Granada, Nicaragua: First Impressions

I’d heard good things about Granada, Nicaragua. But most of the descriptions I’ve heard of it say that it is a “colonial city”. I didn’t really know what that meant.

I expected to see a lot of colonial-style architecture. What Jonathan and I got upon our arrival in Granada was a very pleasant surprise.

We got off the Tica Bus in Managua, Nicaragua (the capital). From there we took the “express” bus to Granada. This bus ride cost each of us a whopping US$ 1.75 for an hour ride.

We didn’t know exactly where Hotel Terrasol was, so we were dropped off at Central Park – right in front of a beautiful cathedral.

The park was surrounded by horse-drawn carriages. And lots of street vendors of all sorts – food, crafts, cigarettes, you name it.

We grabbed a taxi to our hotel. We were greeted by name when we entered, and given our pick of the rooms. We’d left our (very heavy by this point) bags downstairs, and they were brought up by the very nice hotel boy.

Our room has air conditioning. This was mandatory for us here in Nicaragua. It’s much hotter here than it was in Costa Rica or Panama.

We decided to take advantage of the day and check out the town. A quick glance at the map told us we were walking distance to anything we wanted to see.

On our way to the cathedral in central park, we saw another church. This one appears to be nearly in ruins, but their bell tower is in tact and study looking.

We saw that it was only US$ 1 to go to the top, and that they have the best view in town. We couldn’t pass it up.

It was spectacular! We could see all the major landmarks, and the lake. We could even hear the clock tick, and the bells chime on the hour. The bell tower is a must-do activity for anyone in Granada.

From there we went to the park to look around. Then something wonderful happened. We got hungry!

This is the first time that we’ve been hungry since we were in Bocas Del Toro (nearly 2 months ago). We stopped for some paninis at Café Europa.

The food was excellent, the drinks were cold, and the atmosphere was fun. What more can you ask for?

We walked around the town some more after that. What a great place Granada is. It’s beautiful, safe, and always something to do and look at.

Also, Nicaragua is cheap! This was a nice change after coming from Costa Rica. Here we can buy sandwiches, dessert, and drinks for under $13.

We spent some time in the cathedral and the walking plaza and then it was back to Hotel Terrasol for a delicious dinner and early to bed.

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