Another year, another trip to a city we'd never heard of prior to last year. Of all the places to live for a month, why'd we choose Granada?
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| Calle La Calzada and La Catedral |
Work Considerations
Bill's working much of this trip, so like last year, we need to stay within US time zones so he can participate in meetings, and need reliable enough internet. We also like there to be a co-working space nearby in case there's some reason Bill can't comfortably or quietly work from home.
Language
Bill and I have both been taking Spanish lessons specifically so it will be easier to travel to the many Spanish-speaking countries. We looked only at those countries for this trip.
Airfare
Our approach lately has been to first look at where we can fly for a non-exorbitant sum of money, then decide which of those locations we'd like to stay. There are a billion places on earth that we'd like to see, so we're trying not to be overly precious about which we visit in any given year. If flying to one city would cost double another, that city can wait. Similarly, we let the flight prices drive our trip dates as much as possible.
My favorite way to search for flights is Google Flights "Everywhere" search. Leave your dates blank and click "Explore Destinations." Add your home airport (or airports), then scroll around the world to see how much it costs. Apply filters to quickly see where you can go for a certain amount, with 1 stop or less, etc.
At this point, we make a list with the top few cities that we can get to relatively cheaply, then start researching. Are those flight prices real options or not? (I'm not taking a 24 hr Spirit flight that arrives at 1:00 a.m., no matter the cost.) How do the Airbnb rates compare? Are there any safety or health concerns? Is it either walkable or filled with good public transit so we don't need to rent a car for a month? What fun things are there to do in the city and nearby? What's the weather like? This part can be quite the rabbit hole... :)
Granada
Granada met all our criteria. Smallish (100-135K ppl) walkable city less than an hour from the airport in the capital city, Managua. Easy flights from home that arrive midday after a short hop through Miami. More expensive Airbnbs than we expected to find in Nicaragua, but with a lot for the money and extra space if we had visitors. Lots of nearby restaurants and activities. House with a pool right near the central park and a co-working space. Safe tourist areas, though there are areas here further away from the city center that we would not go after dark.
But mostly we were drawn in by pictures and video of the colorful colonial Spanish architecture, the surrounding lakes, and volcanoes. It's considered the first European city in the Americas, founded in 1524 (or rather, that's when the city was conquered and renamed by the Spaniards), and many of the old buildings have been well-maintained. Even our Airbnb is >250 years old.
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| Iglesia Xalteva |
So... Is It Working Out?
So far, we've enjoyed the city and it's what we hoped for. I wish we were slightly closer to grocery stores (though taxis can bring us home for <$2) and that it wasn't so hot! People are friendly, restaurants are varied and good, and our pool and courtyard are THE BEST. I'm pleased we sprang for this house, and we're all excited to see the sights. We have been surprised about a lot of things here, however... stay tuned for that blog post.
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| Iglesia de la Merced |