Category Archives: Granada

Getting high in Granada

Posted on February 10, 2014 by | Leave a comment

By Vicki Barnes

One of the best ways to experience the city of Granada in Nicaragua is to get high.

High, that is, above the city in the bell tower of the Iglesia La Merced.

The view of the cathedral from the bell tower at Iglesia La Merced

The view of the cathedral from the bell tower at Iglesia La Merced

The iconic church, just a few blocks from the central park, is a beautiful spot to see at ground level, but when you change your perspective, it becomes an even more amazing trip.

Only about six stories high, the observation platform is high enough in a city where only the churches rise above two stories. From the vantage point near the top of the bell tower, you can see the surrounding volcanoes, the central square and cathedral, Lake Nicaragua and every red tiled roof in the city. (It’s fun to try to guess under which roof you are sleeping that night as they are identical.) Continue reading →

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Posted in All posts, Budget, Destinations, Granada, Nicaragua, Photos, Vicki "Mamita" Barnes

Swimming in a volcano

Posted on February 7, 2014 by | 2 comments

imageBy Vicki Barnes

When someone asks if you want to go swimming in the crater of a volcano, you’ll probably think they’ve lost their mind.

If the volcano is Apayo, a half an hour car ride from Granada, Nicaragua, you should immediately take them up on their offer. This volcano is practically extinct.

The last time it erupted was well before the current age, though there is still an active fumarole (an opening in the earth that emits steam and gas) on the western side of the crater, which means it is only sleeping – sleeping very deeply. Continue reading →

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Posted in All posts, Budget, Granada, Nicaragua, Photos, Vicki "Mamita" Barnes

Anything you want, in one chaotic place

Posted on February 6, 2014 by | Leave a comment

By Vicki Barnes

The kids used to tell me that I was missing the “shopping gene”. Unlike most women, I hate shoppimg.

I usually lack the time, the financial resources and the patience to go to the mall or the box store and wander through neat rows in tidy stores looking for who-knows-what. Continue reading →

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Posted in All posts, Budget, Granada, Nicaragua, Vicki "Mamita" Barnes, Videos

Eating cheap in an unusual place

Posted on February 5, 2014 by | Leave a comment

By Vicki Barnes

Dining in the museum is a sweet experience

Dining in the museum is a sweet experience

A chocolate museum is something bound to catch the eye of any woman…and most men.

A few blocks off the central square in Granada, Nicaragua the Choco Museo (chocolate museum) is a shrine to the favorite sweet of most of the world. It is a place to learn and a place to indulge. Continue reading →

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Posted in All posts, Destinations, Food, Granada, Nicaragua, Vicki "Mamita" Barnes

GM Granada Hostal

Posted on February 4, 2014 by | Leave a comment

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By Vicki Barnes

The owner of the GM Granada Hostal in Granada, Nicaragua is an enthusiastic California teacher who loves his job back home. In the oasis that is his hostel across the Pan American Highway from the Ticabus station in this country’s second largest city, he loves to bring people together to learn about each other and about the things they have learned during their travels. Continue reading →

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Posted in Accomodations, All posts, Budget, Granada, Nicaragua, Vicki "Mamita" Barnes

It’s all in a day on the road

Posted on February 4, 2014 by | 1 comment

Do you want speed or do you want adventure?

A van from the beaches in Playas del Coco, Costa Rica, where we stayed a few nights, to the nearest airport in Liberia is about $50 per person. A flight from Liberia to Managua, Nicaragua – the nearest airport to our destination in that country is about $120 per person. A van from the beaches where we were staying in Granada is about $40.

The route from Point A to Point B is not so easy sometimes.

The route from Point A to Point B is not so easy sometimes.

So for a mere $210 per person, we could have been here in a few hours.

Or, for $21 apiece, we made it here in seven – laughing, sore and sweating the excitement from every pore. Continue reading →

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Posted in All posts, Budget, Getting around, Granada, Nicaragua, Vicki "Mamita" Barnes