Granada, Nicaragua - The Great Sultan of the Great Lake

Granada is Nicaragua’s fourth largest city and perhaps it’s most treasured. The city was founded on December 8, 1524 by Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba, making it the oldest city in the Americas. The city still maintains that cultural and historical feel as evident by the numerous cathedrals that seem virtually untouched since their conception. Granada has been one of the most important cities in Nicaragua, historically and politically. For decades, Granada and Leon fought as to who would claim the title of Nicaragua’s most important city. Finally during the mid 1800’s, a compromise was reached relocating the capital in Managua.

Granada today is perhaps the top tourist destination in Nicaragua. It seemed as if there were more Europeans than Americans. Everywhere you look around the city center are people trying to capitalize on the tourism industry. The focal point of the city is Central Park. There are monuments, fountains, arts and craft vendors and refreshment stands all located under a tree lined canopy.

Towering over Central Park is one of Granada’s most recognized cathedrals, the Cathedral of Granada. It is brightly painted orange and it offers panoramic views of Granada from its bell towers. Surrounding the cathedral are numerous restaurants, internet cafes, and old style colonial homes.

Granada sits on the western edge of Lake Nicaragua or Lake Cocibolca as the locals call it. It is the 20th largest lake in the world and the only place where you will find freshwater sharks. These sharks can travel freely from the lake to the ocean using the rivers that flow out to the sea. Fishing for these creatures has been banned due to population decline. Within Lake Nicaragua is Isla de Ometepe, an island containing two active volcanoes. Isla de Ometepe is a frequent tourist destination as people like to hike to the top of the volcanoes. Although there is a ferry to the island from Granada, it is better to take the ferry from Rivas, which is about thirty minutes from Granada. The ferry from Rivas leaves everyday about every hour, while the ferry from Granada leaves only on Monday and Thursday usually at 2pm.

Looking over the city as a protector and sometimes destroyer is Volcano Mombacho. It is an active volcano; however, it hasn’t erupted since 1570. Tourists flock to the top of it by the few hiking trails which offers spectacular views of Lake Nicaragua and Granada itself. Volcano Mombacho was directly responsible for creating the Islets of Granada in Lake Nicaragua. The Islets are a group of over 360 islands which were formed when Volcano Mombacho blew its cone into the lake. To this day, residents will tell you that most of the islands are privately owned and some even have houses on them. Some of the islands have tourist facilities as Granada offers boat tours through the islands.

If you feel like fighting the crowds, take a walk down to the city market. It is chaotic and crowded and walking down here is like being in a night club. For tourists, it is advised not to buy anything here. Most everything that is sold in the market is cheap imitation American knock-offs. They sell everything from clothes to bootlegged DVD’s. It is on the same scale as an American flea market. But it is worth the experience to walk down here if just for a minute.

There is no airport that services Granada, so everyone must fly into Managua. Although you can take a taxi or bus, I prefer to rely on my own transportation. Car rental prices are very cheap in Nicaragua. Although everything in Granada is pretty much in walking distance or a cheap taxi ride, a vehicle comes in handy if you want to take day trips to the beach or venture outside the city. Most of the streets in Granada are one-way since the roads were built before the invention of motor vehicles. A great way to see the sites of Granada is by horse carriage and they can be rented by the hour or half-hour. Hop on one at Central Park and enjoy the historical sights and sounds of America’s oldest city

Since driving in Granada is not necessary and a taxi ride is not practical unless you just want to go from Point A to Point B, try a carriage ride instead. Surrounding Central Park on all sides are horse carriages and their operators vying your money. Carriage rides can last from 30 minutes to an hour. They can be shorter or longer than that depending on where you want to go and what you want to see. The price is always negotiable. We took a quick twenty minute carriage ride for about ten dollars including the tip.

We started down Calle la Calzada, a cobblestone street with restaurants and old colonial homes on either side. There are plans to make the street a pedestrian only street. We took a ride down to the edge of Lake Nicaragua. Lake Nicaragua is the 20th largest lake in the world and is also home to the only freshwater shark in the world. We stopped for a minute to take a few pictures of the lake and he offered us the chance to take a tour of the Islets of Granada, but since we had our son with us, we passed on the opportunity.

On the way back up Calle la Calzada, we stopped to admire some of the different statues dedicated to Nicaragua’s famous citizens. There was a statue dedicated to Francisco Cordoba, the founder of Nicaragua and whose name is used for the currency. We stopped at one statue that our driver seemed particularly proud of and that was of Emiliano Chamorro. I actually had to look him up online and discovered that he was the 55th and 59th president of Nicaragua. He was most remembered in Nicaragua for his work in signing a treaty with the US to build a canal linking the two oceans. However, Panama will forever hold that distinction.

