Granada

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We left León and were delighted by the building supply sellers along the roadside selling materiales típicos. This included palm fronds for thatching, bamboo poles for building palapas and clay bricks / tiles for floors and walls.

Once again, the skyline was dominated by volcanoes. This one was emitting puffs of smoke that were being carried on the wind.

We managed to get a Nicaraguan flag for the pannier. The central coat of arms contains a series of triangles that represent volcanoes. We can see why they feature in the coat of arms. (Interesting fact: the flag features a rainbow which means it includes the colour purple. This makes it one of only three flags of a sovereign nation to feature purple)

Many of the towns were passed through had great central parks with some amazing sculptures. There is a great sense of civic pride in the country. The one below contains an outline of Sandino, celebrated as the father of the revolution. 

It continues to be hot. I've added this strip of towelling to the gear shifter as a vital modification. My hands get so sweaty that they cannot grip the shifter without it.

We passed Lago Xolotlán which is the smaller of the two lakes that dominate the map of the south of the country. Great views. We passed up on a swimming opportunity because of the intensity of the onshore wind. 

We arrived in Managua and made our way to Casa Benjamin Linder. It was a little oasis. Nice plants, great murals and lots of nice touches such as carved wooden handles on the taps. 

It is named in honour of Ben Linder who was a US hydroelectric engineer who was killed by the Contras in the 80s. His death led to a reassessment of US foreign policy in the country. 

Another feature of the past few days has been paddling pools. Possibly to keep children entertained during the Semana Santa break. They are all over. Folk seem quite happy to put them wherever there is space which might just be on the street outside their house.

We made our way out of the city through the centre. Much of the capital was flattened by an earthquake that hit in the 70s (aid money was redirected to members of the Somoza regime meaning it took a long time for the city to recover).

There is an incredibly grand municipal palace.

It is next to the remains of Cathedral de Santiago Apóstol. This is one of the few buildings that survived the earthquake but it is structurally damaged and only possible to view from the outside. It is criss-crossed with a network of cracks.

Our route took us past the Lago De Mayasa. We were quite happy to pay over the odds for some food in order to get the benefit of this view.

It was a nice downhill run into Granada and we decided to pop into a chocolate museum/shop/cafe/information centre on arrival. We had scrumptious drinks that we decided would suffice in lieu of Easter eggs.

Our hostel is right in the centre and has a pool. We were sitting in it within minutes of arriving. 

We have really enjoyed the past two days. They have been really interesting and been key in forming really positive views of Nicaragua. 

Google photos https://photos.app.goo.gl/p8J9ERd7iN2bGiZy9

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