The Sights & Sounds of Leon

Leon, Nicaragua

Discounting Managua & the short time that we were there, Leon was the first Nicaraguan city that we experienced in full. Prior to arriving, I had heard that most Nicaraguan cities were dirty and/or unsafe for travelers, but I didn’t feel that way at all during our stay here. Leon is a city riddled with history and culture – it was very heavily involved in the Revolution that is still widely talked about today even though it occurred almost 30 years ago.

After our arrival on Friday afternoon, we spent the day relaxing and getting comfortable with our surroundings. We met up for dinner with Mac’s parents (who are coincidentally traveling through Nicaragua the same time are we are) and walked around the city to get our bearings. This came in handy on Saturday when most of the day was spent wandering around and appreciating all that Leon has to offer.

Our first stop of the day was the Museum of Myths & Legends. This museum opened in a converted prison from the revolution, so the place is full of references to that time.It was opened by a local woman to preserve the stories & legends from the past and share them with future generations so that they would not be forgotten. We were fortunate to have an English speaking guide as all of the legends were described in Spanish and were very eclectic & unusual.

After getting our educational fix for the day, we wandered around town and took in the sights. It would be impossible to mention Leon without speaking of its architecturally impressive & beautiful cathedrals and churches. The Cathedral of Leon is the biggest in Central America.

The other two churches that we saw (Iglesia El Cavario & Iglesia de la Recoleccion) were so bright & colourful that it’s hard to walk by without stopping to admire them.

Since the sun sets around 5:45pm here, it’s quite difficult to not find yourself walking around at night. However, like I mentioned above, there wasn’t a time where Mac or I felt unsafe or threatened. The streets are all well lit, and there seemed to be security guards on every corner. With regards to cleanliness, there was a bit of litter in the streets, and it’s not uncommon to see quite a few wild dogs scrounging for food in the parks. All of that was easily overlooked though since the sights & sounds were a pleasant distraction.

Speaking of sounds, one unique quirk about Leon (I’m not sure how many other cities this applies to) is the alarm siren. At 7am sharp, every morning, a very loud, very long siren rings to sound the start of the day. And if that wasn’t enough, it also rings at 12pm sharp to indicate the noon hour. The 7am siren wasn’t too terrible since for some reason I’ve taken to be an early riser so far, but when Mac & I were walking downtown, we happened to find ourselves near what must have been the origin of the siren at noon. It almost gave both of us heart attacks and we nearly lost our ear drums (remember when I said it was long?? I’m talking close to a minute!).

We only spent 2 nights in Leon, but I reckon we’ll be back soon. We didn’t get the chance to go volcano boarding, but after talking to other travelers, we’ve moved it to the top of our to-do list and we’re likely going to head back there for a night to experience one of Leon’s claims to fame.

Until then, we’ve been enjoying the sunshine & relaxing atmosphere of Las Penitas, a costal town 30 minutes from Leon. This town is home to quite a few surfing schools and Mac & I decided to try our hand at the sport. Stay tuned for Mac’s account of our surfing coming up this week.

Hasta luego!

PS. To see my favourite pictures from Leon, check out my Flickr album!