Our next stop was at one of the six major cathedrals in Granada, Iglesia de Guadalupe which was originally built as a fort in 1626. From the outside, it appears that it is an abandoned church. The white walls have since turned black and it appears as if it has gone through years of neglect. However, one step inside this church and you realize that it is an active church serving an active congregation. The interior of the church has gone through a massive renovation. The interior is beautifully painted yellow with shiny waxed floors and high arched ceilings. I was told there are no plans to renovate the outside.

We traveled back to Central Park to go into town right around rush hour. Everywhere you look, horse carriages and vehicles clog the roads. Traffic can get very congested at rush hour which is another good reason to walk instead of drive. We rode by some other cathedrals such as the Antiguo Convento San Francisco which looks as if it was just built, however it is the oldest cathedral in Central America built in 1585. The exterior is painted a beautiful mixture of white and blue and there is a museum inside displaying a vast collection of Pre-Colombian artifacts. Another cathedral is the Xalteva Cathedral elegantly painted in a peach color a few blocks away.

Our last stop was at Dona-Elba Cigars, a half block from the Xalteva Church. Here they have a large selection of different cigars to suit anyone’s taste. The highlight of my visit here was seeing the cigars made in front of you. The cigars were made in two person teams. One person would flatten the tobacco while the other person would roll it and cut it. Although Esteli is regarded as the cigar capital of Nicaragua, this is an excellent place to pick up cigars if a trip to Esteli is not possible. I left with over thirty cigars as well as a pack of cigars that are soaked in Flora de Cana rum.

We ended out trip back in Central Park. We thanked our driver for the excellent tour and walked back to the hotel. Carriage rides might sound touristy and cliché, but it is an excellent way to see Granada.

If you were wondering where you can get black pottery, hand-woven hammocks, world class cigars, and any other souvenir that you can think of, then Masaya is the place to go. Masaya is Nicaragua’s capital of shopping. Masaya is located about 55 miles from Granada as well as Managua making this an excellent day trip from either city. Located in the center of the city is the Mercado Viejo or the Old Market. Nicaraguans refer to it as the Mercado Nacional de Artesania.

The market occupies one city block within Masaya and it is easily identifiable by the Gothic looking structure. The building looks more like a fortress than anything. It was originally built in 1891 and after it was destroyed in the revolution it was restored in 1997. The market literally contains hundreds of vendors who try to sell their handiwork. Within the walls of this sprawling market, you will find cafés, ATMs, and the tourist office.

Our trip to the Old Market wasn’t a pleasurable experience as we had expected it to be. As we approached the Old Market, I started looking for a place to park. Since there isn’t a parking lot, you must find a spot on the side of the street surrounding the market or adjacent to it. I noticed people wearing light blue polo shirts walking around the outside of the building. As I started to park my vehicle, I noticed one of those subjects running up to me in my rearview mirror. I pulled off and started circling the block. As I drove off, I still noticed him running after my vehicle and then he stopped as he realized that he couldn’t catch me. I circled the block and parked on the other side. Once again, I was met by someone wearing those light blue polo shirts. Looking closely at his shirt, they worked for the Nicaraguan Tourism Department or what I liked to refer to them as, Men in Blue.

I was immediately greeted by two of them as we exited our vehicle, basically crowding me as I tried to get my child out of the backseat. I was also greeted by someone who obviously did not work for the tourism department. He wanted to wash my vehicle and watch it while we shopped. Once again, everybody wants money for doing something. I sternly but politely said no and we went inside to shop. Those two individuals with the blue shirts followed us around the entire time. They tried to point out items that they thought we would like to purchase. I started to get a little irritated, because there is nothing I hate more than shopping and having someone looking over my shoulder. At first, I thought they were supposed to follow you around. But as we went from store to store, I noticed other people browsing without having someone following them. Seeing how they were with us for about twenty minutes, I didn’t bother to tell them to leave. I just tried to ignore them.

After about an hour of browsing, we stepped into the café for a quick beer and a chance to escape the Men in Blue. Once we were done, we went to those stores where we wanted to buy our souvenirs, hurrying to get out of there and get back to Granada. I noticed that my vehicle’s windshield wipers were flipped up and the vehicle had been wiped down clean. That individual came running over to me expecting a tip, of course. The Men in Blue wanted one too. I handed the car wash guy a 100 Cordoba bill or one US dollar. They didn’t appear too happy and it sounded as if they were each expecting $5. I refuse to pay for a car wash that I didn’t want nor to two individuals that wouldn’t let me shop in peace.

The market is a great place to get everything Nicaraguan; however, the shopping experience would have been better without the Nicaraguan tourism board following us around.

