a little time in Casco

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Today after spending some time in the gym, I spent a little time walking around the neighborhood.  It is quite interesting.  Just outside the door I found this game going on.

This concrete soccer "field"/ "court" is just outside the gym in Casco Antiguo.   It is the site of many games involving the neighborhood kids.  Today, despite the threatening weather play involved  teams with uniforms and a game official.  That is the building the gym is in the background.

 Play was fast, hard and intense.

 I think these are church sponsored teams to keep the kids out of trouble.  That is a strong I think, because though I have now had three formal Spanish lessons and am fairly fluent, I may have missed a phrase or two from what was being told to me by the two men were talking to me about the games I was watching.  I was in several pictures with them, so when they have their slide show somewhere I will be noted.

 These are the teams that are next to play  and are between 8 and 13 years old, again information I gathered from my listening skills.  These kids would help most teams they would join if they were in the USA.  They play very very well.

 This is the view down the street on the same city block, just up from the ocean.  The sign points to the Spanish School where Patt and I are students.  The stairwell to the school looks down on that soccer "court"

view further down the street.  the streets are kinda interesting in Casco.  I enjoy riding my bike here a lot.

A group of tourists in one of the main squares, either Canadian or American, not sure.

more tourists, I think from other South American countries.  There are a number of tourists here from Argentina and Columbia.

The hats go for $20.

And this guy is hustling some young guys with stories about the US invasion that took down Norigea in 1989,  or at least that's what he told me last time I was here.  Then he asks for money of course.  But the stories are interesting.