Marsella

In the last week we've taken a couple of short trips to visit Fede's family. On Friday we went to Manizales, which is about an hour away, to see his grandparents and several other family members. The drives are very picturesque and of course seeing everyone was great.


Then on Saturday we went to see his other grandmother in Marsella. Where Manizales is a small city, Marsella is a quintessential town, complete with its plaza and at the center a colorful church. Since we arrived on a Saturday we were met by all of the rural folk who come into town on weekends to relax and shop. Perhaps you can imagine the looks of curiosity that we received upon our arrival. Horses, chickens, stray dogs are commonplace along the street, as are painted balconies and doors.

Fede's paternal grandmother, pictured here with him, is 93 years old. It was after her late husband (Antonio Martinez) that we named our firstborn.  Antonio and now Francisco are the only male heirs that will carry the Martinez name. Antonio and Alejandra enjoyed the good eats everywhere we went!

Back in Pereira, we have also spent fun times with Fede's cousins and family. Below are pictures from an afternoon at Fede's uncle's house. Pictured with us are Fede's cousin, Alejandro with Alejandra, Antonio with Simon Pedro and Alejandro and German with Clo.


After a good swim, we had quite the appetite so we stopped at a street vendor to eat Colombian hotdogs, which consist of the dog, with ketchup, mayo, mustard, onions, crushed chips, pineapple sauce, fresh cheese, berry sauce, topped with quail eggs!!! Try getting that in your mouth!  Can anyone say reflux?