A Quiet Week in Alozaina

A Quiet Week in Alozaina                  March 22, 2016

It's been a quiet week here in Lake Wobegon, rather in Alozaina :)! Bruce has been under the weather, struggling to shake off the last vestiges of the stomach flu.  We've spent days just reading, resting, doing household stuff, napping, keeping warm by the wood stove most days (temps are not balmy here in the hills) or sitting out on the deck on sunny days - with occasional forays up into our little town.  

This followed a burst of delightful socializing during our first weekend, when our PEI cousins had an overnight visit with us, prompting a little dinner party with our old friends, Rod and Alice Friend. Alice is an accomplished folk singer from Vancouver; and cousin, Brian Ellis, is a member of an award-winning family band from Prince Edward Island.  Both are skilled guitar players.  After dinner, we had a kitchen party here in Alozaina and felt privileged to be the audience!  

                             Alice playing folk songs, while Rod looks on.

The next day was fun, sharing our "typical pueblo blanco" with Brian and wife, Norma.  Their month in Malaga was their first trip to Spain, and they hadn't seen much outside of the big city.  So we strolled around Alozaina and then inevitably found our way to Bar Nuevo for beers and the menu del dia. They were lovely guests, and we were so pleased with their serendipitous appearance in our lives.  

All too soon, we were confined to the quiet of our self-imposed seclusion, as a result of the nasty bug that had laid claim to Bruce.  By the time that this past weekend rolled around, he was feeling a bit better and we were both ready for some diversion. We had invited another British friend for Saturday lunch.  I hadn't made Spanish tortillas for a while.  When they turn out well, they are oh-so-yummy.  This one was a keeper!  The afternoon was filled with interesting conversation about Britain's proposed exit from the EU and America's scary politics and the life of an ex-pat in southern Spain.  It's amazing how many activities are available here and in the surrounding area, including several singing groups, flamenco gatherings, theater groups, Spanish/English conversation groups, art groups.  Another friend, Jon Stein, had told us about a new "time bank" here in Alozaina, as well as various initiatives for sustainability.  Wow, all this in a small town of 2000!  

While we were lounging around our house this past week, Semana Santa (Holy Week) crept up on us.  On a Saturday evening outing to the town plaza - just behind our house and up about 100 stairs! - we happened upon a tiny little procession.  

Bruce is climbing some of the cement stairs leading to the town plaza.  

This parade was composed of about 20 "pilgrims" walking from a nearby town, two women in the lead carrying big blazing torches to light the night air and two other women carrying a cross made from sturdy tree branches with a wooden figure of Jesus on it.  The rest of group, following behind, was made up of all ages.  No band, no groups of men in robes - in fact, no special costumes at all.  It was much more simple and informal than the processions that we had seen in Guatemala.  Somehow, its simplicity accentuated its aura of devotion and authenticity.  The pilgrims broke into song as they entered the plaza, then made their way straight to evening mass at Santa Ana, the church that overlooks the village.  

The next day, Palm Sunday, Bruce's procession-radar was again working well.   Around 5 pm, we unexpectedly encountered a children's procession, everyone clad in shepherd's garb, carrying tall palm branches that waved high over their heads.  One of the kids, in the role of Jesus, rode a donkey into town.  The young, orange-robed local priest held a microphone and led the entourage in singing as they entered the square.  It was raining softly so they didn't linger but made their way to Santa Ana for another mass.  

The donkey was not invited to mass and waited near us, entertaining himself by looking at his reflection in the glass and trying to eat olive branches being held by onlookers.   

Never mind that this was Sunday - and Palm Sunday at that - our usual selection of cafe/bars were open and thriving as we continued up the main street.  We stopped into our favorite, Bar Nuevo.  It was full of noisy men watching a futbol game on the big screen tv.  We made our way to a quiet table in the back with a view of Sierra Prieta mountain out of the picture window and settled in for a beer and a plate of shrimp.  It was good to get out of the house for a bit.  

Today our brief excursion took us to the Lima family's "supermercado", next to Bar Nuevo on Calle Calvario.  It's about the size of the laundramat in Gorham and filled with virtually everything that you could need, IF you can find it, from rice cakes to window draperies and fresh lettuce.  We emerged with two bulging shopping bags.  We wonder if they shake their heads at the amount of food being consumed by these Americans, even when one is on a bland diet!  Our goal this week is to get Bruce back on the road, literally, before he hits the real road in Portugal next week!  

