{"id":1678,"date":"2020-07-26T07:00:18","date_gmt":"2020-07-26T07:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gowatkinsgo.com\/?p=1678"},"modified":"2022-04-05T18:21:43","modified_gmt":"2022-04-05T18:21:43","slug":"exploring-granada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gowatkinsgo.com\/?p=1678","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Granada"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week we donned our masks and hand sanitizer and went out to explore Granada. Granada is an easy 1.5-hour drive from San Juan Del Sur.<\/p>\n

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Granada is a beautiful city. It was named after the Spanish city of Granada by Francisco Fern\u00e1ndez de C\u00f3rdoba (Nicaraguan money is named after C\u00f3rdoba). Granada is located on Lake Nicaragua. It was a key trade center for the Spanish because boats could access it from the Caribbean Sea. Granada was a target for pirates because it was a rich city.<\/p>\n

We went on a Wednesday and the city was not crowded. We have heard from others that during the day people social distance and wear masks, but at night Calle La Calzada, the busy street with restaurants and vendors, is packed and most people are not wearing masks. We did not stick around long enough to see if Calle La Calzada was packed, but during the day it was easy to move around the city and stay far away from people.<\/p>\n

When we arrived, we visited some of the famous churches in Granada. The Spanish brought Catholicism to Nicaragua in the 16th century. There are five main churches in Granada: The Iglesia la Merced, the Cathedral on Parque Col\u00f3n, The Iglesia de Xalteva, the Iglesia Guadalupe and the Antiguo Convento San Francisco.<\/p>\n