San Jose, part 2

Yesterday (Wed. May 3 - wow, can´t believe it is already May and I have been here 3 weeks!) Luisa and I headed to San José first thing in the morning to complete our City Tour. After fighting the traffic to get there (which, by the way is not as you might expect... they don´t really use a lot of freeways, or that sort of thing, in fact some of the more major streets don´t even have lane markings or the like...anyway, so the commute is not the stop and go of an LA freeway, but it is a commute with traffic and crazy drivers nonetheless). Okay, anyway so we drove into San José, parked the car, and continued on foot through the center of the city to the National Museum. This building used to be a fort, or sorts, it housed the armed forces and gave them a great view of the entire city in order to keep a watch out for invaders, etc. However, I believe it was in 1956 (hopefully I not confusing too many of the details of the things I have learned about the history of CR) when there was a civil war/movement that resulted in the Abolition of armed forces. Point being - Costa Rica does not have any sort of army at all. There are no drafts, no military academies, no registering for service, etc. As I did, you might be thinking, well how does that work? How do they protect themselves? But the people of CR take great pride in the fact that they are a peaceful country, they have no army and are therefore no threat to attack other countries, and in turn at less risk to be attacked. And the time that the US came down and tried to take some control, the farmers and citizens gathered their tools and weapons and fought us off in a single day. So there. Anyway, that is how I understand it. Please don´t go publishing any history books.... :)
The museum had a lot of information about the early peoples that inhabited this region, what they did, how they survived, etc. As well as a lot about how they have developed to become they country they are now, the value of coffee and banana to the economy, and the progression of life-style. One of the most interesting parts to me was gaining a better understanding of why there is such a wide variety of people here - significant representation of Chinese, Spanish and other Europeans, Africans, and indigenous people. Many came looking for work building the railroad that was constructed in order to export and take advantage of the coffee and banana production. It is like being in elementary school all over again, going to museums and such. Only this time it is a lot better because I actually care, am interested, and am practicing & learning more Spanish along the way as well.
In addition to the Museum and a lot of walking through the city (which I believe I noted before is not the prettiest of capitals...) we hit up the market. The market in San José is similar to the one I commented on earlier that I went to in Heredia, only a lot bigger. It is kind of similar to Pike Place Market in Seattle, with a combo of fresh seafood, meats, flowers, fruits, veggies, flowers, handicrafts, and places to eat. However, it must be said that the place is not as organized as PPM, all in one straight line, no this market is more of a labrynth of sorts. It took a bit of hunting but Luisa was able to find her favorite spot: a little Ice Cream stand of sorts where they serve a homemade vanilla ice cream that is made with milk, sugar, and cinammon, I believe, and maybe one of the best treats I have ever had! They have been making ice cream in that place and in that way since 1901! Round 1 for me was a glad with shaved ice and strawberry flavoring, powdered milk, and the ice cream on top - may sound strange, but trust me, it is tasty. And Round 2 (in true Dalyce fashion) was a little cup of just the delicious ice cream. Ahhh... This is the place that Luisa has been coming to for a treat every time she has come to the market since she was a little girl with her grandmother. Now I understand why our City Tour demanded day 2 - it wasn´t complete without this treat!