Everyone knows that my favorite Saturday outing is to go to Quepos to the Farmers Fair!  Well now it has gotten even more fun because we discovered the delightful offerings of Quincy and his booth of homemade pickles, specialty cheeses, Lasagna and Quiche that he makes himself homemade from scratch!  And let me  tell you this man can cook!  He is a delightful soul from Canada but he has been here in Costa Rica for many years.  His lovely personality as he passes out a taste test of each of his cheese blends for you to try puts a smile on your face and a strong desire to order one of each.  Our first take home for dinner try was his Meat in tomato sauce Lasagna and it was so good that we ordered both the Chicken and the special Broccoli/Spinach Lasagna the next time we went.  His wife also cooks up many different kinds of bread for you to select from.

CHEESE

Blue Cheese

Jalapeno Cheese

Herb Cheese

Now I guess I should also mention that pickles are not the easiest thing to come by in this lovely country of Costa Rica, so when we saw that big beautiful jar of perfectly sliced cucumbers floating in their delicious juice we were ready to dig in!   And if you have shopped for cheese here you also know that it is a little bit pricey unless it is their farmers cheese which is not very flavorful.  Many times we have looked at cheese in the grocery store or deli but when it is sometimes $10.00 for only a 1/4 lb we put it back and do without.  I think most of the cheeses are imported which makes them more expensive than local products.  Quincy offers his delicious cheeses at only 12000 colones per kilo.  A kilo = 2.2 lbs so if you got a 1/4 lb of cheese it would be 1320 colones or $2.62!  

THANKS QUINCY WE APPRECIATE YOUR COOKING! 

Another favorite of mine is the Mennonites that make the most delicious granola!  I love it for breakfast on my fruit parfait which is plain yogurt sweetened with honey and sliced fruit of

your choice layered in a glass with the crunchy granola.  This tasty concoction was shared with me on a past vacation trip by my friend Rhonda and I have been hooked on them ever since.  They are extra tasty here in Costa Rica because the fruits are so juicy and sweet!  They also offer wonderful breads, yeast rolls, pies, cookies and jellies at this booth so you will want to be sure and stop by.

I hope you enjoyed our trip to the Farmer's Fair!  Talking about all of this food has made me hungry! 

hmmm. . .      I think I may have some of Quincy's lasagna in the fridge.....

See ya later!

PURA VIDA!

What began as an ordinary day with a trip to San Jose turned into a discovery of yet another day to enjoy the culture of this wonderful country, Costa Rica!  We were taking the shortcut from the Autopista to the airport when we came upon many people walking in both directions toward a church where they had set up what we had come to recognize as a festival.  There were yellow and white balloons decorating many of the homes and businesses along the way and the beautiful oxen were pulling colorful painted carts loaded with wood.  We had heard that this day was a holiday but we were not sure what they were celebrating.  After taking some photos of the festivities and doing a little research I discovered that it is a very special holiday indeed!

Romería, which translates to religious pilgrimage  is celebrated as the The Virgin of Los Angeles Day, the patron saint of Costa Rica.  The saint is sometimes also called La Negrita. This holiday is regarded as the third most important religious holiday in Costa Rica where it is celebrated on August 2 as a National Holiday.  The first and second would of course be Christmas and Easter.  

The legend begins with the story of a girl that goes out in search of firewood and found a stone with the image of the Virgin Mary with the Baby Jesus in her arms.  She took the stone home and hid it and when she looked for it the next day she discovered it gone and back in the woods where she found it!  This happened several times and she became so scared that she took the stone to the Priest.

The Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles was built on the site where the stone named La Negrita was found and inside the Basilica is a shrine.   The shrine it is believed can cure illness and overcome obstacles in life.  The Costa Rican government declared La Negrita the Patron Saint of Costa Rica on September 23, 1824.

Annually, as many as two million pilgrims visit the basílica located in Cartago on the feast day of the Virgin of the Angels.

We of course were nowhere near this Basilica but only in a small town called Roble many miles away.  After we arrived in San Jose and realized that all the Banks and many businesses were closed and the parks filled with people we decided that we passed through just one of many festivals that were held around the country. 

I will now mark my calendar and "Save the Date" to actually attend one of these festivals next year and enjoy some of the wonderful food and entertainment!    Maybe we will even make the trip to Cartago to see the shrine itself!  Pura Vida!

Aikido is a Japanese martial art developed by Morthel Ueshiba based on his studies in martial art, philosophy and religious beliefs.  Created as an art to be used for protection while also protecting the attacker from injury it is sometimes called "the Way of harmonious spirit".  Performed by blending the motion of the attacker and redirecting the force of the attack rather than opposing it Aikido requires very little physical strength.

Based on relaxation, flexibility and endurance aikido is based primarily on two partners practicing pre-arranged forms (kata) rather than freestyle practice. The basic pattern is for the receiver of the technique (uke) to initiate an attack against the person who applies the technique—the tori, or shite (depending on aikido style), also referred to as nage (when applying a throwing technique), who neutralizes this attack with an aikido technique.  One feature of aikido is training to defend against multiple attackers, often called taninzudori, or taninzugake. 

Aikido training is mental as well as physical, emphasizing the ability to relax the mind and body even under the stress of dangerous situations.  This is necessary to perform the bold enter-and-blend movements of aikido techniques where an attack is met with confidence and directness.  Morihei Ueshiba once remarked that one "must be willing to receive 99% of an opponent's attack and stare death in the face" in order to execute techniques without hesitation.  As a martial art concerned not only with fighting proficiency but also with the betterment of daily life, this mental aspect is of key importance when practicing aikido.   Aikido practitioners (commonly called aikidōka outside of Japan) generally progress by promotion through a series of "grades" (kyū), followed by a series of "degrees" (dan), pursuant to formal testing procedures. Some aikido organizations use belts to distinguish practioners' grades, often simply white and black belts to distinguish lower and higher grades, though some use various belt colors. Testing requirements vary, so a particular rank in one organization is not comparable or interchangeable with the rank of another.

Costa Rica was proud to welcome Instructors George Kennedy and Edwin Stearns of The Aikido Center of Atlanta and Blue Spruell of Peachtree Aikikai Atlanta  both in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States to offer their teachings in a seminar sponsored by Pavel Prikryl.  The seminar was held for two days Saturday and Sunday, May 7th and 8th and took place outdoors in the tranquil setting overlooking the beach of beautiful Playa Bejuco on the Central Pacific Coast They were welcomed to The Delfin Beachfront Hotel a restored Costa Rican landmark with a lush tropical setting where they could enjoy comfortable accomodations, fine dining, fun social gatherings and the refreshing pool and beach.  Aikidoka were in attendance from the United States and also many local Costa Ricans came out from the San Jose area to participate.

Please enjoy the slide show below of the teachers and students enjoying this wonderful seminar as they gain new knowledge, improve their skills, meet new friends and reconnect with their inner spirits.

Please CLICK on the arrows to go through slide show and click on each photo to view.

Costa Rica is a wonderful place to live and grow . . . Mentally, Spiritually and Physically!

Information source Wikipedia

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