Last days in Granada

I spent a few more days in Granada after that, mainly trying to decide where I was heading next. I met a group of women travelers, many of whom had been traveling alone but had met up on the road. There were two women from the U.S., two from Australia, one from Burundi who lives in Europe now, one from France, and one from the Netherlands. It was affirming to talk to them and realize that they had similar experiences to me and so interesting to hear their tales of travel up and down Latin America. We all went out to dinner one night and it was nice to have the camaraderie and companionship of a group of women who were on similar adventures to mine. The morning after we had dinner most of the women left for Laguna de Apoyo and then on to Isla Ometepe. 

I also met some Peace Corps Volunteers serving in Nicaragua and it was great to talk to them about their experiences in Peace Corps and share some of mine. It was also interesting to see the commonalities that exist in Peace Corps regardless of the country you're in. From having to fill out the quarterly reports on our projects, to the cultural faux pas that we all inevitably make, to the moments of feeling like we've finally been accepted into the community we live in.

My last night in Granada I went with Inga, the Dutch woman, to an old church called Iglesia de la Merced (built in 1534 then rebuilt after it was sacked and burned in 1670) that was rumored to have the best view in town from its bell tower. We headed up near sunset after paying our $1 US entrance fee. As the sun sank the light changed and lit up the roofs and buildings of Granada as long shadows stretched ever further. The silence was intermittently disturbed by the extremely loud church bells literally a few feet from our heads and rung with no warning whatsoever. But the views of the volcano, the lake, and the city were certainly lovely. You could even see Isla Ometepe of in the distance which is rare. However, it was definitely time for me to move on from Granada and see more of this unique country.

Iglesia de La Merced

Isla Ometepe with its dual volcanoes in the background.