Coffee Town

Last weekend I went to Matagalpa, Matagalpa. Population: 490,000. Biggest city to which I've been in Nicaragua, not including Managua. A few friends from my group had birthdays in the same week so we all met up in Matagalpa. Besides seeing friends, FOOD was the highlight for me. Bigger city= more food options. The first night, Friday night, we had dinner at an Italian restaurant. Mmm veggie pizza.

The next day, Saturday, I had a delicious omelet with toasted wheat bread and a hot chocolate. Saturday we walked around a bit and walked through the coffee museum. Even as a non-coffee drinker, it was fascinating to read about the process. However, I didn't really understand the importance of the harvest and how it relates to flavor, but still interesting. Matagalpa is the coffee capital of Nicaragua. I don't know the statistic, but Nicaragua produces X% of the world's coffee. The percentage is pretty high for a tiny country of 6million people.

Lunch was at a cute bar/restaurant called Artesano's so we could watch the US lose to Ghana. Good chicken fingers and cheap beer. Saturday afternoon a few friends and I tried walking up to the mirador or lookout but the path was really slippery because of the rain, so we couldn't. Saturday night I had a roast beef sandwich with mozzarella and onions and a mustard sauce. Plus a salad. Saturday night we went out to two bars. Bastante or good dance space so I danced a lot Saturday night.

Sunday morning, a nutella crepe at the cafe across the street from my friend's place. All in all, great weekend. Anytime I can eat food that is not gallo pinto, cuajada, beans, and tortilla, I'm thrilled. Don't get me wrong, I like Nica food. But diversity is the best part of life and Yalaguina doesn't offer much.

Pictures: View of Matagalpa from our hotel floor, at night and during the day when it was raining(Pictures courtesy of my good friend Kate)