Last evening... Granada street life

Our last night in Granada we were in town for the defile de caballos (parade of the horses); a dramatic change from seeing the bone-thin work horses in the campo and in the city, pulling carts of bananas and cargo.  These dancing equines were energetic, glossy, and
clearly used to a parade.  Many without bridles and ridden with twine halters, they showed off their Spanish walk, passage and piaffes (suspension trotting in place), even amid brass bands and firecrackers.  Dios Mio!  Impressive!
 
When I get back to Maine, I've got to have a conversation with my little Morgan mare, who sometimes is afraid of the sunlight leaking under the door . . . watch out Prima! -Elana

Hugging it out...

The Nicaraguan Queen

Sunday afternoon, Paulette arranged a boat tour of Aese Archipelagos. Boating was the perfect way of exploring Lake Nicaragua and the Las Isletas. Las Isletas comprise a string of 350 small islands formed by molten lava of the Mombaco Volcano during ancient times.

Hotel Cocibolca & around town

Merced Church best views of the city

Inglesia La Merced, built in 1534, was one of the only buildings to survive the fires of Henry Morgan in 1670. We climbed a tight spiral staircase revealing one of the best views of Granada. Looking over the the tiled roofs we could see Lake Nicaragua and the Mombacho Volcano.

Spanish fort and cigaramma

After visiting the cemetery, Paulette lead a walking tour to the central plaza. One of our first stops was the Spanish fort, Fortaleza de la Polvora, built in 1748. Most recently, it had been used by the Somoza National Guard notorious for torture. We finished up our walking tour with a stop at a cigar factory.

Granada cemetary

Our tour of Granada began just outside of town at a cemetery where some of the tombs are over 500 years old. We were fortunate that Paulette took some extra time to give us a personal tour of the cemetery. In addition to the incredible sculptures and the demonstration of carving marble headstones we also got to witness the vast differences between the tombs of the rich and those of the impoverished. Tourist guides note, "testaments to Granada's history of wealth," but less obvious is the testament to the marginalization of the poor...even in death. One wall of tombs for the poor were basically rented. When a new space was needed, the old bones were cleared out and stored in a shed next to the tombs to make room for the new body. We could see old names and dates painted over. We also saw several tombs that held, and paid tribute to, some of the Sandanista fighters, many of whom died as young men fighting for the people's freedom. The subject matter fits in with several of our books like Kate Braestrep's Here if You Need Me and one of our field trips upon our return will be to visit and reflect upon UMA's 9-11 memorial. ...Sarah

The revolution begins...

Tonight, we were given an unexpected gift- music from Son Del Pueblo, music of the revolution. Once the music started. We didn't sit down, and made many new Nica-friends on the dance floor. !Si, Nos Gustan Las Bananas! -Elana

An evening of musica

The language of music is as universal as mathematics..cultures around this planet all share something so beautiful with the power of percussion. I had the pleasure and honor of sharing my drum with the community of Mariposa and their hometown band. The joy I felt while performing for my classmates and this generous tribe of cousins has still left me without words, this trip in general has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. The first sound we ever hear is the rhythm of our own mother's heart beat while we are in the womb. That kind of connection to the drum and all of the people that were there for the evening was something I know everyone felt. I am so grateful for the chance to share a piece of my history with everyone and be an opening act for the coolest Nicaraguan band ever! I'm gonna sing so loud that my new hermanos will hear me the next time I perform with my drum group...mucho gracias, kci woliwon to all.

Picnic on the beach

We spent the day Friday at Laguna de Apayo, a freshwater lake in a collapsed volcano. after a week of working in La Mariposa's gardens and hiking dusty roads in Nicaragua's dry season,
San afternoon in water was about as refreshing as you might imagine, and for many of us a lunch with chicken was welcome after a week of vegetarian eating. (Delicious vegetarian cooking, but even so.) The trip to the lake was equally enjoyable, as we listened to Nicaraguan pop music all the way there and back that the drivers brought on some CDs, and it was surprising how easy it was to pick up the choruses of the songs and join in. Friday was designed to be a play day for us, after a week often very physical labor and intensive Spanish study, it was a pleasure to chill out for a day, wandering around the markets of Masaya and swimming while being filmed by our intrepid photojournalist Robert Rainey. Photos of the day are here.Wish that you were as well!
-Rob

Lagoontime

After visiting the market in Masaya, we swam in the Laguna De Apoyo, one of the cleanest swimming spots in Nicaragua. It is said that some 20,000 years ago, a volcano imploded on itself and filled with rain and subterranean water.  What an amazing experience to be rocked by wind-induced waves while floating in a crater, surrounded by mountains.-Tessa H.