La Cultura de Leon

I did not expect to be up for much today with very sore legs after the past couple of days. But life is for the living and despite the very tempting pool here at the hostel I thought it best to make an attempt to see some of Leon. And I'm so glad I did.

I could easily be in a European city with all of the colonial architecture, churches and museums. But in Europe it becomes tiring seeing these in each city. In Nicaragua, or Central America, this is a sheer delight. To wander through streets and come upon beautiful churches and cathedrals, some ruins and experience some beautiful architecture, despite the weather which would have been pushing 40 degrees, was lovely.

I followed the walking tour in my guidebook, starting in Parque Central - which is in each city, no matter which city or country in Central America you are in. Right on the park is Basilica de la Asuncion - the largest cathedral in Central America. It was beautiful inside and I watched part of a service. Then wandered down to the Ruinas San Sebastian which was bombed in 1979. I won't go through everything in blow by blow detail but some of the standouts are:

Museo de Leyendas y Mitos (legends and myths) which was a truly bizarre combination of tales of torture from this former prison combined with gaudy papier mache idols from local legends including ghosts, ghouls, beheaded men, animals and a woman with enormous breasts protruding from her dress. That is just a quick rundown...

Museo de Arte Fundacion Ortiz-Guardan which has an exquisite collection of art ranging from European sixteenth century to contemporary Central American artists, including pieces by Rubens, Picasso and Chagall. The building alone was breathtaking in its beautiful colonial architecture.

Finally there was the Museo de la Revolucion which explained the roots of the Sandanista movement. However my guide to this was in Spanish and while I got the gist I really need to read up to put all the pieces together.

All in all it was a very satisfying day in a beautiful city and was finished perfectly with a nice meal and a glass of red at my favourite restaurant across the road. If only I could take this restaurant to Leichhardt...

I'm pretty sure that tomorrow I'll be heading to the beach.