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Published: January 15th 2010
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Snack stop
A very typical little shop we would encounter on our journeys... great for snacks and drinks on the road. I have to start out by saying that today was definitely a highlight of our trip. I cannot say enough good things about the charming colonial town of Villa de Leyva. All the guidebooks and travel forums point out what a gem this town is, so it easily could have been over-hyped, but it actually exceeded my expectations.
We packed into 3 vehicles and drove caravan style to Tunja where Clara ibeth's sister, Pilar, was joining us. Her bus from Bogota was on time, and we continued on our way. Since everyone was getting hungry and restless, and we were still not close enough to Villa de Leyva, we stopped very briefly at a beautiful town for snacks. This place was so small, I never took note of the name, and I can't even find it on a map. We noticed at this stop, though, that the landscape had begun its change to more arid, desert like surroundings. This area, in fact, was once ancient ocean, that dried up and left behind fossils of marine plants and animals. Buildings actually have visible fossils packed into the walls. The outlining mountains are rockier and dusty brown. This could be the Dakotas
Boada siblings
Pilar, Reigo, and Clara ibeth pose for a shot. if not for the Spanish style balconied houses.
After about 3 hours in the car, we arrive to Villa de Leyva ready for a late lunch. The side streets are dotted with charming cafes and bistros. With such a large group, the restaurant in an old hotel courtyard won the vote after a glance at the menu. We've been eating so much traditional food in Colombian homes and restaurants, we're kind of excited about all the international dish choices that the restaurant offered to please its well-traveled guests. A few of us ordered steak au poivre, there's pasta, and even goulash. I can't say it was the best meal, though. I think I'll stick with local cuisine for the most part after that. The hotel and courtyard were a great introduction to the charm of the town, so at least it got us excited about the rest of our stay.
The perfect way to walk off our meal was to go looking for a hotel for the night. There's no need for a car here, so after parking, we navigated the town on foot. The Colombian hotel standard of charging per guest and not just per room, makde
Our European Lunch Stop
The atmosphere in the adorable hotel was like an eclectic ski lodge/cabin of sorts. it a little more difficult to find a place to sleep all 13 of us, but a great hospedaria accomodated us. So nice to be settled in, we went exploring just as the sun was starting to set. All of the side streets are lined with eclectic shops offering clothing, jewelry, handmade crafts, and specialty foods. It's a boutique paradise, and everything is pretty reasonable. Monte and I bought a few things, dropped it off at the room, and ventured out to the main attraction, especially at night, which is the central square.
This cobblestone plaza is one of the largest in Latin America. There were many people, but the plaza's size keeps it from feeling over-crowded. Everybody was speaking a different language and everybody was having a good time. Since not very many people actually live in Villa De Leyva, the population on a Saturday night is mostly Bogota weekenders and travelers gathering from all over the world. This created for such a great ambiance, and walking the plaza, drinking imported beer around a fountain, I could have sworn we had driven to Europe.
Our pack had broken down into smaller groups with all the different activities,
Courtyard after lunch
Monte and I had a cup of coffee in the sunny, open-air sqaure of the hotel. and Monte and my dad and I found ourselves together wanting drinks and a light dinner. So, we picked an outdoor cafe right on the square with good people-watching ability, ordered Ron Medellin rum and cokes, and talked about how awesome the town was over empanadas and fried yuca. A street musician approached us and asked to play a song. Knowing my love of the fab four, my dad asked him if he knew any Beatles. So for the next 3 minutes we were serenaded with
Michelle Ma Belle, French, English and probably some Spanish in there! I'll never forget that.
I don't think the town ever went to sleep, but we eventually did. On my next trip to Colombia, I'll be sad if I don't get a night in Villa de Leyva.
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Markus
non-member comment
Thanks
Lovely post. I actually live in Villa De Leyva, and it was really nice to get your view of 'my town'. I am glad you enjoyed your visit. Markus