Gracias, Honduras

Gracias, Lempira, Honduras

On the advice of someone we met at the brewery, we decided to take a little detour to the town of Gracias.  Founded in 1536, Gracias was the capital of the Spanish empire in Central America from 1544-1549 (after which it was moved to Antigua, Guatemala).  We loved this little mountain town and its incredibly friendly and helpful people.

The Central Park

The church closest to our lovely accommodation in Gracias

Celaque Mountain National Park, Cerro Las Minas

The main reason for our visit was Celaque Mountain National Park, which protects Cerro Las Minas, the highest mountain in Honduras (9,416 feet).  The area of the park below the cloud forest looked, felt, and smelled like the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Cloud forest video . . .
https://www.dropbox.com/s/aey9k691mos2u32/2013-06-04_11-06-43_551.3gp

Beautiful scenery on the walk back to Gracias from the park

Aguas Thermales

A necessity after hiking for more than 10 hours the day before.

Castillo (or Fort) San Cristobal

The fort, located above on the hill above the city of Gracias, offered beautiful views of the city and the surrounding mountains.  The fort was built in 1865 by President Jose Maria Medina to honor his close friend President Dr. Juan Lindo who is buried at the fort.  During the civil war in the 1930s the fort was used by the military for it´s strategic position.