                                  The title Ahorro means "saving".

Our artist friends have websites where you can learn about their work:
Rod Friend, stained glass & pastel artist:  www.rodfriend.com
Alice Friend, artist & author:  www.holyspiritwisdomcards.com
Brian Ellis, musician: www.theellisfamilyband.com
Jon Stein, musician, writer, blogger: www.jonstein.co.uk/blog

Waiting for Spring

Waiting for Spring                   March 11, 2016

Guatemala to Maine to Spain, all in 4 days!  It seems pretty crazy - and maybe it was - but airlines being what they are, it was cheapest for us to fly home from Guatemala (making that a round trip) before setting off for Europe, where we each plan to undertake a long hike in early April.  

It was a very full weekend in Gorham  - but surprisingly unrushed.  We managed to pick up a few things for the next leg of our trip; have dinner on Saturday night with friends; have lunch with our son, Sam on Sunday;  get tax info mailed out; as well as attend the Democratic caucus on Sunday afternoon (good thing I did, as Hillary really needed me :), cook a meal for Jane and Don, our hosts; and watch the last episode of Downton Abbey!  All the things that we love:  family, friends, politics, and public tv!  By the time that Monday noon rolled around, we had switched out our bags and were refreshed and ready to go again.  We couldn't have done it without the generous hospitality of Jane Andrews and Don Bouchard!  They are the best!

It had been snowing as we arrived in Boston on Friday evening - and it was snowing as we left Portland on Monday.  Although it was just a dusting in both cases, the weather gods seemed to be thumbing their noses at us, hurrying us on our way, reminding us not to linger.  

When we planned our winter/spring adventure this year, we both wanted to do a long hike - but not until the weather had warmed up a bit.  Early April seemed like the earliest that we could trust temperatures to be accommodating.  So...what to do until then?  We decided to return to Alozaina, the small town in the Andalucian area of southern Spain, where we had spent 6 wonderful weeks in 2014. This time our stay would be for only 2.5 weeks, but it would be long enough to say hello to our friends there, do some pre-hike walking, and enjoy the bright, clear sun and the timelessness of ancient mountains, tinkling herds of goats, and tidy olive groves everywhere.  

Our flight landed us in Malaga, situated on the coast, about 25 miles east of Alozaina.  It's a sunny, Mediterranean city with a Roman amphitheater situated next to a high, historic Islamic castle, and a lively modern harbor with cruise ships coming and going.  In one of those coincidences of life these days, we met up with my PEI cousins, Brian and Norma Ellis, who happen to be vacationing there for a month.  It was a treat for us to be with family so far from home!  

Bruce, Brian, & Norma enjoying drinks on the 15th story of a Malaga hotel rooftop.

                                      This is what they were looking at. 

We've just now woken up in Alozaina in the very same sweet house which we rented in 2014.  Looking out of the glass doors this morning, I watched the sun light up the mountainside, casting shadows here and there, highlighting different facets, changing every few seconds.  Birds darted around, sometimes catching the light and glowing against a dark background, then swooping up high, turning black as they were silhoueted against the blue sky.  

                        The entrance arch to the town of Alozaina.

              Looking out on the mountain scene from our bedroom.

Not a bad place to wait for spring.  

What Are YOU Afraid Of?

What Are YOU Afraid Of?              March 3, 2016

The little nino with dark flashing eyes and jet black hair and a grin as big as a house came flying out of the classroom, flinging his arms around Bruce's legs, greeting him with a "Hola, Bruce!" That was Pablo, and he was VERY excited that Bruce and I were at Safe Passage, his school in the extremely impoverished neighborhood of the Guatemala City dump.  "Can I see your car, Bruce?" he had asked almost immediately.  When one's family doesn't own a car, this is a big deal.  I, too, remember those days in my childhood when a ride in a car was pretty cool, back when families had only one car.   However, on this day, we would be using a rented van with a driver to take Pablo, Charly, and Jordie, as well as Carlos, our Safe Passage guide, for lunch and an outing.

                      The boys, Jordie, Charly, and Pablo - and Bruce and I.

