Cobbles in Colonia

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Colonia del Sacramento - 24th to 26th of June 2009

With only a few weeks left before we leave South America, our visit to Uruguay was short. We got our stamps to enter while at the ferry port in Argentina, making it the easiest border crossing we´ve had. After an hour on the ferry, we arrived to a very sunny but cool day in Colonia del Sacramento.

Colonia is the oldest European settlement in Uruguay and because of its strategic location, the Spanish and the Portuguese argued over it for a long time. Its Barrio Histórico (historic quarter) section is UNESCO World Heritage Site, making it a popular tourist attraction for visitors coming from Buenos Aires or Montevideo.

We went to a hostel and checked into a dorm room which was $10 each - that seems expensive for a dorm room! Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia with their cheap accommodation have ruined us. The afternoon was passed wandering along the river front, looking at the beaches and in the historical section of Colonia. It´s a beautiful little town, with cobblestone streets, a lighthouse and old buildings. That evening we went for dinner and had a traditional Uruguayan dish - steak, ham, bacon, eggs, chips and salad - and spent the rest of the evening sitting by the open fire in our hostel.

The next day was a lazy day to say the least! We meant to get up and go to Montevideo but didn´t. Instead we spent the day beside the cosy fire and walked to the outskirts of the town, getting some food to make dinner along the way.

On Friday, we did get up and checked out. After wandering around the beaches and the old town again for a while, we went back to the hostel but still didn´t leave Colonia until 4.30pm because Richard had to watch the England under 21s match. Boys! I didn´t mind too much though - the fire really was lovely!

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