Home   >   Front Page   >   Featured Articles   >   Granada Travel Club

Granada Travel Club

Hi Granada Travel Club,

Here is the wrap up of our trip to Catarina/San Juan de Oriente for those of us that attended and other interested parties.

We all gathered at our home to start the journey.  There was a light rain falling in Granada which felt wonderful.  It did bring up a brief discussion about bringing ponchos, jackets etc.  We all decided that was too much trouble and a little rain in the tropics is not a problem.

We had planned to go by Colonial for snacks on our way out of town but decided we had sufficient goodies – Sue being a major supplier.  Richele noted that there was a large rum bottle in her house that might enjoy some attention.  We were too happy to oblige so Kit made a side trip to pick up the rum. Two cars with a total of eight of us took off for our adventure.  With only one stop for gas, we arrived in Catarina at our hotel Hostal Calle Real.  It was actually nicer than we remembered.  Over our stay, we decided that it was The 3 1/2 Seasons of Catarina.  Construction was completed in December 2013.  There are 6 rooms.  Since it was a Monday, we thought we would take over the hotel with no other guests but the other two rooms were occupied.  Those of us that have traveled in Nicaragua were thrilled that we had really comfortable beds, AC, Flat Screen TV, WIFI, a good washcloth, hand towel, bath towel and bath mat and they all matched, a shower curtain that matched the colors of the walls, freshly painted walls, art on the wall , a huge bathroom etc.  There was a communal area so we could eat, play cards, talk etc both inside and out.  Catarina greated us with cool fresh air.  We were in heaven.  Bismark Nicaragua, our host at the hotel, made sure all went well, was most helpful in the information he provided, and provided a happy presence.

Kit left to take care of some things and the rest of us started walking the streets.  It was so nice and quiet.  The weekend visitors were nowhere to be seen.  We seemed to have the place to ourselves.  We wandered into nurseries and shops found things and plants of interest but refrained from buying and made our way to the mirador.  Even to those of us that have seen it many many times, it never fails to impress.  We sat in wonder of it for a few minutes until the few vendors found us and offered necklaces, bracelets, magnets etc.

We left the mirador and all of its restaurants meant to appeal to the visitors with their fantastic views and made our way back to town to have our lunch at a place the locals frequent.  We sat down in Sabor Nica and were served really good local food.  Kit joined us for lunch.  We relaxed after lunch by playing games or taking a nap at the hotel.  We were all enjoying a relaxed pace.  The plan was to walk around more late afternoon and we did some of that but mainly it was real loose.  Kit took me to  the other local restaurant that she really likes and introduced me to the owner so reservations were made at Comedor Judel.  When we arrived at the restaurant, they had tables set up in the middle of the restaurant for us with table cloths etc.  They couldn’t be more accommodating.  Most of us had fish and it was outstanding.  We were still talking about it the next day.

Monday evening we played lots of games until our fatigue started to show.  Sleeping was good.  It was cool and quiet until 5 – 5:30 when the roosters announced the sun.  The church bells acted as our snooze alarm.  Some of those church bells need help.  They help you really appreciate good church bells.  So since I was up, decided to enjoy the back garden.  I saw one of my rooster alarm clocks looking very innocent and being very quiet.  It was fun to play around with my water colors and sketch book in the garden and admire nature.

On Tuesday we started our day by getting in Tuk Tuks and going to Mi Viejito Ranchito – a beautiful glassed in restaurant.  After breakfast, we walked into shops, talked to vendors, bought a couple of things, toured nurseries and saw bamboo furniture in the manufacturing process. We decided to pack up at the hotel, talk, and play a few games before going to lunch.  Another terrific lunch was had in Catarina at one of our previous local finds.  For some of us we discovered a new drink introduced by Diane and Gerard during lunch.   Its called a Panache in the French speaking world and a Shandy in the English speaking world.  Diane sent me more info  http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/panache/  Many of us were surprised that 7 up and beer could taste so good and refreshing.

Tuesday afternoon we spent in  San Juan de Oriente.   They have much deserved good reputation for their pottery.  The town has expanded as have their designs. For some of us,  It was a joy to wander into shop after shop and look at their wares and marvel at the intricate work.  For others, it was too much like shopping and a bench was sought out.  Glenn went in search of the potter that I had commissioned to do 10 pots.  All he had was a business card of Mayor, the potter whose work is sold in Amy’s Gallery and had introduced me.  It is a small town and I had remembered some of the landmarks near his home.  We found his daughter and she lead us to the other potter’s home and workshop.  The pots were rustic and beautiful.  The whole family packed them and put them in the car.  The backseat was filled with pots so Sue and Glenn left in the car for Granada and the rest of us caught a bus.

It was a wonderful refreshing trip. There was fun, laughter and good conversation amongst the travelers.  It was really nice to get to know my fellow travelers better and it was nice to take the time to enjoy and explore two of our neighboring towns.  Some things went unexplored and that will wait until a further trip.

Thanks to all that participated in making this trip a reality.

Jeannie      [email protected]

NEXT TRIP

So where do you want to go?  A day trip to Leon to do museums, look at architecture , etc is being planned for Tuesday March 11.  It will be wonderful to have Amy’s artistic eye on the trip.  We would hire a van.  Let me know if you are interested.  Will be able to give you costs of transportation as soon as we get a count.  If you are interested, please let me know ASAP so we can get pricing and availability for transport.