I loved Leon! I mean really loved it. On our next trip we will definitely spend more time here. We didn't even get to see the beaches near Leon and it was still my favorite stay of our trip. Everything just seemed easier there. There were fewer people hassling tourists and there were fewer annoying tourists (ie the Americans that really didn't mean to leave the US, so they try their best to only be around other people from the US as opposed to experiencing the country they paid all that money to get to). I felt comfortable walking around after dark alone. The souvenirs and food were cheaper. The churches were beautiful and the museums were affordable and interesting.
On our first day we arrived in the late afternoon and I was reluctant to go out, but our host assured us it would be safe to walk back after dark. We ventured out to the central park area and checked out the outside of the Cathedral. We also checked out the souvenir kiosks and realized we had overpaid for everything. Live and learn! While strolling around we ran into Carlos and Sofia who after dropping us off had headed straight to the Cathedral roof. Once we strolled around a bit we headed our for groceries and back to cook dinner in the most awesome kitchen I'd seen in months (including home since mine was pretty torn up when we left).
We went straight to the top of the Cathedral the next morning. We'd been warned to go early because it gets hot and wear socks because you have to take off your shoes. We also wanted to go while it was clear. What we didn't do was bring sunglasses for all of us. Lottie took mine because the rule of the trip became give her whatever she wants to keep her from whining. Gabby was miserable because she was blinded. I was nearly in tears because of the brightness. We got our pictures and headed back down to see the inside of the church.
Later in the day we checked out the Museo de Arte Fundacion Ortiz-Gurdian. It was a pretty impressive collection. The girls were excited to see artists they'd heard of like Warhol and Picasso. The museum included two buildings across the street from each other. It was definitely worth the $3 admission and they didn't charge me for the kids. We weren't allowed to take pictures because it is part of a private collection.
The next day we wandered aimlessly around looking for the best souvenirs. I found my mug and trivets, so it was a victory. We also went for a tour of the Museum of the Revolution. The tour guides are all revolutionaries who were involved in the war. The museum is basically a large number of framed newspapers and then the guide gives a basic outline and tells about their experience. I was tasked with translating for my kids and trying to give a child friendly explanation of the conflict. After viewing all the papers downstairs we were taken upstairs to check out the views of the city, which were incredible. We were then led out onto the roof. There is no way anyone should be walking around on this roof and the girls were terrified. Luckily I at least got some good pictures of the views. Again I didn't really realize what was happening quickly enough to decline this part of the experience and our guide had already dragged one of my kids out, so there was no going back. Our airbnb host was horrified that they were still taking anyone much less kids out on the roof.
The rest of our time was devoted to strolling about, shopping and eating and fabulous places. The cakes at Pan y Paz were such an awesome treat. Our dinner at Del Norte was AMAZING!!!! Breakfast at El Desayunazo was also delicious and we met a lovely Canadian woman who we chatted with. For the girls the highlight was probably spending the last of the cordobas picking out cheap candies from a woman we passed on the street after breakfast. She was probably not as delighted that we spent an eternity picking stuff out and she had to tell us prices about a million times. After we got our candy the girls got to spend their final couple hours in the car with Sofia playing games and coloring. Then we hung out in the hotel in Managua all afternoon. The next day we had to be up at 400am to get to the airport ridiculously early for our flight to SJO. We got through quickly and had our scissors confiscated much to Lottie's dismay. Finally we were off to Costa Rica! We made it a month reasonably sane and healthy :)
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