Scenes from Grenada, Nicaragua

This week's post will show some typical scenes of Grenada, Nicaragua. I took this photo from the balcony in front of our room at the small hotel where we stayed, Casa Vivaldi.  The tower of a church several blocks away provided a backdrop for a shot through my telephoto lens.

This bus was so crowded that people were hanging out the back.  I hope the driver doesn't have to make any sudden stops, starts or swerve in traffic.

This is another photo taken from the balcony of our hotel, which explains why there are a few utility poles silhouetted against the trees and sunset.

Grenada is a very attractive place to walk around and enjoy the color and variety of doorways, windows and other architectural features.

This is the street where our hotel was located.  It is a residential street about 3 blocks from the main tourist areas.  The dome of the cathedral on the main plaza is in the distance of this photo.  Casa Vivaldi was not fancy, but it was inexpensive, clean, adequate, and we felt more a part of the neighborhood walking the residential streets to the area where the restaurants and other attractions are located.

The Spirituality of Nicaragua

We visited Granada, Nicaragua about this time one year ago.  At the time of our visit to one of the churches, there was a ceremony in progress in which parents brought their children to be blessed by the Priest.  This family sheltered their candle from the breeze while waiting in line.

The dome of La Merced Church is framed by an archway in the bell tower.  The bell tower was reconstructed in the 1860's, although the church itself dates to 1534.

There was a crowd of people gathered at the church to receive the blessings of the Priest.

This young girl had a apprehensive and reverent pose as she waited for the blessings.

This is a wider view of the family carrying a candle down the aisle of the church while bringing a child to the Priest for a blessing.

When each family reached the altar, the Priest draped his sash on the family members and said a blessing for their children.

Street scene and Cathedral in Grenada, Nicaragua

This is a typical residential street scene in Grenada, Nicaragua, with a volcano towering into the clouds on the outskirts of town.

This is the interior of the Cathedral of Grenada, built in 1634.  An American with a private army, William Walker, captured the city and seized the cathedral to house his troops for 18 days in 1856, then burned it.  The damage to the cathedral was not fully repaired  until 1965.

I love the architecture and decor of Spanish colonial churches.  The images of the Virgin Mary are similar to Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is such an important part of the culture of Mexico and Arizona, where I have lived all of my life.

The pastel colors of the Cathedral interior are unusual, and delightful.

The tile work on the floors of Catholic Churches often have intricate patterns, as is the case with the Cathedral in Grenada.

Colonial Style in Granada, Nicargagua

The San Francisco Convent Cultural Center in Grenada houses a museum that includes a large collection of pre-Columbian statues that were found on the islands in Lake Nicaragua.  The convent was built by the Franciscans in 1529.

The scenery around Grenada is dominated by tall volcanoes.

The economy of Grenada is being revived by tourism, with lots of restaurants and shops.

Xalteteva Church dates to colonial times, but its Victorian facade is due to the fact that it was damaged by an earthquake in the 1890's and rebuilt thereafter.

Inglesia Merced is one of the oldest churches in Central America, dating to 1834, although it has been reconstructed several times due to damage from earthquakes and conflicts.   The tower was rebuilt in 1862.

Amazing Architecture in Granada, Nicaragua

Churches are usually among the major attractions of Spanish colonial cities, and that is true in Grenada, Nicaragua.  This is the Inglesia de Xaltevea church.   Grenada was founded in 1534 and was named after Grenada, Spain, the last Moorish city to fall to the Spanish crown, in 1492.

Typical street scenes in Grenada reveal architectural details.

Fuerte La Polvora is a fort built in 1741.  Sadly, it could not prevent American mercenaries under William Walker from capturing the city in the 1850's as part of their efforts to create a central American country for them to rule and perpetuate slavery.  They burned the city and left behind a sign "Here was Grenada."

The dome of La Merced church highlights the view across the city from climbing the bell tower.

The balconies, windows and doors of Grenada provide attractive subjects for photography.

Lake Nicaragua

We had a delightful tour of Grenada, Nicaragua, by horse carriage.   After hopping on and off to see the churches and other points of interest in the city, the carriage took us to the shores of Lake Nicaragua.

The western shore of Lake Nicaragua south of Grenada is dotted with lots of islands.  Some are home to birds, and some are home to people. Real estate in Nicaragua is much cheaper than in Costa Rica.

