Granada

Today we travelled about three hours on the bus to Granada. Our translator, Marcos, was able to point out some interesting sites, one of which was an active volcano. We could see the smoke plume rising into the air. I would love to be able to tell you the name of this volcano, but that would require fluent Spanish. Since I know about three words in Spanish, I am afraid I will have to disappoint all of you who wanted to look up the place on Google maps!
Before I go any further, I must apologize for misspelling "Agros" several times. My iPad loves to auto-correct, and I put full blame on this inanimate object.
Upon arriving at our hotel in Granada, we had a lovely lunch where we were able to have ice in our drinks for the first time since arriving in Nicaragua. It may seem insignificant, but we were very happy to enjoy ice cold drinks. Then we were treated to a boat tour on Lake Granada where we saw several birds, some spider monkeys, and a few fish. It was very relaxing. We bought some bananas to feed the monkeys, but they were so overfed by earlier tourists, they simply sat in the trees and stared at us as we tried to lure them closer.
The swimming pool back at the hotel allowed all of us to cool off and have some fun. Of course, there were a few swim races and chicken fights. Our group has so enjoyed being together, so it was wonderful to have a couple of hours to relax together.
For our final dinner in Nicaragua, we ate at a steakhouse named El Zaguan. It was a fantastic dinner in a charming restaurant. Bryan led us in a meaningful closing activity while we waited for our meals. We had a chance to affirm each other by expressing our appreciation for what we had noticed about each other as we served together this week. It was the perfect ending to the day.
Thanks for all your support and prayers this week. We are full but ready to return home.