Yesterday, we went on an excursion to el Teatro Nacional. Everyone says that it’s the prettiest building in the country. It was built in the 1800s and has Italian marble throughout it. The coolest thing, in my opinion, was the floor of the theatre itself. The floor was built so that it could be raised up to make a dance floor. To do so, 12 men turn a massive wheel underground. The fastest time was two hours.
Interior
A few cool things:
1. The president’s balcony is basically open for all to see. There isn’t a big security set up, or walls dividing her (the president is a woman!) spot from the public. The guide told us that it’s common in San José to see the president. She’s run in to previous presidents on tours, in the pharmacy, and on the street. I think I’d pass out if Obama was in front of me at Walgreens!
2. There are smoking rooms (not in use anymore) for men and women. There were no windows in these rooms…nice. The women’s room had some pictures, while the men’s had a naked woman statue with no head.
3. There are beautiful paintings on the ceilings. The one in the main foyer used to be on a Costa Rican bill. There are some errors in the painting, however, because the artist never set foot in Costa Rica. Therefore, the bananas are upside down, the oxen's braces are in the wrong spot, and the women look European and not Tican :)
After the teatro, we had some free time, so I went to the cathedral down a block away. Not really my tastes. It’s really modern on the outside.
I did, however, like the statue of John Paul II. It was round, like a Botero statue.
After the five minutes it took me to go through the teatro it started to downpour, so I went with some friends to a café for some hot chocolate. You might be surprised to find out (as I surely was), that it’s actually colder here in San José than it is in Illinois right now. In the mornings it’s about 80, but once the rain hits, it drops down to the 60s. Should have packed more appropriately!
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