Discovering the World Sans Valise: Leon, another interesting city in Nicaragua to visit

We concluded our week at La Mariposa by a trip to Leon. We went with a few other students and one of the teachers. We stopped to get gas along the way. Gas is more expensive than in the US, approximately 1$ per liter!

We visited a family operated weaving factory making blankets. The patterns on the blankets were sophisticated and quite beautiful. This factory has been in operation for 40 years. The woman shown on the picture is the owner.

Leon has been the intellectual center of the country for years. It has many colonial churches and cathedrals. It is a pro-sandinista city. A lot of fighting has taken place in Leon between sandinistas and the government of Somoza during and after the 1979 Revolution. Murals in the streets attest to this fighting.

The basilica cathedral of Leon: the largest in Central America, started in 1747 and finished in 1814.

It was really fun to walk on the roof....without shoes.

We visited the museum of Art which is actually worth a detour.

Same red eared turtle species as our own Josephine, just bigger. This one eats little fish in the pond, not pellets from PetSmart :))

There is always a park in front of cathedrals and churches. Each park has free internet to attract young people to the park. Cybercafes are closing down.