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Costa Rica San Jose (Page 2 of 4)

National Cathedral (Catedral Metropolitana) Parque Central Park

I took these pictures at the main Cathedral (Catedral Metropoliatana in Spanish) in downtown San Jose Costa Rica.. This is the city's largest church, located across from Parque Central, in  downtown San Jose. The cathedral was filled with worshippers, and we didn't want to intrude so we stayed outside and listened in. Outside, the busy street scene (there's even a McDonald's) was a marked contrast to this peaceful interior.

San Jose Catedral Metropolitana - Metropolitan Cathedral InteriorCathedral San Jose Costa Rica interior view.

The interior of the National Cathedral was light and lovely, as this picture shows.

I made a note of the guide's statement that the original church was destroyed following  an earthquake.

Apparently it was then rebuilt in 1871, but I haven't been able to verify this.

Visitors Shadows Across Mosaic Tile Floor Outside Cathedral San Jose Costa RicaLong shadows of passersby streak the vibrant rust orange tiles of the mosaic floor outside the cathedral in San Jose, Costa Rica.

The mid-aftternoon sun brought out the brilliant colors of this mosaic  tile floor outside the cathedral.

In mid January, when I took this picture, it shows the west entrance.

Afternoon Scenery at Central Park Parque Central in San Jose CR  Central Park Parque Central San Jose Costa Rica scultpture .

This iconic sculpture is a distinctive feature of Central Park near the Cathedral in San Jose.

I was told it is in honour of the men who sweep the streets. My 2010 Costa Rica guidebook is sorely lacking in historic detail.

I won't mention any names (Frommer's), as I may be biased in that I prefer the detail found in Lonely Planet guides.

San Jose Streets At Central Park, National Cathedral Costa Rica, McDonald'sDowntown buildings San Jose Costa Rica near Cathedral and Central Park. Always a McDonald's nearby.

I loved the Friday afternoon street scene in San Jose!

I took this photo from the terrace outside the Cathedral; the large tree on the left is the edge of Central Park.

The left side of the yellow building is a McDonald's, and like McDonald's around the world, it's a great place to find washrooms, food you can order by pointing and someone on staff who speaks English.

Except for Sydney Australia: I did find some McDonalds that did not have washrooms.

City Traffic San Jose Costa Rica Tour  Railway overpass downtown San Jose Costa Rica street, with cars, trucks, pedestrians.

Our city tour continued down San Jose streets, busy with TGIF traffic.

I liked the mix of old and new: The new cars, the old brick walls.

Our tour took us past the University of Costa Rica, but I was unable to get any pictures through the window.

Apparently the national / state university is free to Costa Ricans, some 75,000 from all over the country who attend school here. There are also a number of private universities.

See Costa Rica index page, and San Jose Page 1, Page 3, Page 4.