Day Two of touring in the Colonial District held as many pleasures as the first. Yes, the downpour of rain came again, but we were prepared this time! Hours of relaxing and sipping good coffee were already scheduled into our day before the wetness began :)

After dining on a charming plaza (the one filled with pigeons across from the Catedral Primada de America), we headed straight for the two museums remaining on our bucket list for the trip. We were ready to hit the history-hunting straight away!

The Ozama Fortress, built by the Spanish in the 16th century to keep the French and English at bay, looms large over the old city wall, facing out to the Ozama River and the Caribbean sea. Disturbingly, the fortress was used in recent history by the 20th century dictator Trujillo, mostly to jail and torture his political prisoners. :( We dropped the six bucks or so for a brief guided tour, definitely worth it as nothing at all was marked.

Next up, the much talked about Museo de las Casas Reales. It houses quite a random collection of historical artifacts (mostly old furniture), plus some brief history of the early Spanish colonization of Hispaniola. I was always wanting the audio guide to go a little further. ''This room features a very rare and important Renaissance-style wood carving of the Virgin Mary and the twelve disciples.'' Aaaand, that would conclude the description of the entire room. More context, please?! It's okay; I got over it :)

This museum was once the home of Diego Colón, Chris' son (yes, he also lived in the Alcazar de Colon, which we visited the day before.) In the century, the dictator Trujillo set up shop and ran the country from this historic site. (That guy liked hearkening back to the D.R.'s colonial history, didn't he?) The museum is now home to... these beautiful peacocks! Who enjoy strutting around the cobblestone courtyard.

Strike a pose.

 

I enjoyed capturing the beautiful flourishes of Spanish colonial architecture surrounding this museum, as well as the small charms of the streets on my Instagram throughout the trip.

Lunch was had at a snazzy outdoor cafe type of place (called Zona Zuna or something like it), where we indulged in... you won't believe it... nachos and tacos! They were divine, I'm tellin' ya.

In the afternoon, we explored the city a bit by car. Our attempt to find a park entrance that would lead us to some moderately well-reviewed ancient caves had us driving in circles for a bit, with no eventual success. Perhaps the most interesting site we ''bumped into'' on our trek was this church, Santa Barbara's.

There were actually old churches tucked away in every corner of this district!

After the fun drive, we fit in some napping, some coffee-sipping, and then back to dine at the restaurant where we started the day! Why not? All in all, I couldn't have asked for a more chill, culturally informative, and historically pleasing couple of days. We look forward to exploring other bits of the country!

Haiti Is...

Have we not shared with you this incredible song about all the lovely things contained in Haiti?

It's called ''Ayiti Se'' (Haiti Is),  and we have posted the English lyrics below. It's by the Haitian artist Mikaben. It's a great chance to hear some Kreyòl too. Enjoy!

Haiti is a pretty sea, a stunning mountain with beautiful rivers
It's pretty beaches with coconut trees, lovely landscapes with bright colors
Haiti is the smell of coffee that climbs up my nostrils at dawn
It's the scent of dew drops that's set for the budding of 10 o'clock flowers in the morning
Haiti is Bassin Bleu, the Pichon waterfalls along with Saut D'eau
It's the Arcadins isles, the Citadelle fort, it's Labadie and Marigot
Haiti is La Valée, Macaya's Peak, Marmelade and Pilboreau mountains

Haiti is dous makòs, it's a handful of grilled peanuts
It's a creamy smoothie that gives energy, it's an enticing bottle of ice cola
Haiti is some appetizing fried pork, it's a delicious fritter, some tasty fried goat
It's a delicious vegetable stew laden with crabs, it's flavorful rice with country greens
Haiti is a scrumptious broth, a pumpkin soup well-seasoned with bell peppers
It's mouthwatering cassava with peanut butter
That you dip in a corn shake
Haiti is a a dumpling that you marinate in bean sauce
It's pig woods, some good liquor
Haiti is the divine coffee that you drink at night

Chorus:
Precious Haiti, as much as I love you
I've come to put my heart in your hands
Haiti dear, as much as I adore you
Nothing will let me let go of you (x2)

Haiti is beautiful music, a street music band parade, a troubadour
It's a ceremony, a calabash dish, and a drum
Haiti is Ogou's land, the land our ancestors left for us
It's where slavery was abolished, it's the land of the free and the land of voudou
Haiti is festivals, it's night parties, it's ritual dances of Chanpetre
It's dancing and fun at Carnaval, it's a little island that never sleeps
Haiti is a game of dominoes, it's a winning hand of dice and cards
It's a Christmas Eve party with some good broth that keeps you awake

Haiti is a collective of farmers who get together to work the land
It's the women street vendors descending into the city
To go fight the hard life head to head
Haiti is a little kid that's dreaming of a bright future
It's the dirty water from sewer streams that doesn't quite know where it's going
Haiti is being under the tent since January 12th
It's mud on the levees that gives off a foul smell every time it rains
Haiti is the ground that knows true realities
It's a sad one, but by God's grace, it's not the only one that we can sing.

Chorus

Haiti is a mother that knows the meaning of pain
Who stands strong and tall, who's brave - even though she's aware that she's far from perfect
Haiti is a beautiful woman who's been through a lot
But who cleans up nicely so that her kids can walk with their heads up - proud
Haiti, it's all these things that make us love you
Even if the road is long, I know that we'll always be here to hold your hand
Haiti dear, believe me
Nothing will ever make me leave you
Let this song right here serenade you

Translation compliments of kreyolicious (with some minor changes)