Jan. 14, 2016 - San Jose, Costa Rica

After breakfast today, we left our hotel to explore downtown San Jose. Many of the museums and parks are within walking distance of our hotel, the Hotel Fleur de Lys.

We walked along Avenida Central which has a long section that is a pedestrian walkway with lots of stores, small restaurants, and many American chain stores!

In addition to the stores, there are people selling everything imaginable – from painting, to socks and underwear. They are not supposed to set up their wares for sale, so they place them on plastic sheets and have a lookout who whistles or calls out when a policeman comes and they scoop everything up into the plastic sheets faster than you can imagine and look like any other shopper with a large plastic bag! We even saw one guy taking his chicken for a walk!

The street entertainers were fun to watch. We were amazed at the strength in their arms and wrists! Of course, their goal is for everyone to drop money in their hats.
We went into La Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes to see the church and it was beautiful.
From there we wandered through the Mercado Central and had lunch at this little stall.
Two chili rellenos, a pollo empanada, and two cokes cost $4,100 colones (about $8.00 USD). The exchange rate is about $535 Colones/$1USD.
We made our way back to the National Theater and purchased tickets to see inside. ($10USD per person) They don’t offer a tour, so you are on your own.

We went into the theater and a huge tour group came in and their three guides gave a history of the theater and we were able to sit in! It was interesting to hear the history of its origin in 1897. 

The theater was started by the wealthy coffee plantation owners and the boxes changed ownership from time to time, based on the wealth of your plantation. We would really recommend a guide to see the theater or you miss out on so much!

From the National Theater we went to the Gold Museum. ($5,500 Colones per person – just over $10USD). The museum did a great job of showing the development of gold from the pre-Colombian period through the banking system of modern day in Costa Rica. It is on three-levels and quite interesting. We were intrigued with the intricate designs dating back to 1500 BC. We spent over two hours learning more about the indigenous people of the region and how gold played numerous roles in their lives – from trade to burial rites.

We wandered back to the hotel for a short rest before heading out to  find dinner. We opted for pizza. While we were eating, the news on the TV was showing an interview of different merchants along the street who were talking about how the city needed to do a better job of keeping the street cleaned. One of the merchants was our restaurateur! We applauded and he came over and gave us his autograph! He was so friendly, we enjoyed visiting with him.The weather was sunny and warm and we are looking forward to another beautiful day tomorrow!