Barbara Lavol, Sarah Pedrazzini and Léa Martin They are three young French girls who arrived in Nicaragua at the beginning of February. We met them in León, but they had already visited Managua and San Juan del Sur. At the Ciudad Universitaria they loved the history of the city, the churches and the painting of the houses. “It's just that in France there is a lot of white, grey and black… and here that variety brings joy”.
They said that they really like Nicaraguan food, pineapple, bananas, rice and ceviche are part of their favorite menu… Their stay in the land of lakes and volcanoes includes tours to Matagalpa, Ometepe and the Caribbean.
Also visiting León we found the couple formed by the Nicaraguan John Baptist Lopez and the Canadian Beverly Ann Frank.
“I left the country more than 50 years ago. Nicaragua has changed a lot. There is development and many people everywhere. We were in Granada, Masaya and Managua and so many people!”, says López, a pediatrician.
He says his wife loves everything about Nicaragua and they hope to come to the Central American nation at least once a year. The couple is staying in Las Peñitas, enjoying every corner of the country, but especially that magnificent beach in the west.
And not only foreign tourists head to León on weekends, in the domes of the cathedral we come across Giselle Varela, from Nindirí Masaya, says that he had not had the opportunity to go up to appreciate the city and the volcanoes of the Maribios Mountain Range.
According to Varela “It would be nice if all of us as Nicaraguans would propose to visit some department and explore some part of it”Giselle also went to León to enjoy the stars. “A month ago, I visited a beach at night and fell in love when I saw the sky full of stars.”
Security
In search of more visitors, we set out on a tour on the “pelón bus.” Nicaraguans and foreigners wait for it at the southwest corner of Parque Central and for 10 córdobas—in about 40 minutes—they travel all over the city.
Don Claudio Olivas, from the Zaragoza neighborhood of León, regularly takes this tourist route because it is a pleasant walk for the whole family. “What I like most is the security, there are no robberies, no fights, no accidents here”, he says proudly.
In the back of the same “bare bus” goes Noel Jiron, his young wife Jacqueline Flores and her girls Naomi y Jazmín, all from the Metropolitan City, “We like it, it is a long and pleasant trip to spend with the family… and it is also cheap”, stand out
The color of the houses, the gastronomy, the sunset and sunrise on the beaches, the churches, fairs, security and places to spend time with the family are just some of the favorite attractions of our interviewees. Have you been there yet? Do you share their tastes? Go ahead and tour the colonial department of Nicaragua.
