Giant Tarpon Territory - Bring Your Camera |
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Bring Your CameraGranada, the New World’s oldest city, overlooks Lake Nicaragua, which flows into the Río San Juan before continuing 120 miles to the Caribbean Sea. The 19th-century city projects a gracious feel, with broad avenues and handsome private residences. Brightly colored adobe houses line cobbled streets surrounding Cathedral de Granada and Parque Cólon, a vivid central plaza. Volcán Mombacho towers 4,400 feet above the city. While it hasn’t been active in several decades, occasional puffs of smoke still rise from its ragged rim. Below Granada, Lake Nicaragua shimmers. It’s the third-largest lake in Latin America, slightly smaller than Peru’s Lake Titicaca.
You’ll also find Catarina to be a charming colonial village known for its tropical plant shops. It offers great views, as far as 30 miles to Granada and Lake Nicaragua, across the blue waters of Laguna de Apoya. Hilly cobblestone streets of San Juan de Oriente are lined with small shops. The village produces large decorative and functional pottery. The mausoleums and tombs of Grenada cemetery include those of six former Nicaraguan presidents. Many also visit the historic cemetery to view an 1880 neoclassical stone Capilla de Animas (Chapel of Spirits), a replica of a French chapel. Where to Toss Your BagsMost flights to Nicaragua connect into Managua, the capital. It’s a sprawling city of approximately two million residents. Lacking notable architectural and cultural interest and no street signs, I’d recommend driving 45 minutes directly from the airport southeast to the charming city of Granada. We booked our trip via e-mail with owner Philippe Tisseaux at tarponsnook@hotmail.com or go to www.nicaraguafishing.com. Other options include Hotel Colonial (www.nicaragua-vacation.com), about half a block from Parque Cólon; the La Gran Francia (www.lagranfrancia.com) that’s near the park and one of Granada’s more luxurious properties; and Casa San Francisco (www.casasanfrancisco.com), a vine-covered, mosaic-tiled restored Spanish colonial mansion that sports a happening bar and good restaurant. While Nicaragua cannot be considered a gourmet’s destination, restaurants of note include El Zagúan, located behind the Cathedral. It features mariachi music and food prepared from an open grill. Casa San Francisco, in a hotel around the corner from the San Francisco Church, offers good cuisine. Souvenir shoppers can negotiate dirt-cheap prices on hand-crafted goods such as ceramics, decorative and functional pottery, hammocks, embroidery and leather products. Other Notes of InterestAbout NicaraguaVisit the U.S. State Department’s web site for more details about Nicaragua: www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/1850.htm
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