Pablo is the six year old, younger brother of Charly, a boy whom Bruce and I have been sponsoring for a couple of years.  Pablo's sponsors are our son, Matt, and his partner, Izik.  And Jordie is the 12 year boy sponsored by our church, First Parish UCC of Gorham, Maine.

One of our main reasons for choosing to return to Guatemala this year was to visit these boys at Safe Passage.   Sponsorship involves making a contribution to the program each month to help with operating expenses, as well as a couple of special annual donations to help buy a birthday gift and a Christmas gift for each child.  There are two or three opportunities each year to exchange notes with your sponsored child.  Since the notes usually must be translated (in both directions) and since the staff is very small and since there are 700+ sponsors for the 500 students, it's not realistic for lots of notes to go back and forth. These personal visits to the children are a highlight for all concerned.

On the way from the beautiful colonial city of Antigua, where we're staying right now, to grimy, congested Guatemala City, Carlos had filled us in on the latest news about the boys and their families. Like parents, we were pleased to hear how well these kids are doing.  Charly and Pablo were described as cheerful boys with great social skills, a lively intellect, and a supportive family.  Jordie is more reserved but he, too, is intelligent and studious, with a caring, religious family.

Once we were all assembled for our outing, the boys' mutual decision was a visit to the Children's Museum and lunch at the Pollo Campero fast food resto inside the museum.  (Pollo Campero is Guatemala's answer to McDonald's).  Bruce and I were impressed with how easily the decision was made among three kids of quite different ages.  Throughout the afternoon, it was apparent that these boys lacked the "entitled" feeling so common among kids back home. There was never a request for anything more that what was being offered.

As we sat at the table waiting for Bruce and Carlos to bring us our lunch order, Charly asked me an odd question (it seemed to me).  He wanted to know what I am afraid of.  It took me by surprise.  Having just heard from Carlos about rampant, random gang violence in the city, I said in my un-nuanced Spanish, "bad people".   Charly didn't blink and responded that he is afraid of water!  This seemed to be important information for me to know.   Hmm, I wondered if he were afraid that we might plan to go swimming.  (I had actually thought of it, but had discarded the idea as too complicated to carry out.) It turns out that none of the boys knows how to swim.  Good info to tuck away.  If he stays in the city, Charly may never need to know how to swim.  But it was a rather elemental, sobering question.

                   You can't beat fried chicken and fries for a yummy meal!

We also learned that the boys have aspirations, something that the program tries to instill.  I'm sure that their parents do, too.  Jordie wants to be a veterinarian; Charly, a pilot; and Pablo, a policeman.

 Playing Twinkle, Twinkle on the "body" marimba was really fun for Jordie (and me :)!

 Pablo was the first to attempt the climbing wall.  He's wearing his new tie-dyed t-shirt that the First Parish kids made for him and the other boys.  

The museum was delightfully and surprisingly lovely, extremely well managed and staffed with enthusiastic young people, well-supplied with materials, offering a variety of activities to appeal to different ages and learning styles.  All three boys took up the challenge to struggle up a climbing wall.  Jordie made it to the top and rang the bell.  Another center focused on how to make recylced paper - which struck me as highly ironic.  The families in the dump area are masters at recylcing.  They could probably teach the staff about the topic!   The demonstration on electricity held their undivided attention.   An outdoor "mini" city, with "roadways" and miniature traffic lights, was intended to teach kids about following rules of the road.  All in all, our time was over much too quickly, and we had to return to the school for the boys to be picked up by their families.  With kids, it's best to end on a high note.  We had all had a great time.

                    Pablo loved all the projects.  Here he is making paper. 

                                               Charly was a careful scientist. 

     All three boys were mesmerized by the presentation on electricity. 

                      Jordie was eager to find out if he conducts electricity. 

Back at Safe Passage, Jordie said a quick good-bye and headed off to an after-school activity, carrying his tie-dyed t-shirt and a book about snow, all made by the children in the First Parish Sunday School.   Charly and Pablo's mom and sister were waiting for us.  The boys were excited to show their t-shirts, as well as a photo album that I had put together for Charly.  Hugs all around, a sincere thank-you and blessing from their mom, and they, too, were on their way.

It had been a pretty fleeting get-together.  One can't help but wonder if it makes any real difference.  However, we believe in the Safe Passage program and its effectiveness and are grateful to be able to support it.  And, after all, having someone care about you, even someone who lives thousands of miles away, has to be a good thing.

