Visit to Granada, Nicaragua is a lesson about the colonial past. One of the oldest cities on the American continent preserved its old Spanish architecture to this day. There are many restored colonial houses with colorful facades and opulent doors, but most of all the churches are reminiscent of the city's rich past. During colonial times, lakeside Granada, was an Atlantic port which maintained trade relations with other Spanish colonies. This was possible because Lake Cocibolca (aka Lake Nicaragua) flows into the Caribbean Sea via the San Juan River. The lake is not so small, it is in the top twenty largest in the world. Granada has in its history not very friendly visits of Caribbean pirates who on several occasions attempted to capture and loot the city.
Granada is a typical Spanish colonial city with church towers rising high above the residential houses. Granada Cathedral in a neoclassical style the most dominant. Colonial houses with tiled roofs and internal landscaped courtyards give the city a unique character. They also recall the times when Granada was a gold and silver trading center. The nearby Mombacho Volcano stands ominously above the city.
