Bolivia > Blessing of the cars

The excursion to Isla del Sol departs at half past eight. We decided not to go, so we can sleep in. In the morning, I drop off my laundry at the reception (hopefully that goes well…). Before breakfast, we take a walk along the lake. Afterwards, we head out to explore Copacabana. Copacabana is a pilgrimage site.

Bolivia - The beautiful Cathedral of Copacabana in fine Baroque architecture The church is covered with azulejos ceramic tiles

The enormous Cathedral is definitely worth visiting, as well as the chapel behind it. By coincidence, today—Saturday—cars in front of the cathedral are being blessed. Several cars are lined up, decorated with flowers. Around eleven o’clock, the priest performs the blessing. He sprinkles holy water under the hood, around the car, and even inside it. Then the car is showered with flowers, incense is burned around and inside, and finally, a bottle of champagne is poured over the vehicle. Of course, the ceremony concludes with a photo of the proud family in front of the car. A funny scene. Even taxis and full-sized tour buses are blessed. On the other side of the square, the “fish festival” is in full swing. Various stalls are frying fish, and terraces are set up. At one of the stalls, we have a drink (3 Bs; about 30 euro cents for two Cokes). Afterwards, we climb the pilgrimage path up the sacred mountain. After this steep climb, we are rewarded with a beautiful view over Copacabana and Lake Titicaca.

Bolivia - Cars are blessed once a week in front of the Cathedral of Copacabana

The descent may be even trickier. I especially feel the steps in my knees, but we get down safely. Around half past two, we gather at the hotel to watch the Euro 2004 quarterfinal. The Netherlands plays Sweden. In a small café in Copacabana, we watch the match. The game remains goalless, and the Netherlands wins after a penalty shootout. Too bad for the two Swedes behind us, but good for us! In the evening, a large group of us eats in town. The restaurant even has to be rearranged to accommodate us. During the meal, there is suddenly a clap of thunder, and it starts to rain—the first rain in three weeks. According to Kristina, this is very unusual for this time of year. Between the raindrops, we walk back to the hotel.