The much anticipated visit of Grammy and Pop Pop came and went before we knew it. After much preparation by everyone involved I drove to Managua to meet my parents in a fancy SUV we rented in Matagalpa (the small city near our town). I was so excited that I go to the airport two hours early. Mom and Dad breezed through immigration and customs and before I knew it we were making the 2 hour drive back to Matagalpa. I was a bit over protective and locked them in the SUV when I made a pit stop for a soda at a gas station that is notoriously chaotic; they just smiled and waved to all the salespeople and beggars banging on the windows while I was in the store.
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| Here they come |
We made it to Matagalpa and checked into the nicest hotel in town which is actually very cute. Aileen, Emma and Hannah met us in there soon after we arrived. We could hear the girls screaming through the lobby as they ran past the front desk in search of their beloved grandparents. We took a brief tour of Matagalpa, visited some friends who wanted to meet my folks and had a disappointing dinner at the "best" restaurant in Matagalpa. The good company made up for the bad food.
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| View of Matagalpa from the hotel |
The next morning I had breakfast with my folks and we drove to San Ramon so they could see our little town. We took a quick walk to the girl's school and then drove up to one of Aileen's projects in a rural community. Mom was pretty shocked at the living conditions she saw there; we never give things like that a second thought anymore and it was a good reminder of how easy we have it. Speaking of which, we went back to our nice home and had lunch, the only meal I cooked during their visit. The girls then took Grammy and Pop Pop on a tour of San Ramon and wore them out showing off their adopted home. We then locked up the house and set out for the colonial City of Granada.
Granada is one of the major tourist centers in Nicaragua. It is a beautiful city and his many lovely old buildings, excellent restaurants and first rate hotels. There are also many things to do in and around Granada. After checking into the hotel we wandered through the plaza and made our way to an Asian Fusion restaurant. After a great night's sleep we went to the breakfast buffet where Grammy and Pop Pop had breakfast with the girls and Aileen and I had some quiet time together. This was a tradition we followed every morning and a highlight for everyone. We then took a tour of the city and visited parks, churches, museums, etc.
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| Inside a Spanish fort |
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| Model of Granada |
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| Digging the horse and buggy ride |
That evening we took a horse and buggy ride around Granada and had an excellent dinner at a well-known Spanish restaurant. After another great night's sleep with air conditioning and fluffy beds we were ready for an excursion. We took Mom and Dad to Laguna de Apoyo, a lake in an old volcanic crater and one of our favorite spots in Nicaragua. We went to a fancy resort that we never went to before and after checking it out turned right around as it was pretty sad looking. We drove down the road to our old stand-by, the Monkey Hut. Mom and Dad seemed to enjoy the mellow backpackers environment and liked relaxing by the lack and watching the kids play in the water. Mom even swam out to one of the floating docks and managed to get up on it despite the ladder being broken.
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| Hannah, Emma and Aileen giving Grammy some help |
That evening we went to a more traditional Nicaraguan restaurant and sat outside where we could watch all the comings and goings. We could not believe this was the last night but did not let that spoil our fun. We had a nice breakfast the next morning and left for the airport around 9:30am. We had to hang out until Mom and Dad cleared security, etc (not that we were worried or anything) and then did some errands in Managua. It was pretty sad driving around in the fancy SUV without Grammy and Pop Pop to keep us company.
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| Adios |
My parents were wonderful guests. They seemed to enjoy learning about Nicaragua, were great company to the adults and even better playmates for their grandchildren. They were great sports and Dad even got some Spanish on (Mom kept trying to use French which did not work too well). We all wished they would have stayed a few more days at least. However, we are so happy they came and this will be one of the highlights of our year in Nicaragua.
This wonderful visit came after a pretty rough month. As some of you may know my grandfather, Stan "Little Pop Pop" Kositsky passed away just before my parents' trip. Although he was 98, had a great life and easy passing it was still a sad time and nice to have family around. We were then shocked to find out that my brother-in-law Andrew was hospitalized. Thank goodness he is just fine but his illness sure made us think about family and enjoying their company as much as possible. We are so lucky to have such great families and though we miss them all, Aileen and I feel even luckier for having this year to spending so much time with our children (well, usually).
Though it was a rough month, change is in the air. The school semester is coming to and end and all the children are busy with exams. Election season is starting up and campaign offices and the like are starting to spring up everywhere. The weather is changing too. It has been dry for over three months but now it is starting to get HOT. We are finally getting to use the fans we bought nine months ago and are regretting trimming back the trees in front of our house (just like our landlady said we would). Fortunately we will be getting a break from the heat as we are heading to Peru for a month (where winter is just beginning). Aileen and the girls have spring break from work and school so this seemed like a perfect time to travel. We decided to take advantage of this opportunity to visit a country we have dreamed about seeing. We will blog all about it when we return in mid-May.