BTW, What are YOU afraid of?

You can let me know the answer to this question - and/or your thoughts on any of my posts, by writing to me:  lwebb34@gmail.com!  I'd love to hear your feedback!  Thanks.

Eruption!

Eruption!                     March 2, 2016

Bright red-orange fire lit up the velvety black sky; molten lava oozed down the mountainside, hot coals tracing its descent.  Our BnB rooftop terrace here in Antigua gave us a view of this amazing sight last night. Unfortunately, I couldn't capture it on film, but it was a sight that we won't soon forget.   You can see other people's shots at this website: 

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/fuego/news/56679/Fuego-volcano-Guatemala-4th-paroxysm-in-2016.html

Aptly named Vulcan Fuego had been puffing columns of smoke for a few days, with increasingly large clouds of ash being spewed into the air.  Everything outdoors was becoming a bit gritty, as a result.  We had seen that before, and it's not unusual.  However, seeing fire and lava jetting up was a new experience for us.  Although we had felt a slight trembling earlier in the evening, we felt no real danger.  I hoped that the small villages on the slopes would be ok. Our recent viewing of the movie, Ixcanul, had opened our eyes to the lives of people living high up on the mountainsides, where they have been pushed due to development of lower areas by wealthier segments of society.  They often live near fields covered by deep ash.    

Antigua, Guatemala, sits in a valley overlooked by 3 volcanoes, Vulcan Agua (Water); Vulcan Fuego (Fire); and Vulcan Acatenango.  Fuego is the only one that is currently active, albeit at a low level.  Hopefully, it stays low!  Our concern at the moment is that the ash deposit may affect air traffic from the city.  We have tix to fly out on Friday morning.  

Today is bright and clear and Fuego seems to be calmed down, for now.  

Down the Lake to San Juan

Down the Lake to San Juan        February 29, 2016

               Embarking for a mini-vacation in San Juan.

Two weeks ago, after finishing our Spanish sessions in Panajachel,  we "vacationed" in San Juan la Laguna, a town on the opposite side of Lake Atitlan. The lake is the deepest in Central America, surrounded by 3 volcanoes on one side and steep cliffs - an escarpment - around the rest of the lake.  It was formed thousands of years ago when a caldera, created as a result of volcanic eruption, filled with water.  The results are stunningly beautiful.  There are several towns (pueblos) on the lake, a few accessed almost exclusively by boat.  The whole area is populated by two or three Mayan groups.  In recent years the area has been invaded by foreigners, creating their own little nirvanas and pushing the indigenous people aside in some places.  In other places, the newcomers try to learn the Mayan ways. Like the towns around Portland, Maine, each town on Lake Atitlan has its own personality or vibe.

The dive school/resto/hostel, La Iguana Perdida (the Lost Iguana), in Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz, not far from Panajachel, is the small pueblo where Bruce and I had celebrated his birthday earlier in the month.  Santa Cruz boasts a dive school, run by a British/American couple, and additionally has a couple of kayak rental places and the sweet eco-hotel where we had stayed, as well as the beautiful AirBnB where we stayed on Bruce's birthday weekend last year.

San Marcos, farther down the lake, is filled with new-age folks of all nationalities, seeking enlightenment of one kind or another.  We took a boat there for a few hours one day with a fellow traveler.  The walkway from the lake to the town center was the best infrastructure that we had seen, with smooth, unbroken cement tiles.  The town center is one of the prettiest, with a huge tree shading the indigenous women as they sell their wares.  This is one of the places where the culture of the newcomers, with their nudity on the lakefront and their open drug use, has clashed with the more traditional lifestyle of the natives, who fear for their youth.  Cutting off the water supply to the offenders (along with a very well-worded statement that we saw posted publicly) sent a pretty clear message.  We wandered a bit, had a nice lunch, and then returned to San Juan.  But not before we noted all of the workshops for reiki and yoga and meditation and Mayan studies. 

               Tom and Bruce kicking back in San Marcos. 

San Pedro, within walking distance of San Juan, is the "party town", populated by lots of young folks covered with tatoos and piercings and smoking various substances.  It's a bit gritty and busy.  Hostels are plentiful, as are restos serving vegetarian and middle eastern meals.

