2005: Sucre

We left Potosí Saturday morning, Feb 12. It was a bit of a rainy morning. In just a few hours we had dropped over 5000 feet: Ray's altimeter read in at 7855 feet. The scenery was ever changing as we dropped lower and lower in elevation. We stopped at Puente Méndez along the coffee colored Pilcomayo River to stretch our legs and admired an old suspension bridge.

After our mid-morning stretch, we climbed back on the bus and made our way to Glorieta Mansion. This castle-like home was built in the 1890's by a well-traveled couple, Francisco and Clotilde Argandoña, who wanted to show Bolivians the architectural styles of Europe. The result is a mix of styles: Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassicists and Mudejar. One of the rooms has a series of paintings, which depict Pope Leon XIII with the couple. Pope Leon XIII gave them the name, Prince and Princess of Glorieta in honor of their charitable work. I took time to wander the lovely grounds amidst the palm trees, green grass and fountains. As I walked, a small brass band played the tune for the La Diablada dance just across a little stream.

Seven kilometers later we found ourselves in the "Cuidad Blanca" or "White City", as Sucre is nicknamed. The entire city is covered with red-tiled white washed buildings. Sucre was founded in 1538 and is another UNESCO World Heritage Site with tremendous colonial architecture. We arrived in time for lunch and had a quick bite at the Joy Ride Café before touring the city.

Around the main plaza we toured Casa de la Libertad and the Palacio de la Prefectura. Casa de la Libertad is a former Jesuit convent that was built in 1621 and is where the Bolivian declaration of independence was signed on August 6, 1825. Inside the beautiful colonial building we saw portraits of many of Bolivia's heroes, presidents, their declaration of independence and other items of historical significance. After leaving Casa de la Libertad, we walked over to the Palacio de la Prefectura, a government building, and after climbing several flights of stairs, enjoyed the view from its roof.

Our next stop was the textile museum where we saw nice displays of Jacl & Tarabuco weavings and then we headed to the mirador at Recoleta Monastery. Ray and I opted out of the return journey to the hotel so we could soak in Sucre's beauty. We ventured into Café Gormet Mirador, sat outdoors amongst the geraniums and visited while enjoying the birds-eye view of Sucre.

We enjoyed a steep downhill walk back to the town's center. We passed by a neighborhood park dedicated to Admiral Grau, naval hero of the 19th century War of the Pacific. We wandered into some textile shops, explored the plaza, and purchased chocolates at Para Ti. We attended mass at San Miguel church and enjoyed an amazing dinner at Maxims.

The next day (Sunday) we woke early (6:30 AM), ate a good breakfast and then Ray and I made a quick dash to the Cathedral to see the religious artwork. Our main destination point within the Cathedral was the Lady of Guadelupe painting that is covered in precious jewels. It was so beautiful! I would have loved to have some quiet time there. But, the tour bus was scheduled to leave from the hotel at 8 am.

We made it back to the hotel with plenty of time to spare.

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Come visit with me at http://travelerstogo.com/ by posting your follow-up questions in the Carribean, Mexico, Central & South American forum. My alias is Sharon Mc1, and I am the destination moderator for that forum -- I love talking about travel!

I recently wrote a practical travel guide for the Peruvian and Bolivian high Andes. I had a great deal of fun writing it, and particularly enjoyed writing the restaurant reviews. Here is the link:

http://p104.ezboard.com/feuropetogofrm21.showMessage?topicID=40.topic

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Articles in this series include:

Miami, Jupiter, & the Everglades (Florida) http://www.worldisround.com/articles/141804/index.html

La Paz, Tiwanaku & Valley of the Moon (Bolivia) http://www.worldisround.com/articles/141500/index.html

Oruro Carnival (Bolivia) http://www.worldisround.com/articles/141977/index.html

Sajama National Park (Bolivia) http://www.worldisround.com/articles/143197/index.html

Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia) http://worldisround.com/articles/143714/index.html

Train Graveyard - Uyuni (Bolivia) http://www.worldisround.com/articles/141742/index.html

Train Graveyard - Pulacayo (Bolivia) http://www.worldisround.com/articles/141647/index.html

Along the Road from Uyuni to Potosí (Bolivia) http://worldisround.com/articles/143868/index.html

Potosí (Bolivia) http://worldisround.com/articles/145509/index.html