December 9th, 2012

We are in Costa Rica’s capital right now. San Jose happens to be the nation’s largest city. San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation. We stopped here because it’s right on our way to La Fortuna de San Carlos which happens to be out next stop. We might stay here a couple days because it seem  like a rather interesting place.

Culturally, the city can be considered almost entirely European influenced, in part because of Spanish immigration soon after Costa Rica’s discovery by Christopher Columbus, and the privileged classes which generally studied in Europe during the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. This can be seen in the architecture of the city, namely theaters, museums and houses in the city center. It is named in honor of Joseph of Nazareth.Even though the city’s center is almost uninhabited, it is the most important working area of the country, which brings in more than a million people daily. Despite its problems, according to studies in Latin America, San José is still one of the safest and least violent cities in the region. I know all of this because on of the locals has studied the history of Costa Rica since he was in grade school. I think it might be a good idea to talk to him and get the low down on this place.