ANTIGUA, GUATEMALA

Once again a natural disaster has struck one of the beautiful countries I have traveled to.  It saddens me to see such a tragedy and the devastation it has caused to the people and the region.  As soon as I heard the news I looked through my Guatemala photos on the computer and then I knew exactly which volcano it was and where it was located.

My husband and I have been to Antigua, Guatemala twice.  The first time was with Overseas Adventure Travel and we spent three days there.  The second visit was just for the day because we were on a cruise ship.  The city is quite picturesque with a large central park and many shops and cafes surrounding it.

One of the mornings we were there we got up before sunrise to go to the top of a nearby mountain to watch the sun rise and to take pictures.  The city was laid out below and on the far side of the city, directly across from where we stood, was Volcan de Fuego.  While we were watching the volcano it belched out several puffs of smoke.  It is located just 10 miles from Antigua.  These are a few of the pictures I took that morning.

Volcan de Fuego looming above Antigua

So far what I’ve read is that Antigua was covered in a lot of ash but beyond that I’m not sure.  Someday when Guatemala has recovered from the volcano I would like to go back again.  The country has so much natural beauty to offer a visitor.