"This is one of the oldest cities in the country with a long history of Spanish establishment and conquer... Far from the land of Andalusia, the city was named after Granada, a famous city in the southern part of Spain, home of the La Alhambra."
Kalimat pembuka itu disampaikan oleh salah satu volunteer dalam pertemuan kami di Nikaragua, yang kali ini merangkap menjadi tour guide kami.
Well, I haven't finished sharing my notes on my trip to Nicaragua :). I hope you are not bored yet as I still have many to share :)
I know..it was only 5 days, filled with works and endless meetings.
But there will always be stories to tell and pictures to share. And as we continued our journey at the last day in Nicaragua, we were kissing Masaya goodbye and heading to Granada, another beautiful spot in the country.
Ingatan saya langsung terbang ke Granada yang terletak di selatan Spanyol, tempat La Alhambra dan Istana Nasrid (saya pernah cerita di sini, sini dan sini :) ) yang menjadi bukti kemegahan dan kebesaran Islam di tanah Andalusia di masa lampau. Pantas saja, sejak mobil yang membawa rombongan kami meliu-liuk memasuki jalan-jalan kecil peninggalan masa lalu di Granada, something really rings a bell, besides the exact same name.
Then I noticed it was the architectures...
Sangat Spanyol...sangat Granada :).
And we are far from Europe...
We are in Latin America :).
But as I said...the main attractions we enjoyed here is Lake Nicaragua.
Truly the biggest lake in the country and in Central America, as well as the world's twentieth largest lake, it has around 300 islands doting along the vast lake.
It's the fresh water lake, formed as the result of tectonic activities of some volcanoes around this area. As you can see in my photos, there are some volcanoes fencing this vast lake, including Mombacho volcano.
Some have resorts and establishments on the island, some are vacant...
While sailing, we were going around some small islands and watching the stunning sunset from the boat.
It was beautiful...
It was such a solemn moment, especially as we had finished the meeting with a rather tough ending before.
For sure, looking at the wonder of God's creation at its best will stay forever in our heart. Especially for me...
Then, after the sunset, we managed to have around 15 minutes to see the center of Granada, particularly at the Placa de la Independencia.
I know, I know, ...15 minutes, such a short, short time, even to look for souvenirs :).
But I just simply strolled around and let myself lost in the beauty of this vibrant city.
There was a great reason why we have to leave early from Granada.
Can you guess what?
Because we were about to have a meeting with the President of the country...
El Comandante Daniel Ortega.
Oh my....
Yuup..it's the president himself...welcoming our tired-but-super-excited faces (some of us were so nervouse because they were wearing shorts and tank-tops...well, we just had a tour :)) and had a fruitful dialog in his formal residence.
Truly a once in a life time experience :)... at least for me...
Dan ternyata, segala petualangan kami di malam terakhir di Nikaragua masih dihiasi dengan satu kejutan besar :).
Kalimat pembuka itu disampaikan oleh salah satu volunteer dalam pertemuan kami di Nikaragua, yang kali ini merangkap menjadi tour guide kami.
Well, I haven't finished sharing my notes on my trip to Nicaragua :). I hope you are not bored yet as I still have many to share :)
I know..it was only 5 days, filled with works and endless meetings.
But there will always be stories to tell and pictures to share. And as we continued our journey at the last day in Nicaragua, we were kissing Masaya goodbye and heading to Granada, another beautiful spot in the country.
To me, Granada is the colorful capital that has won my heart over since the first time we arrived here.
It was another 30 minutes drive from Masaya National Park and as soon as we got into this old city of Granada, my eyes feasted with the vivid colors and colonial architectures dotting the curved pebbled street we passed.
Then I noticed it was the architectures...
Sangat Spanyol...sangat Granada :).
And we are far from Europe...
We are in Latin America :).
heading to the ship...don;t you just love the colors :) |
Too bad we were there at almost sunset...and we were scheduled to sail at Lake Nicaragua instead of having a city tour. Of course, I had to stick to the plan and meanwhile, tried to enjoy the beauty of this city from our car. I saw colorful houses, - inculding the purple ones, ancient doors and intricate details. But I couldn't take picture of them :(.
One of the landmarks of Granada is the Chatedral...and I missed it :).
I captured some on our way back to the car, after the sail, including lovely cafes in the promenade.
Penny lane street...so the Beatles :) |
one of the cafes.. |
But as I said...the main attractions we enjoyed here is Lake Nicaragua.
It's the fresh water lake, formed as the result of tectonic activities of some volcanoes around this area. As you can see in my photos, there are some volcanoes fencing this vast lake, including Mombacho volcano.
Some have resorts and establishments on the island, some are vacant...
It was beautiful...
It was such a solemn moment, especially as we had finished the meeting with a rather tough ending before.
For sure, looking at the wonder of God's creation at its best will stay forever in our heart. Especially for me...
Then, after the sunset, we managed to have around 15 minutes to see the center of Granada, particularly at the Placa de la Independencia.
I know, I know, ...15 minutes, such a short, short time, even to look for souvenirs :).
But I just simply strolled around and let myself lost in the beauty of this vibrant city.
I love this traditional skirt :) |
Can you guess what?
Because we were about to have a meeting with the President of the country...
El Comandante Daniel Ortega.
Oh my....
Yuup..it's the president himself...welcoming our tired-but-super-excited faces (some of us were so nervouse because they were wearing shorts and tank-tops...well, we just had a tour :)) and had a fruitful dialog in his formal residence.
Truly a once in a life time experience :)... at least for me...
with El-Comandante... |
Yaaa...kami dipertemukan dengan Presiden Nikaragua, Daniel Ortega!
Tokoh revolusioner ini menjadi Presiden sejak tahun 2007 dan meskipun dalam pertemuan tidak dijadwalkan, namun Wakil Tetap Nikaragua untuk PBB di NY telah mengatur pertemuan para peserta seminar dengan El Comandante. Well, rasanya luar biasa bisa bertemu dan berdialog langsung dengan beliau. Tidak terasa 2 jam berlalu dengan seru :). Benar-benar pengalaman sekali dalam seumur hidup :).
By the time I left this country the following day at 7 am in the morning, I know I have left some part of my heart in the Land of Rubio and Sandino.
Till we meet again, Nicaragua...
By the time I left this country the following day at 7 am in the morning, I know I have left some part of my heart in the Land of Rubio and Sandino.
Till we meet again, Nicaragua...