Today was a perfect day for a celebration. Clear blue skies, warm weather and shirtsleeves, no jackets necessary. After a breakfast of fresh blackberry juice and toasted ham sandwiches we found a park bench to watch the sights. Vendadores everywhere and the most popular was the sombrero saleslady. Her hats sold quickly and the scarf lady did not get so many sales. Fresh fruit, marshmallow cookies, toasted corn and beans what ever delicacy you wanted was available. Formal guards stood outside the presidential palace and looked like Napoleonic soldiers in the beautiful red and blue uniforms. But the most fun to watch was the children. The played in the fountains, had sack races, ate ice cream and all with childish delight. Teenagers are the same world wide. They flirted, took selfies and rolled their eyes at their parents. Being a poor musician did not seem to stop anyone from playing or their audience from enjoying the music. My favorite was a violin and trombone duet. Reminded me of Pat and John Davis. Parents periodically doused their kiddos in a fountain furiously scrubbing a face and washing a thick head of hair. I made a new BBF. One grandmother did not want her shoes shined and a young man kept pestering her. I shooed him off with a wave of a hand and she giggled and mocked my hand motions. We posed together for a picture and swore that we would be amigas forever. We visited two of the seven churches in the governmental area. One had a golden interior and had replicated some of the design in the Vatican. It was a reminder of the extreme wealth the Spanish exploited from the early tribal people. Tomorrow we are off to another part of the city called the Ronda famous for its artisans.
