more coffee, and jousting at windmills

The coffee grows in clusters along the branches. We've passed miles and miles of finca, and I've seen people picking coffee. They pick in the same way we picked blueberries when I was a child: a bucket or tin can tied to our waists, freeing our fingers to roll the ripe berries into our palms.

Our guide gave us samples of the cherries and roasted beans to taste. The fresh cherries are sweet and soft. The freshly roasted coffee more tasty than any I've ever had. The finca we toured boasted they serve no coffee older than 10 days from the roast....









I found this chart fascinating. Coffee drinkers, take note! Another thing I learned is that the longer you roast coffee, the less caffiene it has... did I write that already?






















The patio at the Black Cat Hotel. I spent some quality time in that hammock! We were very comfortable at the Black Cat. One of the guys who worked there had a terrific music collection, and played great music each evening. It reminded me very much of the hostel we stayed in while in Plakias, Crete a few years ago. A young, hip, friendly staff. And, the kitchen was good here, too, serving a terrific breakfast included in the price of the room. 250 Q (7.8 Q/US dollar). We stayed in Antigua almost a week, could have stayed longer. The atmosphere of the town was peaceful and quiet, the food was good, the temperature great, and we met some interesting travelers.









This windmill, tilting, seemed just right in my view. It's on the roof of a house close to our hotel, and we had this view each day from our garden rooftop at the Black Cat. The clouds in this photo are obscuring the view of a volcano...