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Great Seafood Restaurant in Moravia

La Princesa Marina is a very good seafood restaurant in Moravia.  They also have locations in Sabana, Curridabat, and Alajuela.  For an appetizer you should try their Ceviche de Corvina which is delicious and runs about  ₡2,400 (just under $5.00).  All of their fish and seafood is all delicious and their prices are very reasonable.  It will only set you back about  ₡8,000 (about $16.00) for a party of 2 for dinner.

http://www.princesamarina.com/

Cartago, Costa Rica

The Basilica de Los Angeles

We went to Cartago, Costa Rica today, it is just about a 40 minute drive from San José it to us 45 minutes as we left from Coronado.  It is a pleasant drive on the highway and the pavement is mostly good.  You do need to watch for potholes though and watch your speed.  You need to watch your speed because the have speeding camera's set up and you will get a ticket for speeding and will not know it unless you look in the newspaper or at the end of the year when you pay your marchamo.

Cartago is the old capital of Costa Rica and is a pleasant place to spend an afternoon exploring the city.  The Basilica de Los Angeles is the national church and is located in downtown Cartago.  There is plenty of activity going on in and around the church.  In the park in front of the church there are plenty of vendors selling cold treats and for those wishing to take a chance with the lottery there are plenty of vendors selling lottery tickets.  For those who like being the city but don't like big cities like San José, Cartago is a place to check out it is a small city.  Cartago has a colonial feel to it yet is modern in other ways.

The Ruins of Cartago

There are a number of restaurants nearby also.  We had lunch at Restaurante Ton Hoi http://www.restaurantetonhoi.com/ which has a very good Arroz Cantones called  Arroz Frito Ton Hoi at this restaurant it is basically the house fried rice.  It is only about 3 blocks east of the Basilica de Los Angeles.

Basilica de Los Angeles

Park in front of the Basilica de Los Angeles

Lottery vendors in the park

Stained glass inside the Basilica de Los Angeles

Inside the Basilica de Los Angeles

Inside the Basilica de Los Angeles

La Negrita the Virgin of Los Angeles

Happy Independence Day Costa Rica!!!!!

 We went an saw the parade in Moravia Centro.  It was very nice and relaxing Moravia has a real sense of community.  Much more relaxing than San José which is very busy and congested.

Many people were at the parade in Moravia wearing red, white, and blue.  The parents had their children dressed in traditional dress.  There were vendors selling cool treats and just a nice morning in Moravia for the family.

If you like the Central Valley of Costa Rica you need to get out of the hustle a bustle of the city and visit Moravia.  It is a nice place to spend the morning or afternoon and just relax.  There are several restaurants and sodas in town to grab something to eat.

Independence Day in Costa Rica

The celebrations for Independence Day in Costa Rica begin Wednesday the 14th day of September at 6:00 pm.  People will gather and sing the national anthem and carry the traditional farole (candle lanterns).  In Cartago the first capital of Costa Rica, President Laura Chinchilla will receive a torch that has made its way from Guatamala by a number of runners as a symbol of the spreading of the good news of Central America's independence.

Thursday morning the 15th of September there will be parades throughout the country with marching bands and children in school uniforms and traditional dress.

Most all business's will be closed for the holiday and some roads will be closed to accommodate the parades.

Happy Independence Day Costa Rica!!!!!  Pura Vida!!!!!!