So as usual, I'm posting from memory and about a week behind. I'll try to recall with the best of illustration my happenings in Nicaragua's old capital.
As mentioned in the previous post, my arrival on Sunday came after a 3 hour, colon shaking bump fest of a bus ride reminiscent of and rivaling that trip Dorothy, Jill and I shared in May of 2000 across Costa Rica. But with a room located despite a deaf and dioriented cab driver, I headed out to take in the town on a Sunday night and grab a bite to eat.
Dinner found me at a space a bit off the beaten path, well out of town and certainly worth the 30 cordoba cab fare. After a short chat with the owner of the place I was guided back to the restaurant's prep room and was allowed to select my fish of choice. I picked a nice 12' or so red guy, whose name I can't recall anymore, and had him prepared 'al ventillo'. Twenty minutes later I was presented with a whole fish, dashed with tomatoes, onions, capers, and other fine fare that was absolutely marvelous. Full of stomach and recharged with energy for the week I turned in as Monday promised to be an early morning.
As the sun came cresting the horizon the following day I too rolled out of my slumber. Leon is a city that starts much slower than it's more southern colonial counterpart. However the folks at the school arrived just before 8:00 am and we commenced to stuffing my brain with more conjugational skill. While I did enjoy the studies this week, I must say that I though the group in Granada easily surpassed those in Leon. I also became a little weary in my third week of guided practiced, and was glad to see an early exit on Thursday. With the end of my travels becoming all the more imminent, I was ready to spend full days out exploring.
The other aspects of Leon, from architecture to culture to people were simply fantastic. The structures of the buildings and the squares rivaled those of Granada in their antiquity and their appearance. Leon is certainly filled with more cathedrals and made for a bit more diversity in my photos for the week.
The family with which I was placed welcomed me with open arms. They were a small group in comparison with the ones the previous week, but were much larger in their ability to include me in their life. The mother and father ran a lunch time restaurant which featured a rotating menu of chicken, pork, beef, beans, rice, potatoes, vegetables and plantains. Dinner and breakfast were also phenominal treats each day. Beyond the grub, we shared good Spanish conversation and I really felt an immediate and strong connection with this family. Good kids, good parents, good people all around.
I also had the pleasure of hanging out with ShamRock and Roll teammate, Rory O'Sullivan for one night. He was down in Nica for a little Spring Break from the law school routine. I was pleased to be able to introduce him to the local flavor of Flor de Cana, which I hope he took part in quite frequently in his travels up to Esteli.
Finally on Thursday afternoon, my time in Leon came to a close. I hopped a microbus down to Managua in preparation for the 5:00 am exit that awaited the following morning.
Again I returned to what felt like the belly of the beast...