fajitas, Rice and Tortilla Chips. Mmmm, so tasty!
So, after a long day we had a really great group meeting to recap the day. We talked about how many great things are happening on this trip. The girls are very respectful, making responsible choices and are practicing safety in how they present themselves in public.
Tomorrow is a very exciting day because we will be singing our FIRST PERFORMANCE!!! This performance will be taking place at Saint Francis High School. We hope to bring you another exciting post tomorrow evening so, stay tuned!
Hasta la proxima vez! (Until next time!)
-SHS WC and CSR WC
What a beautiful city! Such a lovely day, too.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you were able to experience San Jose first hand and learn about Costa Rican history and culture. Great way to begin. Can I get an order of those chicken fajita's?
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures looks like you guys are having a blast cant wait to read more good luck with your performance today :0)
ReplyDelete~AWESOME~ It is so great to hear about the trip, but the pictures are a real treat! I love seeing you all in your warm summer clothes! The museum looks so beautiful, and the food yummy! Love and miss you Ria!
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