As someone who has grown up in the South most of my life, there are a few things that I am accustomed to when it comes to food. And after five days in Nicaragua, we have feasted on rice and beans, carne asada (very cheap), plantains and fried cheese. But sometimes eating the local fare is not enough, and you grave those foods that remind you of home. Granada is one of those cities that cater to all tourists from all over the world. They have pizza restaurants, Irish pubs, some French bistros and the occasional Chinese restaurant. Granada is filled with tourists and it seemed like most of them were all Europeans so it is understandable that the city would have a wide array of different restaurants.

I was flipping through a Granada city tourist pamphlet that I picked up in the hotel. Craving something to eat other than rice and beans, I got excited when I saw restaurant called Jimmy 3 Fingers Alabama Rib Shack. If there is anything the South knows, it is ribs and with a place called Jimmy 3 Fingers, it sounded just like the place to get some good comfort food. I asked the bellhop at the hotel how to get to Jimmy 3 Fingers. He had never heard of it and even when I showed him the tourist pamphlet, he still didn’t know. He asked someone else and eventually we found out that the locals know the restaurant by another name, Nuestra Casa. Nuestra Casa is actually a hotel and the restaurant just happens to be below it.

We got a taxi ride to the restaurant which only cost us 25 cents. We could have walked to the restaurant because it only a few blocks away from the Plaza Central, but we wanted to experience a taxi ride in Nicaragua. The restaurant was beautifully decorated with plants and trees giving the place a relaxed almost romantic atmosphere. We grabbed a table near the rear of the restaurant. The waiter arrived at our table with a huge menu board of today’s specials. I ordered the Ribs and Chicken while my wife ordered the Portobello Stuffed Chicken.

While we waited for our meal to arrive, the waiter brought us fresh baked bread and a salad. We were greeted briefly by Jimmy 3 Fingers himself. He apologized that he didn’t have any highchairs, but luckily he can sit in a chair by himself. Since our son was acting out a little in the restaurant, Jimmy brought him some mashed potatoes to calm him down. He told us that these were his famous Alabama mashed potatoes.

It appeared that Jimmy was a busy person practically running the restaurant himself. I had wanted to ask him how he came to end up in Nicaragua or how he came about having the nickname Jimmy 3 Fingers. I tried to look closely at his hands, but it appeared that he had all ten fingers. I didn’t disturb him, but rather let him service his customers with that old Southern charm. Our food arrived and it was fabulous. The meat fell off of the bone and the chicken was tender and juicy. Our entrees were each served with those famous Alabama mashed potatoes and sweet corn.

If you are looking for a little variety in your cuisine and you have had about all the rice and beans you can eat, then try a little Alabama cuisine. After dinner, grab a drink at the bar, but just make sure to order an Alabama Slammer.

When we set out on this trip to Nicaragua, we had originally intended to visit two or three different countries, but rental car problems forced us to stay in the country the entire ten days. I also planned to stay only in American owned hotels such as the Crowne Plaza or Best Western. Since those types of hotels are only found in Managua, we had to venture out and stay in local hotels. I was unsure how Nicaraguan standards compared to American standards; however, I was pleasantly surprised when we checked into the La Gran Francia.

The La Gran Francia is located near Central Park in Granada. The building that houses the La Gran Francia is one of the oldest in Granada and dates back to the years following the founding of Granada in 1524. The hotel has 21 rooms on two floors. The rooms are air conditioned with cable television, spacious bathrooms, and its own balcony or lanai. The rooms are elegantly decorated with an old colonial feel.

The hotel offers an indoor pool located in the middle of the hotel. The roof is partially open and we were able to swim while looking up and admiring the full moon above us. There is also a small courtyard surrounding the pool where you can relax instead of inside your room. When you step out of your room, the pool is right in front of you so you don’t have to walk far.

Directly across the street is a full service bar where you can enjoy your drinks or take them back to your room or perhaps enjoy a few around the pool. While we were swimming, I decided to go grab a few drinks at the bar. I ordered a Pina Colada and a Tona, which is Nicaragua’s beer. I thought he understood what I wanted. I saw him make the Pina Colada and just before he started to blend it, he poured the Tona beer into the blender. As gross as it sounds, it wasn’t half-bad. I still needed one more Tona, though. I guess we can blame it on the language barrier.

Connected to the bar is the Pablo Antonio Cuadra banquet hall. It is also used as a restaurant and it is here where the hotel offers a free breakfast. The breakfast is included in the room rate. The breakfast here is more than just a continental breakfast. They offer eggs, meats, toasts, and that all important staple of Nicaraguan cuisine, rice and beans.

The rates are very reasonable. In Nicaragua, there are two seasons, the rainy and dry season. The hotels divide their room rates based on the high and low seasons. The high season is January-April, July-August, and November-December. The low season is May-June and September-October. There are four types of rooms from the low priced classical to the high end suites. A classical room in the high season is $100 and a suite is $150.

If you are looking for a hotel that offers all the amenities with an old colonial feel and is centrally located to all the sites of Granada, then look no further than the La Gran Francia.