Granada, Nicaragua

From Managua I took an hour long bus south to the colonial city of Granada. It was a cool city with lots of great architecture and tiled roofs. From my hostel I walked around the gritty market then made it to the central park and the more polished part of town. I enjoyed the gritty feeling of the city along with its colonial architecture. At one of the churches I climbed the bell tower and had a great view of the city all the way to Lake Nicaragua.




































At the hostel I met a lot of great people and even ran into Natasha again. She had met another friend, Lucia, and we decided to take a tour of some of the attractions in the Granada area the next day.



Our trip took us out of the city to the Pueblos Blancos where there is a long tradition of pottery making. We got to see the different steps of the process and even try our hand at the pottery wheel. Of course the goods were also for sale, and very reasonable as well.










From there went to a lookout over Lake Apoyo which was created by a huge crater thousands of years ago. It was a beautiful and windy view from the top. After a look we went down to the lakeside to relax in hammocks, have lunch, and go for a swim.







Our final stop was Masaya National Park with its impressive volcanoes and striking landscape. When we first arrived it was cloudy and raining, then the clouds lifted and the smoke cleared to be able to see into the crater. We hiked the rim of both volcanoes then made our way back to Granada after a long day. The next day the three of us were off for the Island of Ometepe.








Carved door, Grenada