Here is an example of a typical home on one of the many islands on the shore of Lake Nicaragua.

Lake Nicaragua is huge, as this view from Grenada looking east shows.  It empties into the Caribbean Sea, even though it is much closer to the Pacific Ocean, which is only about a half hour to the west.

I mentioned that some of the islands along the lake are home to birds rather than people.  This great egret is but one example of the many water fowl that take advantage of the ideal habitat.

Architecture of Nicaragua

This is the cathedral on the main plaza in the center of Grenada.  It was originally built in 1583, but has been destroyed several times and the current church was reconstructed in 1915.  In early Spanish Colonial times, Grenada was invaded by British, French and Dutch pirates.  In the 1850's the city was burned by the forces of American William Walker who tried to seize control of Central America.  They left behind a sign that said "Here Was Grenada."

This is a small part of the large plaza in the center of Grenada.  It occupies the area of two city blocks, with large shade trees, fountains, and a Gazebo.  There were lots of vendors and families enjoying the plaza when were were there last December.

This is the courtyard of some stores and galleries.  I mentioned William Walker above.  He led a private army of Americans who tried to take control of Central America to establish a country that would be safe to continue slavery.  He succeeded for about a year and ruled Nicaragua, but his army was defeated in a battle in northern Costa Rica and he was executed by the government of Honduras.  Amazingly, and shamefully in my opinion, there is a marker near his birthplace in Nashville that honors him as the only citizen of Nashville to become the head of state.

The colorful paint and elaborate ironwork of Grenada adds charm to otherwise modest buildings.

Why paint a wall with one color when three colors will look better?

Street Scenes of Nicaragua

Grenada, Nicaragua is a charming Spanish colonial city that entertains visitors with pleasures as simple as a morning walk to enjoy the scenes of everyday life.

The colorful buildings provide countless subjects for photographing doors and windows.

I mentioned photographing doors and windows, but forgot to mention balconies.  This stately building is on the main square, across from the cathedral.

We made our reservations to stay in Grenada on short notice and the major hotels around the main square were full.  This is the swimming pool at the small hotel where we enjoyed staying about two blocks away.  It is named Casa Vivaldi and was not fancy, but was very adequate and convenient.

One of the things we liked about staying two blocks away from the main square is that we got to see life in this residential area, rather than being surrounded by tourists, restaurants and bars.

Transportation and People of Nicaragua

Horse carriage rides are a popular way to see the Spanish colonial city of Grenada, Nicaragua.  We lined up a guide for the day and he lined up a carriage for several hours so we could hop on and off while seeing the churches, museum, and other sights.

The people of Nicaragua are warm and friendly, as this adorable girl's mother was willing for her to pose for us.

This is a pedestrian-only street alongside the cathedral in Grenada.  At night it is filled with people and outdoor tables from the restaurants that line both sides of the street.

Not all horses are tourist carriages.  Many are working horse carts, such as is used by these vendors getting ready to set up fo rthe day in the main square.  They have fashioned a pair of horse blinders from cardboard.

Who needs a horse when you have a mother to push the cart around?  Grenada has made a big effort in the past 10 years to develop tourism to provide additional economic opportunities for residents.

Nicaragua is a nice place to visit from Costa Rica.  The people are benefiting from the government providing more stability and peace that in prior decades.  The Nicaraguan government still needs to be a better neighbor to Costa Rica, however, as it has seized a Costa Rican island in the Caribbean zone.  Costa Rica, which does not have a military, has taken Nicaragua to the World Court to resolve the matter.

Lake Nicaragua and Elegant Birds

Lake Nicaragua is huge.  Even though it is only about 1/2 hour from the Pacific, it drains into the Atlantic, and there is a unique species of sharks that swim up the river to spawn in the lake, having adapted to both fresh and salt water.  There is an cluster of small islands along the western shore near Grenada, formed by an exploding volcano.  Some people live on the small islands.

The islands provide habitat for a variety of water fowl, such as this great snowy egret.

We spotted this colorful bird in the bushes along one of the waterways through the maze of islands and canals along the shore.

The birds, wildlife and plants of Nicaragua are similar to what we see near our condos in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, as the Nicaragua border is only about 2 hours away.

This tiger heron is named for the stripes on the back of his neck.