Woken up by the early noise of the passing trucks and random conversations - the watch displayed 5 am. Packed , thankful and a bit unfresh (…), we headed north for Granada. About 20km later we stopped in a town called Nandaima. It was a bit of a shocker. Absolutely undiscovered, colonial beauty - slightly tired but pleasant. Stopped on the square in front of the church and had a coffee with citrus sponge cakes (freshly baked) – perfect for a high calorie breakfast after 3 hours of cycling. The young waitress told us where we could repair Teresa’s broken spoke. The garage (opposite a medical centre), turned out to be multi-vehicle service centre and after sending someone to get the spoke from the shop nearby, the bike got professionally fixed (thanks boys). Back on the road with hardly any hard shoulder but even less traffic. We passed tabaco and honey producers before we strolled into the suburbs of Granada with high speed going downhill.
Midday sun, crowds of American, Israeli and cruise line tourists balanced by beautiful multi-coloured colonial buildings. International week of Poets has just started and the government was also promoting stands for the different regions of Nicaragua. We both agreed that the town has a Seville (southern Spain) like feeling. Found an affordable colonial hotel, showered and cycled out for a cool down beer. While sitting in the bar and discussing Nicaraguan news in Spanish, my bicycle got mugged and I lost my multi tool and a handy spare lock from my saddle bag. (we could not quite see the back of the bikes from our chairs ). I paid the price of not being vigilant in a big city. Late lunch at a riverside Soda was fulfilling, followed later by a fruity milk-shake and a coconut ice-cream - got to over the top on food stage. Half an hour’s rest and a shopping session was interrupted a few times by random strangers asking for cash. Relaxing afternoon in the colonial casa. Gentle evening , strolling along the streets of old Granada with the sound of Nica-spanish crossed songs. The lake boulevard has past it’s best or had never actually had it. Strange, it should have been the prime location. Nevertheless, the town is special enough without the waterfront makeover.
Spent the evening wandering the pedestrianised main street, soaking up the live music from the tourist bars, and supping more Tona beers in a local cafe. Watching the world go by on the square's bandstand steps, Tadek was chatted up by a couple of 15 year old girls - we assumed that they were either blind, simple, or were part of a plan to disconnect our computer and camera from our possession. The plan failed and we wandered, peacefully back to our casa.
Cycled 40ish km Walked less
Midday sun, crowds of American, Israeli and cruise line tourists balanced by beautiful multi-coloured colonial buildings. International week of Poets has just started and the government was also promoting stands for the different regions of Nicaragua. We both agreed that the town has a Seville (southern Spain) like feeling. Found an affordable colonial hotel, showered and cycled out for a cool down beer. While sitting in the bar and discussing Nicaraguan news in Spanish, my bicycle got mugged and I lost my multi tool and a handy spare lock from my saddle bag. (we could not quite see the back of the bikes from our chairs ). I paid the price of not being vigilant in a big city. Late lunch at a riverside Soda was fulfilling, followed later by a fruity milk-shake and a coconut ice-cream - got to over the top on food stage. Half an hour’s rest and a shopping session was interrupted a few times by random strangers asking for cash. Relaxing afternoon in the colonial casa. Gentle evening , strolling along the streets of old Granada with the sound of Nica-spanish crossed songs. The lake boulevard has past it’s best or had never actually had it. Strange, it should have been the prime location. Nevertheless, the town is special enough without the waterfront makeover.
Spent the evening wandering the pedestrianised main street, soaking up the live music from the tourist bars, and supping more Tona beers in a local cafe. Watching the world go by on the square's bandstand steps, Tadek was chatted up by a couple of 15 year old girls - we assumed that they were either blind, simple, or were part of a plan to disconnect our computer and camera from our possession. The plan failed and we wandered, peacefully back to our casa.
Cycled 40ish km Walked less