Lots of horse and carriage ride options for tourists. We also spotted a couple used as hearses during our time here, with black lace on the horse, a black carriage and the family and friends walking behind to the church.Things are taking a while to come together here in Nicaragua. With a few different options in the air and nothing happening fast, we decided to leave Leon for a few days and head for the tourist hotspot and beautifully restored colonial city of Granada.
The cathedral on the main square
A lovely hotel. We didn't stay here.It certainly has some magnificent buildings and good, international restaurants but it was all a bit touristy and expensive for us. However, should any of our friends and family come to visit, it is lovely and relaxing and a good starting point for volcano treks and island boat tours. It would be a good place to visit.
Granada lies next to the enormous Lake Cocibolca, otherwise known as Lake Nicaragua. Close to Granada are hundreds of small islands, reachable by boat tours or hiring sea kayaks, both of which turned out to be surprisingly pricey. We're suddenly getting even stingier now we're setting our sights on living in Nicaragua for a while, rather than just travelling through. Instead, we opted for hiring fairly rickety, but bargainous, bikes for the afternoon, and set off by ourselves to explore along the lake. 
This was our definite highlight. We had a great time bumping along stony, dusty tracks past banana plants and squished mangoes, under the shade of mango trees and past tiny, rural settlements. 
We eventually arrived at a deserted bathing spot which had a shut up restaurant and nobody around except for a tortoise ambling across the path and lots of sand flies. We quickly got into the water to avoid being bitten and yearning for refreshment, but we disappointed to find it was the temperature of a bath. As we swam out past hundreds of tiny, jumping fish we found the odd cool spot. 
The setting was truly beautiful, we spotted a variety of water birds flying amongst the rocks and lush greenery with the waters of the lake stretching for miles beyond. We took an alternative route back into town, which led us up a fairly steep hill. We stopped for a drink at a local place and were invited to sit in wooden rocking chairs outside their shop/house and chat to the family as we quenced our thirsts with a couple of ice cold colas before heading down at dusk back into Granada. 
This was our definite highlight. We had a great time bumping along stony, dusty tracks past banana plants and squished mangoes, under the shade of mango trees and past tiny, rural settlements. 
We eventually arrived at a deserted bathing spot which had a shut up restaurant and nobody around except for a tortoise ambling across the path and lots of sand flies. We quickly got into the water to avoid being bitten and yearning for refreshment, but we disappointed to find it was the temperature of a bath. As we swam out past hundreds of tiny, jumping fish we found the odd cool spot. 
The setting was truly beautiful, we spotted a variety of water birds flying amongst the rocks and lush greenery with the waters of the lake stretching for miles beyond. We took an alternative route back into town, which led us up a fairly steep hill. We stopped for a drink at a local place and were invited to sit in wooden rocking chairs outside their shop/house and chat to the family as we quenced our thirsts with a couple of ice cold colas before heading down at dusk back into Granada. 
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