Feb. 27th, third day in Sucre

Wednesday, Feb. 27^th, third day in Sucre:  We visited an old house, Castillo de la Glorieta, The Castle of the Glorieta, on the outskirts of town.  It was built by a couple who both came from very rich mining families.  They could not have children and so they built orphanages on the property and took care of many orphans.  It is an amazing house. 

The entrance to the Castillo de la Glorieta.

Mom and I on one of the many patios.

Chris at the top of the stairs.

Looking up at the tower.  We climbed to the top.  Coming down made me sick.

Linda and Chris at the top of the tower.

Every room had very ornate ceilings.

Every room had a different patten of parquet floor.

View of the smaller tower from the higher tower.

The castle from the gardens.

Mon in the doll house.

Another parquet floor.

The rooms were beautiful but no furniture.

We had lunch in town and walked through the plaza and then visited the museum at the Cathedral and saw all the silver on the altars in the Cathedral. 

In the plaza on our way to lunch.

The four of us in the Cathedral.

Next we visited an old convent that is now a girl’s school.  The view from the roof was breathtaking.  We finished off the day by playing cards.  Mom won both games.  I think she cheats.

Mom in the courtyard of the convent of San Felipe Neri.  Now a girls school.

The second floor looking onto the courtyard.

Mom on the second floor.

View from the roof of the convent.

We climbed to the bell towers.

View from the roof of the convent.

Taking a break on the roof of the girls school.

Mom in the courtyard again.

View of the courtyard from the roof.

View of the courtyard from the roof.

Mom ringing the bell in the bell tower.

View from the bell tower.

Feb. 26th, second day in Sucre

Tuesday, Feb.26^th, day 2 in Sucre: We started today with a visit to the Casa de Libertad, the House of Liberty. 

All of us in front of the door to the house of Liberty.

Mom and I in the courtyard of the House of Liberty.

The building was originally a convent built by the Jesuits and the church was later donated to the university that was founded 1624, the fourth university in South America. The main part of the church was used for graduates to defend their dissertations and later served as the seat of government and was where the Bolivian Declaration of Independence was signed.

Dad defending his Dissertation.

Some guy who wanted to have his picture taken with us.  He was on our tour.  This is where the declaration of independence for Bolivia was signed.

Mom and Linda by a box that was used to carry the body of someone important around the plaza as part of their funeral.

Mom showing a copy of their Declaration of Independence.

Dale and Linda Dibb and Mom sitting on the choir chairs.

Wood inlaid desk in the museum.

Wood inlaid trunk.

Walkway at the House of Liberty.

What an interesting tour.  I didn’t realize the role that Bolivia had played in the movement to end Spanish rule all over South America.  As we were starting the tour and in the second room, the group of kids from Virginia arrived to join us.  When the chaperone saw me she was so excited and said, “Oh good, you can translate for us.”  So I did.  Can I just say that translating history is a lot harder than translating a religious themed subject?  After more than an hour, my brain and tongue were tired.  At the end she asked us where we were going next.  I said, “I don’t know, where you are headed?”  We were not going the same place.

While we were at the House of Liberty, it had rained quite hard.  Good timing to be in a museum for most of the morning and while it rained. 

Wood Sculpture of Simon Bolivar one piece of wood.

We headed to lunch and it was mom’s turn to pick a place to eat.  She decided on pizza. 

After lunch we went to the hat factory, Sombreros Sucre. 

Outside the hat factory.

It was fascinating to learn how they make felt hats out of wool.  After the tour of the factory you can buy a hat if you like.  I bought 2 because mom would not buy one.  They were about 7 to 8 dollars each. 

Our tour guide at the hat factory.

Mixing the different wools to get the right blend.

Feeding the carded wool into another carding machine.

Layering the carded wool into cone shaped hats.

Pressing all the layers of wool together.

This is where they add the labels and trim.

We tried on every hat they made.

The showroom.  I bought this one.

I bought this one.

Mom would not buy a hat even though she looks great wearing a hat.

 Some of the machines used to make felt 100% wool hats.

We then visited the mask museum and by the time we were done my feet were also done.  So the girls left Dale and I on a park bench with a diet coke and they went to a costume museum.   We went to dinner at a churrasqueria, meat restaurant, that had been recommend by the owner of the hostel. 

My other hat, we are in front of the Churassqueria restaurant.

Let’s just say I am still looking for a place to get a good piece of meat.  If Pres. Crayk had not said that he had the best piece of meat in Sucre that he has had in Bolivia, I might not be on such a quest.