Tag: The Big Teapot

  • La Gran Tetera, Tecpán, Guatemala

    La Gran Tetera, Tecpán, Guatemala

    Soy una teterita,
    Pequeña y fuerte
    Esta es mi asa
    Este es mi pico
    Cuando me calientan…
    Silbare…
    Vierteme y vaciame!

    Hola, Biggies, I’m here to spill the tea on Guatemala’s most refreshing tourist attraction – La Gran Tetera, which can be found in the historic village of Tecpán!

    With an eccentric design and capricious details, The Big Teapot is a little bit beau-tea-ful, a little bit os-tea-ntatious, and a bit of a guil-tea pleasure. So grab a bickie and I’ll tell you all about it!

    This spout-standing attraction stands out the front of Restaurante Los Pinos, about a camo-mile up from the famous El Jardín de Tecpán. Los Pinos also offers a giant Transformer and a decommissioned Cessna 152 plane to admire, which go oolong way to making it the perfect spot for a par-tea.

    I will, sadly, have to mark Los Pinos down for not offering scones slathered in cream and strawberry jam (unlike Bygone Beautys, home of Australia’s Big Teapot).

    However, I did order a plate of chilaquiles that was so scrumptious, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven-shire tea.

    Putting the ‘tea’ in Tecpán

    Just a quick warning before visiting La Gran Tetera: the road from Guatemala City to Tecpán can be quite steep, so you could find yourself in hot water! But if this attraction isn’t your cup of tea, try La Bota Gigante in Pastores and La Mano Verde in San Pedro.

    They’re both within a cuppa-la hours drive – teehee!

    Tecpán was colonised by Spanish conquis-tea-dors in 1525, making it the oldest settlement in Guatemala. These days it’s a resort town that locals compare favourably to the mountain villages of Switzerland.

    I’m not sure if Zermatt has quite as many smash repair shops and street dogs, but Tecpán does have a charm all of its own.

    Whilst the Swiss might have their million-dollar chateaus and world-famous ski slopes, they don’t have a giant novelty teapot – so you’re better off going to Gua-tea-mala!

  • The Big Teapot, Leura, NSW

    The Big Teapot, Leura, New South Wales

    I’m a handsome teapot
    There’s no doubt
    Here is my handle, here is my spout
    When I find a Big Thing
    Then I shout
    Stop the car and let me out!

    Although I’m not one to spill the tea, I must say that this ‘pot is really brew-tiful! You can find her in front of Bygone Beautys, which houses the world’s largest private teapot collection.

    There are more than 5,500 regular-sized jugs inside, from around the world and across the centuries. None, however, are as breathtaking as the tea-lightful Big Thing outside.

    Just look at that bunny perched on top of the ‘pot! The whimsical wabbit is straight out of Alice in Wonderland, and recalls the innocence and curiosity of youth. And don’t worry, he won’t be late for a very important date with your heart!

    The whole complex is straight out of a fairy tale. Resting peacefully in a tree-lined street in the majestic mountain village of Leura, Bygone Beautys is only minutes from magnificent lookouts. There’s nowhere more inviting on a frosty winter’s afternoon.

    The museum serves a scrumptious range of teas, sandwiches and deserts to please all palates. I allowed myself a moment of decadence by wallowing in the rich tapestry of a cup of Turkish Apple Infusion tea and a generous serving of bread and butter pudding with whipped cream.

    It probably went straight to my hips but, then again, you only live once.

    The theatrical service so enthralled me that I managed to stop peeking out the window at the Big Teapot every five minutes. I even considered treating myself to the famous apple pie, but then realised such an action would likely upset a nearby Big Thing.

    Even though the skies were a little Earl Grey when I visited, I couldn’t miss the opportuni-tea to see this prodigious ‘pot. Don’t kettle for second best!