My Equator Adventure: Granada and Palm Sunday

March 18-20, 2016

So Granada falls into the colonial town category, which is one I typically enjoy. I love the simple decoration, the bright colors, and the ornamental ironwork. It was also however, 90 degrees and 50% humidity, which somewhat lessened my enjoyment. 5:30am in the shade and breeze was actually pleasant, but past that it was rather oppressive.

I did my best to be positive and not let the weather get to me, but truly it was hard. It made me just not want to do anything, and I was so tired of being sweaty all the time. If I ever try to move somewhere that's regularly stupid hot, someone should smack me until I come to my senses.

That being said, I did manage to have some fun.

First off, walking around town.

All the buildings have wonderful architecture

Their fire truck made me laugh. I'm pretty sure Salt Springs is nowhere near Nicaragua

There were horse drawn carriages offering tours, which I didn't take advantage of, but liked the green on the carriges.

I walked down to the lakefront, as Granada is right on Lake Nicaragua. Granada does do parks well, and I was quite taken with this one.

Also Lake Nicaragua is HUGE! You can´t really tell from this picture,but it just keeps going and there is no other side to see.

Lots of benches, green shrubs with palms, it was picturesque and functional.

The park around the cathedral was the same kind of lovely.

And the cathedral is something else.

When I visited Granada for a day and a half in 12th grade it was the subject of one of my favorite pictures from the trip. Its still gorgeous, with its bright red and yellow striking against the blue sky.

There were a bunch of other nice churches too.

Iglesia Guadalupe on the way to the lakefront

It had a nice park with a fountain out front

Iglesia La Merced

Iglesia de Xalteva

And its park, filled with stone columns

On Sunday I attended mass at the cathedral for Palm Sunday, or Dia de los Ramos, the start of Semana Santa, or holy week.

I really liked the blue in the altar

I had stumbled across this mass in Cuenca, Ecuador three years ago, and it was interesting to see the differences. Both places had bunches of palm fronds, though in Cuenca there were a lot more elaborate bouquets and woven things. Here the bunches were simple, with some palm crosses.

There was one song where the palms all got waved in the air, and that was all they did with them.

In Cuenca, the idea was that the palm ornentation gets blessed, and then you keep it in your home for good fortune for the year. Palm fronds dry and keep well. Then, everyone in the cathedral filled the aisle as close to the priest as they could, held them up, and shook their bouquets while he blessed them. That many people silent with just the sound of shaking leaves was one of the most magical things from that study abroad. I was hoping for the same thing here, but no luck.

Dinner after mass on the main drag was very Central American, with bachata coming from the restaurant, a hip hop group performing in the street behind me, and there was a mariachi band playing two restaurants down.

Also these guys, who I know noting about, but I assume were Semana Santa something. They whirled around to a drum, reversing direction every couple seconds.