Granada, Nicaragua

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We were not big fans of Granada at first. It seemed quite tatty except for a few streets around the cathedral and the main strip of bars and restaurants had music so loud at night that we didn't eat anywhere nearby! We stayed at Casa del Agua,just a few steps from the main square and we were so pleased that we did. Our host, Gerry, an expatriated Irishman, cooks the most amazing pancakes (and they keep coming until you ask him to stop!) and breakfast comes with a mountain of fresh fruit. That alone would result in five stars from us, but the friendliness of the place and the helpful information made sure that we actually ended up loving Granada.

The central square is, as seems common in this part of the world, flanked by colonnaded buildings (some restored, some not!) on three sides and a cathedral on the other. We couldn't visit the cathedral properly as the ceiling is currently being painted in a Michelangelo Sistine Chapel style! We were only able to stand inside one of the doorways and catch a glimpse. The square itself is shaded by trees and there are some souvenir stalls to keep the tourists occupied. It's generally a nice place to chill and in the evenings, especially at weekends, there seems to be regular entertainment. We heard some pretty poor renditions of English language songs on the stage and saw someone doing the moonwalk in full Michael Jackson costume. He was actually pretty good.

For many visitors to Granada, life revolves around Calle La Calzada. This is where all of those noisy bars and restaurants compete at night. Maybe we are getting old, but the louder the music, the less likely we are to go inside these days. Luckily the music isn't blaring out during the day and we found refuge and refreshment in Soy Nica which was fairly cheap and delicious too. There are many options along there but being the centre of nightlife for most tourists, there is a price to pay, and not just on your eardrums!

From there we walked down to the edge of the lake. The tiny piece of the malecón that has been developed near the old customs house is fine. The problem is that it soon degenerates and becomes an area that you question if you should walk in during the day, let alone at night. Scruffy is putting it mildly and I think this is what affected our initial impression of the city. We crossed into the lakeside park which was just as bad. It's such a shame as it could easily be a beautiful spot to wander and maybe even take a picnic. There are kids playing baseball in the park which is great to watch for a short while.

The next day we did our usual aimless wandering with a vague plan. Our first stop was the Parque Sandino / Parque de los Poetas. The reason for going there was that it's the location of the old train station and quite possibly a railway museum. Well, outside the picturesque old station are a few old wagons in reasonable condition. The star of the show SHOULD be an old steam locomotive currently hiding behind a wire fence. Russ asked permission to go inside the gate to take a photo but apparently you need a police permit to do that! It was an emphatic no! There are also some busts and placards of famous poets from Nicaragua and the extracts from their poems were well presented. Poetry in English is confusing enough at times but in Spanish...!

From there we walked to the chocolate factory but it was too hot to indulge. It's worth popping your head in though as there is a lot of information about chocolate production and some wonderful artwork. Our wanderings then took us to the church of Los Mercedes where for $1 you can climb up the belltower. It's a tight spiral stairway to get up there but the views are quite special. At times our views were obstructed by a canoodling couple which seems a bit disrespectful in a religious building. Had it been a couple of European tourists doing this, I'm sure security would have had plenty to say about it. Next up was Doña Elba cigars. Neither of us smoke so an expensive "tasting" session would have been wasted but it was good to be shown how they are made. We finished our ramble at the fortress of La Polvora which looks more like a prison. Apparently there is a museum inside but from all accounts I've read online it is never open! On our way back to the centre we managed to get our hair cut by the lovely Hilda!!

On the Sunday we took a boat trip onto Lake Nicaragua (Lake Cocibolca) to get a look at some of the isletas, a group of countless tiny islands just off the lake shore. We had been offered numerous tours costing anything from $20-70 per person. Gerry told us this was a sedate party boat with a bar and a restaurant if we wanted to partake. For $10 each it would take us out into the lake, past a few of the islands, and then anchor on the water so we could all enjoy a refreshing swim. Although this wasn't quite the type of boat trip we would normally do, we really enjoyed it and made some good friends along the way. The sight of a few ospreys was something quite special too.

Our final day was a lazy day culminating in another excursion. This time we were taken to a viewing platform where we could see Granada and the lake behind Laguna de Apoyo which sits in the caldera of an extinct volcano. Volcanoes were the order of the day and as the afternoon wore on, we were taken up to the Volcano Masaya National Park. The visitors centre here had lots of information about the history of the area and the geological development of the volcanoes. Most of the boards were in Spanish only, presumably to encourage gringos to pay for a guide! As the sun began to set, and after quite a long wait, we finally got back into our minibus and were driven to the summit. Down below us was a bubbling pool of lava and the air was toxic with sulphurous fumes and smoke. You are only supposed to spend 10-15 minutes there but when a couple of Japanese tourists in our party didn't hurry back to the bus we were very almost first up and last down! Whether it really was dangerous we don't know but we suffered no ill effects apart from itchy eyes. It was a tremendous experience but you did have to strain your neck (or use your phone!) to get a really good view of the lava lake.

That was pretty much it for us in Granada. Gerry arranged a reasonably priced transfer for us to get further down the lake the next day and, full of pancakes and fruit as usual, we were on our way.

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