Serenade

Stopping by this touristy cafe felt a bit like cheating on El Gran Cafe-my lovely, lovely writing cafe where I indulged in sugar, coffee, and lots of peace.

I also tried another upscale tourist cafe with live music, which was nice, but nothing compared to my El Gran cafe. 

When I was walking back one day I found this cafe one block down from the hostel.  It was super nice with bright colors and fantastic art. It had a variety of fresh juices and local/tourist food selection. I walked in and saw probably every tourist from my hostel inside. 

 

Of course, the most convenient hang out would be a café one block down-truly exploring...  It’s not like I wouldn’t be friendly to these tourists, but I didn’t really know any of them except for the Argentinian I had some curiosity about and a couple other girls I engaged in small talk with.

 Deciding between a juice and coffee, I settle for a Decaf coffee and some amazing chocolate.

All ready to dive into this dark chocolate, I get a tap on the shoulder. It’s my buddy that I met near the main White Cathedral. He was coming out of the church at the same time as me and we sat on the bench talking about our conversations with up above. Sometimes I realize how cliché it sounds, but after the initial where are you from and what’s your job- that just fits our environment. 

He lives on a mountain village and he comes down by motor cycle to play guitar at restaurants/bars. He says that he going to sing a few songs and then come sit with me.(He’s also with his older brother who is awesome).
 

When they come over, they surprise me by singing a local hit. Then I make my requests “Bailando” by Enrique Iglesias and “Brown Eyed girl” “Hotel California.” We are just singing together and I am dancing in my chair. They were trying to teach me to play guitar, but I think I just look better faking it. We were just playing all these songs and having his spirit let the beat go on.  The tourists come by to check out the commotion and they look envious of our fun time.  We just keep singing until we close the place down. They were suppose to be working so I gave them each a few dollars. They acted as if I gave them one hundred. It was such a nice moment in time, a seranade-not really, but lovely times.   

                 

 

Matagalpa

               

Matagalpa is built on a hilly terrain that is surrounded by mountains. The city itself is located at an elevation of around 700 meters and the climate is significantly different from the hot, tropical climate at the Pacific lowlands. Although it can also get quite hot during the dry season, Matagalpa generally enjoys lower temperatures than cities like Managua or León, and it also rains more in this region. The vegetation is consequently also different, and the area is generally very green.

With around 110,000 residents Matagalpa is a fairly large city in Nicaragua, and there are plenty hotels and restaurants in different price ranges. Although many interesting activities can be found outside the urban area, there are also several attractions within the city limits. Several small parks – often set in front of a church or cathedral – are a great place to hang out just like the Matagalpinos (inhabitants of Matagalpa) like to do, enjoying the tranquil setting and some typical Nicaraguan food, sold by street vendors around the parks. The Central Park and the Darío Park are the two most interesting sites.

Being Nicaragua’s coffee-capital, a visit to the coffee museum in Matagalpa is definitely a must. Although it is a small museum, it does offer some interesting information about the coffee production. There are photos and old tools on display, and other objects including pre-Columbian ceramics and old pictures of Matagalpa are also exhibited. More about the coffee museum can be found in our Activity Guide. There is also a museum of the founder of the Sandinista movement, Carlos Fonseca, who was born in Matagalpa.

The city is surrounded by green mountains and one of the most prominent peaks is the Cerro Buena Vista, reaching a height of 1,442 meters above sea level. The mountain chain is called Apente, and it is a protected natural reserve. The lush vegetation makes it a great place for hiking. One particular peak, called the Apente Hill (Cerro Apente) has well-prepared trails that lead to the top, and along the way visitors can see small mammals, butterflies, and other animals, as well as water streams and even waterfalls. A viewpoint is located at the summit, providing a superb view of the city of Matagalpa and its surroundings

PHOTOS BY PRISCILLA

www.vianica.com

Cafe con Leche

Last summer, I was in Spain where the popular morning drink was Cafe con Leche. And this summer the drink of choice is the same Coffee with Milk. 

While I have been on No Caffeine for 2 years, I do have my moments of relapse especially when it comes to coffee in those countries which produce it. I have had the coffee in Costa Rica, which was outstanding so I had to give this one a try.

I tried it as Cafe con Leche and in espresso form- both were great. It's definitely coffee in its freshest form with coffee plants being all over Lake Atitlan and especially in Antigua. It's like Americans drinking Starbucks with all those fresh coffee farms around.

Bad analogy, but just referring to the amazing quality of coffee from its freshest roots rather than drinking Starbucks and considering that as the superior coffee. The quality of this coffee is so high, it must be difficult for an actual coffee drinker to take a step backwards. I guess you could bring it back with you in limited quantity or savor the memory and go home and buy a frappuccino because that's the same thing-not. 

*Random shout out to Spain- you're amazing! Abrasos y besos para ti