I just woke up and will try to do a quick post before the girls wake up. Yesterday was a wonderful day of touring Granada. We started the day with a really nice breakfast by the pool. Then we met our guide at the front desk at 10 am and he took us on a really interesting and full tour of the city. We started on a carriage pulled by two beautifully decorated horses. That sounds hokey but it is actually the way many people travel around the city (as we were moving around the city, we saw many locals with carriages (usually pulled by one horse or a mule). The guide was really knowledgeable about the city history, politics, and religion. We visited the old train station and the city cemetery (it reminded me of a New Orleans cemetery with huge, ornate crypts above ground). Then we continued by carriage to a beautiful church. Since it was Sunday, lots of people were at the church and it was nice to see all of the families.
At that point, we left the horse drawn carriage and walked. We had Ava in the umbrella stroller (or one of us carried her) and Jenny was fine with walking. We climbed the long circular staircase that goes to the top of the church bell tower. From there, we had a great view of the city. There was a nice breeze from the bell tower (it is pretty hot here so the breeze felt good). We next walked through one of the historical neighborhoods and our guide explained the history of how the city was formed and some of the politics. We next visited a former convent that is now a museum. It had amazing pieces that were more than 1000 years old.
At that point, it was lunchtime. The guide recommended a place with good local food and we said goodbye to him and sat down for lunch. The restaurant was beautiful and we were seated in a lovely outdoor courtyard (like many of the typical colonial style buildings, the courtyard had a fountain, ceiling fans, and a beautiful, lush garden). We had a feast. I had a few of the very cold, local beers that were excellent. Rachel and Jenny stuck with sparkling water. Then we ordered a huge dish that had many of the traditional Nicaraguan prepared meats including chicken, pork, and steak. It also had plantains, and beans and rice. Jenny had a grilled cheese sandwich. We stayed there for more than 2 hours eating and relaxing. Because the climate is tropical here, it usually rains every day and we played with the girls while were were waiting for the rain to stop. Then we walked back to the hotel across the beautiful central square across from our hotel.
After resting in the room for a little bit and changing Ava, Jenny wanted to go swimming in the hotel pool so we all went down there and Rachel held Ava while Jenny and I were in the pool. The water was great and the pool area was so beautiful. We met a nice family from Texas and the two girls (one in college and one in high school) played with Ava and Jenny.
We were too tired to go out to dinner so we stayed in the hotel and had some tapas on the hotel front porch overlooking the central city square. Rachel took Ava to bed at around 6 pm. Jenny and I wandered around for a while more. We lay on the pool chairs and told stories. Finally we went back to the room watched some TV. We went to bed around 8 pm. As with last night, Rachel slept in one room with Jenny (with Ava in the pack and play). I slept in the other room.
I slept great but the crazy chirping birds woke me up at 4:45 am. I did not mind. I like getting up early before everyone else. It took a shower and came down to the business center to do this post. I still need to post some photos and I will try that later.
Today we are meeting our guide at 10 am and we will be taking a boat tour of the volcanic islands on lake Nicaragua and I believe we will be visiting the volcano. So far, nobody has gotten sick. We are being very careful about what we eat. We will keep our fingers crossed that everyone stays healthy. We have taken some great photos and I cannot wait to post them.
More later...
J.
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