Blatts in Nicaragua: Here in Granada

We had to stop the car at the local barber shop on the way into the colonial town of Granada because Benji's hair was out of control.  He's like Harry Potter, the minute we cut his hair off, it magically reappears just as long and unruly.

 

The next day we went to the quaint central square and negotiated a horse and carriage ride around the town, which was the highlight of our Granada experience.  We visited the town's many churches, and learned a lot about Granada's history, which is basically that there we several mercenary foreigners, including American William Walker, who each tried to control Granada but then fled and burned down the town.  Each time, the colonial town was rebuilt, making for lots to describe during our horse and carriage ride.  We saw colonial, neo-colonial, and neo-lithic architecture styles.

Our hotel,the Antigua Estacion was located right near the old train station, not surprisingly. It was spacious and cool, but a bit pricey.

History according to Ilana:  Then the evil dictator killed someone's son, named Sandana, creating the Sandanista movement, and now the government workers all have a rally as they are required to do on the third of July, which is today.  We know this doesn't make sense, but it's a translation of what we understood in Spanish. 

The next day we took a boat out to the little islands in Lake Nicaragua where we saw houses belonging to rich people perched on very small properties with motor boats carrying tourists zipping around them.   The nature part of the tour was a monkey chained to a tree, a heron wondering where all the garbage is coming from, and another tiny island with a captive troupe of monkeys.  They should learn to swim, cross to the mainland, and take on the Sandanistas for control of Granada.

We can recommend Restaurant Asados Chilitis. We ate there three nights in a row. Six bucks for a huge plate of roast chicken, salad and rice with plantains.  Also the gelato on the walking street should not be missed, especially the grapefruit flavor!

Oh! And we had a cute jacket made here by a seamstress that matches a dress Marina bought. We're planning ahead for her March bat mitzvah!

We met a nice family in Ometepe that we hooked up with for dinner in Granada.  If you are reading this, Dawn and Paul, we applaud your adventurism.  You rock.  We, on the other hand, would kill each other if we, like your family, were forced to spend 5 days, let alone 5 months, together on a small sail boat.  It would make for a great movie, though.