Sunday, January 05, 2014

Granada – Love at First Site

Mike, the owner from our Managua accommodation, drove us to Granada about 40 miles away. After the hot, dusty, litter filled places we had seen, I had great hopes for Granada. As we drove through the beginnings of a town, which was rundown, littered, and dusty dirty looking, Mike announced “Welcome to Granada!” My heart fell, but I held out hope. 

My faith was not misplaced. A few blocks later, we were surrounded by the colonial architecture we had seen on the Internet and in books. Just off the square was our place to live for the next seven nights, Casa del Agua. Mike went to the gate, but could not find the bell. The “Sorry, we are full” was not promising that anyone would be around to let us in. Eventually, this big bear of an Irishman came to open the gate. Gerry is the owner of the inn, with a huff and a puff, showed us where the bell is located and then on to our room. 

As one enters Casa del Agua, there is a foyer with two rooms off of it, but directly in front on you, there is a swimming pool. Our room is one of the four to the sides of the pool. More than enough room to spread out, the bathroom alone is larger than some apartments I have seen. Lovely! The wall mounted TV has a USB port, so I can download our movies to USB and watch them in bed. What more could we ask for? The pool is 24/7, though not nearly as large as Mike’s in Managua, it is a place to cool off.

We set out to explore the city and fell in love within minutes. The center square is dotted with one glorious building after another, while the center park area is swarming with people selling various food items, jewelry, candy, cigarettes, hammocks, and more. 

Today is my birthday, so we decided to follow Gerry’s suggestion and go to El Camello’s restaurant. What a great idea. I had fried avocado sticks with creamy garlic sauce as an appetizer. My main dish was chicken satay served with rice and a salad. There must have been two chicken breasts of meat. It was more than plentiful; I love satay sauce. Ron had pea soup with chucks of ham and a special of the day salad with red leaf lettuce, beets, tomatoes, and coca nibs. I tasted both and they were incredible. 

As it turned out, Gerry is a bear with a marshmallow center. He is really a sweetheart, funny, and helpful.

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