Granada

With less than 12 hours in Granada we had a lot of ground to cover...first things first. We stopped by our hotel (did I mention that we were assigned room 212 on 2/12??) and elicited Carlos to help us make travel plans for Sunday- a challenging day to attempt to get to a remote part of the country! The guidebook said that Sunday's are the worst day to attempt to travel as sometimes ferries simply decide not to run. We crossed our fingers that we'd have 'buenas suerte' in the Sunday travel department. We negotiated with Carlos as his original quote for a private taxi (most taxis in Nicaragua are 'shared' - you can imagine the safety concerns this raises) the ferry port of San Jorge was $60 USD, but we managed to get him down to $40 which seemed fair especially considering the trouble we anticipated encountering if we attempted a bus without Vida. Carlos then made a quick call to Totoco (our next destination) to arrange transport once we arrived to Isla Ometepe (the island of 2 volcanos)...once we got all this settled we ran up to our room so Brian could grab his camera...

We ventured back to the square and I immediately felt 1000 eyes on us. What a difference hanging out with a local makes! We found ourselves saying "no gracias" for the first time to offers of cashews and handicrafts, horse and carriage rides, etc. We checked out our map and decided to check out 'La Iglesia de Merced' - apparently the top of the bell tower boasts the best views of Granada...it was just about 2 blocks away. I noticed how clean the air seemed...compared to Peru I didn't notice any exhaust fumes at all...also the streets were very old fashioned in architecture (Granada is one of Central America's best cities for architecture) and the people were dressed more modern so it seemed to be an interesting clash...

We arrived at the church to see it was in session...there were some women playing with children out front- some were riding smaller versions of 'big wheels' around the concrete cross planted on the corner of the church's grounds. Brian pulled out his camera and got to work...we stepped inside to the left- the entrada for the bell tower. We paid our $1 entry fee and embarked on the narrow spiral stone staircase that wounded us up to the tippity top of Granada...signs politely requested that we not ring the bells...whose tattered ropes may have proved too tempting had it not been that mass was in progress! The view was spectacular...especially given the volcanic backdrop. The wind whipped and swirled around us...there were a few other people up there snapping pictures as well...we got a few and headed back down the staircase...

Onto the main 'calle' once again and found ourselves browsing the stalls in the park...the handicrafts were plenty- handmade necklaces, purses, dresses, wood products- including an amazing hand carved wooden swing that you might have loved for the new front lawn Mom...but sorry it seemed far too impractical to try to bring home ;)

We headed back down the cobblestone path towards Lake Nicaragua where Brian took some of his infamous nighttime photos :)



we passed all of the restaurantes, hotels, cafes, and the street turned more residential. We were surprised to note that most homes had a circle of rocking chairs surrounding a coffee table in their living rooms instead of a couch...the night was balmy with an ocassional breeze. Brian couldn't understand why I still wore my scarf in this weather...it took a few times of telling him before he understood it was purely out of fashion and had nothing to do with function :) we arrived at to the end of the block and found ourselves at another iglesia in session...decided to turn around as it was getting dark and the street becoming more desolate...besides Brian's camera screamed "wealthy
tourist" and we had read that this is the usual target for crime in Nicaragua...

Wandered through the park
one more time and decided to cash in our 'complimentary arrival drinks' at Hotel Colon. Carlos suggested the 'macau' which was a wonderfully refreshing grapefruit-esk alcoholic drink without much alcohol...(sorry Yetta, but I think I found my new Pimm's) I am usually not a fan of grapefruit but this was so delicious we had to have another :) we relaxed in the extended open-air lobby of the hotel...and reclined on sturdy wicker furniture with plush cushions and the sound of the man-made water wall drizzling water into the
central garden which was set just below ground level...we could have stayed there all night if it wasn't for the weird white mosquitos!

Off to bed by like 8:30...a great start to our vacation...ready for a long day ahead of us tomorrow!