Latin American Lifestyle and Art (LALA): Granada, Nicaragua

The trip from Managua to Granada on the UCA bus takes about 45 minutes and costs only 24 Cordoba (about $1 US). I'm excited to reach Granada - I've heard such good things about it. I'm staying at Casa Silas - a B&B I found on TripAdvisor. Got my little notebook with directions from Rob (the Canadian owner) carefully copied down. As is typical in Central America, I don't have a street address but a set of directions from a reference point. In this case the Inglesia de Merced. "From Inglesia de Merced walk 2 blocks towards Vocano Mombacho. Turn right. Walk half a block. Casa Silas is the blue house on the right". Too easy - I find it with no trouble at all.

And it's absolutely perfect. A private home in the Spanish colonial style with high, gated wall facing the street, red ceramic tiled roof, gates opening into an internal courtyard garden and pool around which the living area is situated. I am greeted by Rob and his wife Claudia, shown to my lovely room with private bath opening directly onto the pool.
I'm tempted to stop for a swim but decide to explore. Drop off my bags and head into town.

As seems typical in these spanish colonial towns, everything is situated around the parque central which is lush with green spreading trees and has the requisite bandstand and fountain. Granada was founded by the spanish in 1524. The buildings reflect this heritage with a distinct Moorish and Andalusian flavor which recognizes the cities namesake in Spain. I wander around and find to my delight a really excellent gelateria. Last thing I was expecting and such a treat - Im starved for good ice-cream. Spend a nice time people-watching and reading with a cup of dark chocolate-almond gelato then head back to Casa Silas for a swim. Tomorrow I want to visit the famous markets in Masaya and also the Nahuatl village of San Juan de Oriente where beautiful Nahuatl ancestral pottery is made.