Travels thru Latin America: Granada

Granada is a very pretty touristic city, and although the locals are very proud of it and insist that it's more beautiful than the one in Andalucia, it doesn't come close. It has charm though and "La Calzada which is the main street that goes to the side of the lake has many restaurants jewelry sellers, and alternative people wielding flaming devil sticks, break dancing or busking with drums. The museum was a bit of a disappointment, housing a few early post conquest catholic icons and a collection of badly eroded precolombian sculptures mostly from Isla Zapata in the lake, I believe. I further learned that Granada was subject to the swashbuckling waves of pirates and was razed to the ground in 1856 by William Walker and his band; rebuilding started in 1859. There are very pretty colonial style buildings with large internal patios and lovely wooden columns and beams. The only live music I saw was "NicaBrass" at the Casa de Cultura, unsurprisingly a collaberation with the Germans. It was only marginally not cringe worthy, but I couldn't bring myself to walk out as there were only 8 in the audience. Likewise I couldn't bring myself to sit as the others gave tham a standing ovation. There was an operatic duo a very fleshy soprano and much more dimunitive tenor who sang accompanied by the brass quintet and as far as I was concerned, only the Sole Mio worked. (But then I am not an opera fan)

Initially I stayed in Hotel Oasis, but it was too foreigner orientated for me, so I moved next door to a family run place, more ramshackle but with more soul. They liked my guitar playing so much, that they insisted on giving me a free breakfast every day.

View of La Xalteva (pink) church from La Merced

The vegetable section of the market under the brooding clouds

Giant vats of "Piquante" for sale, to be decanted into plastic bags

A woman in a comedor preparing lunch

La Merced from where there were spectacular views form the bell tower. The most moving thing about it was the book of petitions for prayers during mass. People with tumours and other ailments, worrying about the children after they would be gone, people just praying for their children and occasionally those with more mundane money worries.