John and I have been in Granada, Nicaragua for the last four days, revelling in the warmth, (although sometimes before the daily rain shower it gets a bit too steamy for comfort), enjoying the vibrancy, and appreciating the colonial architecture. It’s the tourism off-season here and that means fewer crowds, less queues, plenty of choice when it comes to hotels, and cloudy days.
But yesterday the sun came out and the colours in this beautiful colonial city started to pop. Perfect conditions for taking in the views from church towers. Nicaragua is a predominantly Catholic country, there are a lot of churches. In Granada it seems as if there is always a Mass to attend somewhere.
One of the most interesting churches is Iglesias de Merced. It was built in the early 16th Century but was razed by pirates (they were a problem in these parts for a long time) only twenty years later and then rebuilt.
I braved the steep, narrow, spiral staircase up to the belfry. The reward for the sweat and the height were some incredible views,
View across Granada to Mount Mombacho
View across Granada to the cathedral and Lake Nicaragua
and a chance meeting with three students from the College of Technology.
Three students in the belfy
With our few words of Spanish, their better English, and the assistance of Google translate we bridged the communication gap.
Getting the thumbs up
They even took a selfie with us. It’s up on Twitter.
If you look carefully at the shot below you will see them smiling down on us.
Iglesias de Merced
Buena suerte to each of you for your studies and the future!
WP Photo Challenge: Look Up.
Categories: Central America, Nicaragua, Off-shore Adventures
Jill's Scene 
Seems very nice, a colonial place!
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How nice to meet people during your travels. I’ve always believed that most people are eager to make a connection. Great pictures. I love the one of the tower with your student friends looking down!
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thanks for sharing your beautiful photos. I was in Nicaragua and spent time in Granada last August. Someone somehow got into my thumb drive with all my photos from the trip and blackmailed me to get them back. I couldn’t afford to pay them off, so I lost almost all of my pictures. I was SO pissed off!
I spent one afternoon in a little bar/restaurant just below the church you’re looking out of. Drinking rum and snacking on fried cheese. Yum! I’m pretty sure it’s that pink building in your pictures.
I really enjoyed my time there. Your post brings back a lot of good memories. 🙂
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Thank you so much for sharing the results of your climb with us. Beautiful photo, Jill. I hope you continue to enjoy this major trip!
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Do you ever stay at home? 😀
A lovely church, but oh, how I hate all the telephone/electricity/whatever lines you get in cities!
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You and John have a great time in Nicaragua! The photos posted are very beautiful! Thanks so much!
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