Santiago is the largest town on the lake.  It has an amazing history stretching back to Spanish colonial times, in this case the 1500's - and before that to even earlier Mayan times, I'm sure -  as well as a recent history of tragedy and resistance during the civil war (mid-1960's - 1996), described a bit in an earlier blog post.  There is a boat-building tradition here. 

            A cayuco, a local boat, along the shore in Santiago.

San Juan, the town where we stayed for a week, has the reputation of being less touristy and having more civic pride than many of the others. Wonderful wall murals tell the history of the town, as well as depict Mayan traditions.  Women have come together to create weaving cooperatives.  Only a few restos exist. 

One of the lovely wall murals in San Juan, this one depicting the process of picking coffee beans.  

Teresa, a member of a women's weaving coop, demonstrating her art in San Juan. 

On the advice of a couple of acquaintances, we had chosen to stay at another "eco-hotel", Mayachik.  It was located on the edge of town, at the foot of a steep high hill.  Although Isla Verde in Santa Cruz was also an "eco-hotel",  this one was more primitive, more "eco",  That one had a lot of charm.  This one "is still finding its footing", as one reviewer politely described it.  There were positives about it:  the pretty grounds with lovely plants, the privacy of having our own very large house with a hammock on the porch, the feeling of safety there, the great resto with a delicious all-vegetarian menu and huge portions of food. 

Our casita (instead of being a "little house", it was pretty big). 

The amazing pancakes at Mayachik, loaded with fresh fruit. 

Shiny coffee beans, glistening in the sun, just outside the window at our rental.  

                     A small, lush corn field near Mayachik.

 The down-sides at Mayachik included the iffy hot water shower which initially didn't work:  the shower water was neither hot nor even existent for a couple of days.  The compost toilet was a bit smelly.  The house was large but not very comfortable, filled almost exclusively with beds.  For Bruce especially, the biggest downside was the noise at night.  Stray dogs laid around in the sun all day, it seemed, and came alive at night to bark at every little provocation.  In the dark wee hours of the morning, busses and boats honked their horns loudly, reverberating throughout town.  They were followed by roosters crowing, as dawn approached.  After the roosters, it was sometimes workers sawing down trees in the woods surrounding the compound. Needless to say, Bruce didn't have a good week for sleeping.  

The best part of Mayachik was the opportunity to meet other travelers with fascinating tales to tell.  We connected with three of them, all Americans, as it turns out.  

Katie is a young Middlebury College computer science grad who has an IBM-Watson fellowship for a year-long study of textile traditions, ANYWHERE in the world (outside the US)!  Being half-way through her year, she already has amassed some amazing experiences with knitters in the Shetland Islands of Scotland & northern Norway, and with the Sami people of Finland.  Now she is in Guatemala to learn weaving techniques from Mayan women.  Ahead for her are Bolivia and possibly Ghana.   She writes a blog that you can access at:  www.weaveofabsence.blogspot.com.  

Caroline (Caroleena, en espanol) is an attractive hippie woman, our age, from New Mexico.  She has been traveling around Central America for several years and is now looking for a place to settle.  She is knowledgeable about sustainability and plants and yoga techniques (as well as website design), has studied in India, is culturally sensitive and interesting.  

Tom is also our age and an inveterate traveler.  In fact he has owned a travel company, has been a history teacher, is reed thin and a bike rider, and hails from Denver.  He's also extremely well-read and liberal in his politics - as is most everyone here :).  We had some great conversations with him.  

And our last person "of interest" was Emilio.  Emilio is the young Guatemalan cook at Mayachik, but he also has his own resto where he serves falafel and hummus.  Had I understood his Spanish correctly?  Falafel and hummus in a Guate resto?  Turns out that he had perfected his cooking skills at a resto in San Pedro, the party town.  He invited us to try out his place, and we did - of course!  On a map, he had shown me how to get there.  Bruce and I did a scouting mission first and ended up on a dusty, pot-holed dirt road that ended in a ravine.  No resto in sight.  Some women were sitting on steps.  When I asked, in my best Spanish, if they knew Emilio, they brightened up and called a cute, seven-year old chica to lead us there.  Entering a long, very narrow, dark alley, she skipped gaily along.  We took a breath and followed.  In a couple of minutes, the alley opened up and, like a royal announcer, she was yelling out, "Emilio! Emilio!".   Soon another little girl asked, "Emilio? Es mi tio!" with a big smile and such pride, letting us know that she was related to this famous uncle.  Emilio emerged, wearing a big grin, too.  We looked at the menu and made plans to eat there another day.  A couple of days later we returned with Katie and had a delightful meal in an airy, open wabi-sabi type of place, furnished with worn cushions on wicker furniture.  

