León - it will be hard to beat this in Nicaragua

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We loved León. It's hard to say exactly why, but we ended up chilling out there and soaking up a more local way of life for almost a week. Our first night was a late arrival and a hostel room booked at the last minute as our plans had changed. It also involved a fried chicken restaurant that was trying to pack up and served us half-cold burritos but there was nothing else open at that time. Whilst that wasn't great, we caught a glimpse of what the city had to offer that evening and moved into an Air B&B the next day which became our home for 5 nights. Carolina was a great host, and although the kitchen was rather lacking in implements, she did sort us out with what was needed. Our small apartment was located a 15 minute walk through dark streets from the central hub where the backpackers hang out. We loved it though, and it never felt dangerous, although a single female traveller may feel a little less secure wandering those streets at night.

So, what was so great about León? Well, it's a very important place in the history of Nicaragua, and in the story of revolution in particular. The image of Augusto Nicolás Calderón Sandino is everywhere and the Sandinistas who brought about the end of the dictatorship in the late 1970s took their name from him. There are statues, busts and an awful lot of murals commemorating not only Sandino but also many of the martyrs who gave their lives to free the country from its dictator. The Museum of the Revolution is unmissable and with a bit of luck you'll be guided round by someone who actually took part in the events memorialised inside. We were also taken up onto the roof which is made of rusting corrugated metal and we genuinely feared for our safety up there at times as it threatened to give way underneath us!

A few blocks away from the central square is the Museum of Traditions and Legends. Set in an old prison, it is quite a curious place to explore. At the gate we were met by an enthusiastic guide who told us about a few bits and pieces before allowing us to wander at our leisure to see the displays with information in English. By the gate you can see the tank which was instrumental in the fall of León during the revolution. Around the walls are murals, well more like mosaics, depicting heroic scenes, a few myths and legends (unless you believe the headless priest was real!) and the cultural heroes of the revolution including local poets and John Lennon! Inside the prison yard things get more gruesome with some recreations of the methods of torture endured by captured revolutionaries. It's quite graphic. The prison cells though, house mannequins depicting myths and legends in Nicaraguan history. Some are weird and wonderful, and then there's "Grab Your Tit!" I'm not kidding. There's a legendary spirit wandering the streets forcing herself upon men she likes.

León also has, surprise, surprise, its fair share of churches. Some, like the Zaragoza church, look in a state of ruin from the outside but are still functioning inside. Then there's the bright yellow (but in dire need of a clean) La Recollección. Nearby El Calvario looks spick and span in comparison and, despite its name, doesn't sit on much of a hill. Inside all of them the pillars seem to be draped in giant cloths that look somewhat like curtains. It was picturesque but odd. The star of the show is, of course, the cathedral. Inside it wasn't as dramatic as we had expected (perhaps we should have looked more closely as the National poet, Ruben Darío, is entombed there), but go around the side and pay a dollar to climb up onto the roof and you are transported into another dimension. The whitewashed roof with its many domes is an extraordinary sight and you'll definitely need your sunglasses or you'll be snowblinded. At the top of the steps you have to take off your shoes so you don't disturb those praying beneath you.

Football doesn't seem to feature high on the agenda of León. Its big sporting love is baseball, so we wandered out to the old baseball stadium. There we were invited in to see the team, Los Leones de León, training. Now we're not really big on baseball, but standing close to the batsman as he swings towards whatever the pitcher has thrown at him gave us a real sense of the power that these guys can generate. It was interesting to look around, especially with a few murals on display, but we are probably never going to be converted. A new baseball stadium is currently under construction to the south of the city but we didn't manage to get out that way at all.

Art is alive and well in the city. The Fundación Ortiz Gurdián is unmissable both for its location in two old colonial mansions, and for the staggering array of art on display. There's something for everyone in there for sure and it won't break the bank but there is a small entry fee of €3.

Ruben Darío, (whom I mentioned briefly before) seems to be almost as ubiquitous in the city as Sandino himself. There is a cultural museum dedicated to the poet, and the library is named in his honour. We saw some new murals being created in the grounds of the library and they were certainly impressive. This was because the anniversary of the poet's death was looming. On the day itself there was a big celebration in the central square but at the allotted time the heavens opened so we headed back to our Air BnB and never saw what went on!

Food and drink options were very good indeed in León, and at pretty reasonable prices too. The big problem is that most meals seem to take 40 minutes to be prepared, no matter what you ordered. Once we got used to waiting, it wasn't so bad, but the first meals were very frustrating. Patio el Padrino was great and we caught up with Lewis and Jamie in there. Once we had finished hearing their tale of woe at the border, we treated them to their bucket of beers. They had earned it!! Our favourite restaurant was El Bodegon where we (hopefully) amused the staff on our first visit. We both somehow went out without our wallets, but this was only discovered after dinner. Russ frantically tried to set his phone up to pay using it, but it turns out his does not have NFC technology. Thankfully Trish's phone does so she now has the ability to pay should we go out wallet-less again!! When it came to coffee, Pan y Paz captured our hearts with their seriously good brews and wonderful pastries! We found a great cheap place to drink with a great vibe at Bar La Fabrica but we had to wait until our last night to sample some craft beer at Beer & Pallets as they had been closed for most of our stay. It's always good to see people making an effort but we have to admit it was not our favourite place. A special mention has to go to Casa Vieja and we wished we had discovered it at the start of our time in León. Mind you, we may well have eaten there every night - that's how good it was!!

It was hard to move on. We did so without trying anything adventurous like climbing the Cerro Negro volcano and then descending on a body board. We didn't make it out to the beach either, so we could probably have filled a couple more days without really trying. Our next stop was Managua, the capital, because by now a trip to Estelí seemed to be taking us a long way off track.

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Nicaragua
We have friends from Nicaragua who encourage us to go. It sounds like you found a lovely town to chill.