Do you know the way to San Jose

On our first morning, we hit the hotel breakfast buffet for eggs, over cooked bacon, too sweet pineapple jam, and rice and beans with a magical accompaniment called merely spicy sauce.  Also coffee. Costa Rican coffee. Nectar of the gods.

Fortified, we headed into town past commuters on their way to work. Avenenda 0 is a pedestrian walk lined with shoe and clothing stores and dotted with street vendors selling, among other things, the longest phone chargers I’d ever seen.

We came out to a little square with the National Theater on one side, children queueing up for the matinee Alice in Wonderland ballet, and a crew in front transforming the square with holiday decorations. I needn’t have feared being out of town this time of year. Festive is universal.

The National Museum gives a wonderful over view of Costa Rican history from Pre Columbian to current day, with sometimes quite cheeky informational plaques  (the one about Costa Rica’s LGBTQ acceptance noted that it is behind other countries).  One special installation featured ancient myths, nearly all of which were animals seeking revenge on hunters who injured them. “If you’re going to shoot, shoot to kill” they’d say before ripping the hunter to shreds.

From the Museum we lunched at the National Theater cafe – quite lovely – and headed into the Gran Hotel Costa Rica for a quick wee before the walk home. The wee turned into a few pina coladas, but hey ho.

Dinner at the hotel’s restaurant RBG (oh great one) another bottle champers, and out first day was in the books.