Dominican Republic - January 2009
Dear English-speaking readers, this page is an automatic translation of an article originally written in French. I apologise for any strange sentences and funny mistakes that may have resulted. If you read French, click on the French flag below to access the original, correct text:
Français
Sunday, visit of the capital, Santo Domingo. I saw again with pleasure the cathedral square, with its shaded benches and the terrace of the El Conde hotel.
Sunday in Santo Domingo
On Sundays, it is quiet, very quiet, in Santo Domingo.
It was a week ago. We stopped in the capital. After the "must" visit of the colonial city with our guide, we had free time. At last, we had some time off.
Cathedral Square
I found with pleasure the cathedral square, with its lawns, its shaded benches, and the terrace of the hotel El Conde. A place that I had already liked a lot during my first trip to the Dominican Republic, nine years ago.
The Dominicans come to take the cool under the trees. There are children running after the pigeons and groups of tourists on a spree. The ice cream vendor is eager for greedy little things. The young guys are eyeing the girls sitting on the next bench.
It's Sunday... domingo in Santo Domingo.
An old man with a beautiful face, wearing a black beret, follows me with his eyes. Afterwards I see the box at his feet. It is the shoeshine man.
I show my camera, ask him with a gesture if he agrees to take the picture. No problem. He raises his thumb towards the sky and takes the pose. This guy must be a model for all the tourists who pass there...
Calle El Conde
In calle El Conde, the next street, dedicated to shops and tourism, some shops are still open.
Naive art paintings spread their cheerful colors on the floor. Some sellers try to convince me to buy some mamajuana, this fermented alcohol with barks that has a taste of cooked wine.
But no, I go my way and shoot at all the stalls, the people.
It is that my time is counted. We have about forty minutes of freedom, before finding our guide. Ah, I am not used to organized trips, with timed activities...
I burst out laughing alone in the street, discovering this broken down car, stamped "prensa" (press). Two of my little journalist friends from the group, who also passed by during our "free time", obviously took the same picture... Irresistible.
Above, the oldest "cafeteria" in Santo Domingo. I didn't even have time to stop for a coffee at the counter... Grrr!
These few minutes of freedom passed too quickly. I really wanted to hang out a bit more, to enjoy the Sunday nonchalance of this beautiful sunny afternoon. But I was wise and disciplined. I joined the group at the appointed time.
I love street scenes. When I'm in a city I don't know much about, I can spot a lot of little things that wouldn't necessarily have caught my attention in ordinary times. So I can't resist taking lots of pictures... I'm only giving you a small selection here!
Needless to say, I really enjoyed this short stop in Santo Domingo, which took us out of the "todo-incluido" resorts and brought us closer to real life!
8)
