Zona Colonial, St. Domingo, Jan 2021

Santo Domingo

The sudden change of plans to go to Puerto Rico instead of Cuba left me with only 2 days in Dominicana. I spent them exploring Santo Domingo’s Old Town called Zona Colonial. My hotel was 15 minutes away on foot from it.

Almost all museums and attractions were closed because of the pandemic. I wished they had been open of course but even so, it was a delight to walk along the streets of Zona Colonial. The upside of the pandemic was that there were practically no tourists around.

The Fortress of Santo Domingo could only be viewed from the distance

The sculpture “Homeless Jesus” at the Monastery and Church of the Dominican Fathers is so realistically looking that I mistook it for an actual person sleeping on the bench and tiptoed around not wanting to disturb him. Only after taking a closer look, I noticed holes in the feet from the crucifixion nails and realized that it was a sculpture.

This bronze sculpture was done by a Canadian, Timothy Schmalz. Copies of it are installed at many churches around the world from Israel and Australia to Scotland including one in Denver, CO at the entrance of Father Woody's Haven of Hope and I never saw it there although I live in Colorado — This bronze sculpture was done by a Canadian, Timothy Schmalz. Copies of it are installed at many churches around the world from Israel and Australia to Scotland including one in Denver, CO at the entrance of Father Woody’s Haven of Hope and I never saw it there although I live in Colorado

Another installation near the Monastery and Church of the Dominican Fathers

I chose a small restaurant as my lunch place. The owner asked me where I came from.

‘America’, I replied without thinking.

He grinned, ‘This is America, you know.’

‘Oh, right, I mean the US’, I corrected myself.

I was in the mood for fish and ordered salmon. The owner looked almost offended.

‘You can have salmon in the US too – salmon is salmon everywhere. Here, you should try the Dominican specialty.’

He suggested a local fish stuffed with shrimp, wrapped in bacon, baked in breadcrumbs, sprinkled with almonds, and served with passionfruit sauce. The combination of the ingredients sounded impossible however I could not argue with his statement that people eat local food when traveling and not what they normally have at home.

The fish was good, not really something extraordinary delicious, but I was glad I tried it.

One of the few open museums was Quinta Dominica, a small art gallery with free admission

The gallery led to a pretty shady garden

One more museum that I was able to visit was in a historic building with an exhibit of porcelain

The famous oldest church in the New World, Catedral Primada de America, was only open for a mass in the morning and evening and I did not see it inside.

Another "oldest in the Americas" is the Hospital San Nicolás de Bari. Its construction began in 1503. The ruins also can only be viewed from the distance. — Another “oldest in the Americas” is the Hospital San Nicolás de Bari. Its construction began in 1503.

Dominicana to Puerto Rico

Oksana Weiss

February 19, 2021 at 6:19 am

What a beautiful place, full of history and so devoid of people, that one can presume ghosts walking its streets and ancient squares. Ghosts of ancient pirates and modern tourists:)

Natalia
February 19, 2021 at 8:25 am

Oh, I don’t know about ghosts but the number of ruined or derelict building in the Old Town is staggering.

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