We found ourselves spending more time than we would have expected just roaming the streets of the city. The best place to start a walking tour is at the heart of the city. I just love the Latin American central parks. They seem to be a focal point for the community and everything branches out from there. Here the Parque Central is lined with mango trees, street vendors selling trinkets, and horse-drawn carriages just waiting to take tourists on a ride through the city. Each time we walked through the park several of the carriage drivers would give us their sales pitch - where they could take us, what we could see, all in the luxury of a horse-drawn carriage.
Of course every central park seems to have that key tenant - the Cathedral.. This one was built in the 20th Century using the original foundation of an older church. The bright yellow bell tower can be seen from all over the city.
The area around the Convento y Iglesia de San Francisco reminds us of Nepal with flags drapped across the streets. The Convento was burned to the ground by William Walker in 1856 and rebuilt a few years later.
The church is a very busy place both for services and tours for the tourists. We found a great place to people watch just across the street from the Convento - Kathy’s Waffle House - I know, sounds just like the states right? We indulged in excellent pancakes with real syrup - John was in was in his own idea of heaven.
The most elaborate church was the baroque Iglesia de La Merced. Built in 1539 it was a victim of pirate attacks in 1655 and then further damaged by Leonese forces in 1854 before being restored in 1862. The view from the bell tower was unbelievable! Picture postcard perfect!
Here’s a few more photos from the bell tower.
The area around the Convento y Iglesia de San Francisco reminds us of Nepal with flags drapped across the streets. The Convento was burned to the ground by William Walker in 1856 and rebuilt a few years later.
