2004 - Turista!

Thursday I played tourist. Edgard, a Nicaraguan staff member at Mercy Ships, took Michelle (the other short-term volunteer from California) and I on a walking tour of Leon. Our first stop was the Catedral of Leon, officially the Basilica de la Asuncion. This impressive structure is the pride of the city and of Nicaragua. It took 113 years of labor to finally complete in 1860. Michelle and I ended up climbing up to the top of the bell tower and clambering all over the roof (Edgard opted to stay on the ground). The view from the top was spectacular! Our tour guide pointed out many interesting land marks and give us a bit of a history lesson.



Our next stop was at the shop of the self-proclaimed Hippie of Leon. With long frizzy hair and several beaded necklaces hung around his neck, he certainly looked the part. On the walls of his shop are a multitude of photographs, pictures, newspaper articles and memorabilia chronicling Nicaragua's history. With a long bamboo pointer in hand, the Hippie of Leon began to point out pictures of interest and recount some of Nicaragua's troubled past. The most troubling photos were of the revolution.

When not regaling his customers, the Hippie of Leon creates [broken] tile mosaics.

Our final stop of the day was the Museo de Arte Fundacion Ortiz-Gurdian. This museum is housed in a lovely colonial home with works from Europe, Nicaragua and Latin America, some dating back to 1490 up to the present day. The house alone was worth the visit.