Bruce and Katie enjoying a meal at Emilio's secluded resto. 

So, with our trips to two other pueblos and our meal at Emilio's place, lots of reading and chatting, as well as a brief visit to a weaving cooperative where we learned from Teresa about growing, spinning, dyeing, and weaving of cotton, our week's adventure slipped by.  Tom returned home.  Caroleena was getting ready to leave. Life is very fluid on the road. 

As our own departure day approached on Saturday, our thoughts focused on the lake.  The wind had whipped up at the end of the week.  After a very scary, bumping, rolling voyage getting to San Juan initially and another getting back from Santiago one day, we were nervous.  A long-term ex-pat advised us to go as early as possible to avoid the Xocomil wind that comes up regularly in the afternoon.  We left by 8 am and had no trouble!  

  

The lake was calm on the day that we left for our return to Pana. 

It was delightful to return to Ana and her comfortable home for our last five days in Pana.  We're in Antigua now for a week.  Then we'll fly home to Maine for one weekend to prepare for our trip to Europe and our long hikes.  It's a hard life but someone's got to do it :) !  

Ixcanul

Ixcanul       February 28, 2016

Today I am excited that we have reservations to see a Guatemalan movie, Ixcanul (Ish-can-OOL), which we heard quite a bit about last year.  It is Guatemala's first movie ever entered into competition for an Academy Award - which it didn't win :(. It did, however, win a top prize at the Berlin Film Festival last year!

The writer and director, Jayro Bustamante, is a young man who grew up in Panajachel and whose mother is a dear friend of "our" Ana.   The movie tells a sad story that takes place in a pueblo near Antigua.  The main characters are two Mayan women, mother and daughter.  There was lots of excitement in Ana's home last year as these two actors, plus Jayro's mom - and others, I'm sure - flew to Paris, and then to Berlin for the awards ceremony.  Ana helped her friend choose a wardrobe for the wintery weather in Berlin.  Dressed in their traditional clothing, the Mayan actresses were a big hit.  The younger of the two, a very beautiful woman, was not a professional actress, and she wears the traje and huipl every day at home.  One can only imagine the experience for her to leave her tiny village on the slope of a volcano, overlooking Antigua, and travel to the glitter and attention of a cinema festival in a European city. 

We are so fortunate that the movie is being shown at a hotel right around the corner from us here in Antigua.  Since much of it will be in Kaqchikel, a Mayan language, as well as Spanish, we are also lucky that the powers that be have chosen to include English subtitles for this particular show - on the very weekend that we are here.   Muy bien!  

You can google Ixcanul and learn more, and you can see a trailer on YouTube at this link:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMMP0Z21zqU

Flores, Flores, Flores!

Flores, Flores, Flores               February 22, 2016

Bruce and I love gardens.  Visiting them, wherever we happen to be traveling, is one of our pleasures.  We have visited Botanical Gardens in such varied places as Ooty, India, and Edinburgh, Scotland, and Boothbay, Maine, and Madrid, Spain.  Now we can add Panajachel, Guatemala, to our collection.  This one holds up with the best of them.  When we started out this morning to find what we had heard were some nice gardens at lakeside Hotel Atitlan, we couldn't have imagined how gorgeous they would be!  My pictures only hint at the splendor!  

                                                          A magnificent topiary!

                            Flowering potted plants ringed the swimming pool.  

Charming paths, some bathed in sunlight, others shady and cool, wound through the property. 

Lots of rose varieties, some with fun names.

Exotic birds in cages, like this toucan, enlivened the gardens with their loud squawking.

There was an entrance fee of $7 each, and we wondered if it would be worth it.  Two hours later, when we pulled ourselves away to return to Ana's for our mid-day meal, we were basking in our good fortune to have discovered this place.  It's a former coffee finca (farm), now turned into a lovely hotel for "discriminating travelers".  That lets us out :).  We're just happy that outsiders are allowed onto the beautiful, immaculately cared-for grounds for a look-see!