After checking out the Museo Nacional de Costa Rica (still 8.24.24) , I walked around the adjacent neighborhood to check out some of the government buildings, look at the mural walk, see a variety of statues, and walk through Parque Nacional. I had been hoping that the park’s koi pond was up active but it was dried up and for obvious reasons devoid of fish. That said it was still nice to walk around some after the long flight and get exposed to the inner city vibe. The trees in Parque Nacional were lush and full of flowers. I loved hearing all the birds that were in the trees and seeing people enjoying the park.

The mural wall was quite interesting and reflected a variety of artist styles and talent. Although some of the murals were aging and the paint breaking down, it was a free art installation, so consider that fact when getting overly critical. Coming from San Jose, California where murals are sprinkled throughout the City, I appreciated that this mural wall was a contiguous wall of different murals that I could spend time viewing and be outside enjoying having arrived in Costa Rica for my first international solo trip.

Given the proximity of Parque Nacional and these other smaller sites, they made for an easy add-on to my earlier museum visit to round out my first day in the Country. Along this route there were some National Government buildings like their legislature building, which they call Blue Castle.