Making our way to San Jose’

Day one San Jose’. We awoke a little late, our plane was delayed getting in so the extra sleep was necessary. With a slightly overcast sky and cool breeze from the North we headed out to explore this new and interesting city.

   Down the hill and a right at the Pizza Hut , just like the hotel staff told us ,had us arriving in the heart of San Jose’.  As we walked down the bustling streets filled with street vendors and bakeries and more than one tourist shop , I was in awe of the differences as well as the similarities of cities in the states. The beautiful sound of the spanish language rolling off in tongues of the locals, along with the bright yellows, reds and blues kept a smile on my face. People are not afraid to wear color here.

    Not really knowing where we were going we checked out our handy dandy guide book.  Heading first to the Jade Museum. When I heard the name Jade Museum I thought Jewlry and I do LOVE jewelry. While there was quite a bit of interesting jewelry there was so much more. It was a treasure trove of pre Columbian artifacts.

  As we left the busy streets and entered the calm and dimly lit museum, I truly felt  the reverence these items are given by the Costa Rican people. These artifacts are a glimpse into the culture and history of Costa Rica. The Jade items range from 500 to 800 BC and are mostly decorative pendants. While they are extremely beautiful the exhibit on how the jade was carved was the most interesting to me. In todays world an artist would turn on drill and carve away but with only a few tools the ancient Mayans made beautiful works of art.

   There is also a lot of pre-colombian pottery.  Its beauty and intricate details are amazing to me. While the 15 dollar price tag  to enter, seemed a little expensive, I really feel like it provided me a much better understanding of Costa Rican history.

Next recomendation from our lovely guide book was the Teatro National. The Costa Rican National Theatre is housed in a stunning building in the central part of town. While we didnt get to see a performance a quick trip through the lobby let us see some beautiful statues and paintings.

   We continued wandering the busy streets of San Jose and to our suprise we spied what looked to be an Asian gate. On further inspection we found a very small China town. While it only has a few shops and restaurants it was interesting none the less.  On the other side of the China town area was a small park and across from that a beautiful Catholic church.

     The   Iglesia de la Soledad is a beautiful baroque building. Its the oldest church in San Jose. Its foundation was poured in 1894 but it wasnt completed till 1934. While the entire church is stunning the carvings of the life of Jesus were the most amazing to me. Its a definite must see if you come to San Jose.

 As we walked the busy streets we began feeling some hunger pains just as we passed a beautiful bakery ( what a coincidence..lol). The smell of fresh pastries will get me every time. We loaded up with sweet and savory treats and headed back to the hotel. Walking the streets in a strange town is always exciting. You want to see everything. While thats wonderful for the experience its also very tiring. So back we go, to get a good nights sleep so that we can see it all tomorrow too. Buenos Notches ……. The Runawaynurse.