Blogs from West, Uruguay, South America - page 7

Old, well-preserved/restored colonial towns are some of my favorite places, and Colonia de Sacramento is a gem. The Barrio Histórico (historic neighborhood) is a UNESCO World Heritage site of small, charming, 17c buildings (now often museums or restaurants), rough, cobble-stone streets and a lighthouse tucked inside a ruined convent--all snuggled in a peninsula that juts into the wide, Rio de la Plata. Like the rest of the town, its streets are shaded by bowers of ancient, leafy sycamore trees, cooling me from the ever-increasing summer sun. Colonia enjoys a Mediterranean climate similar to Santa Barbara's, and my heart leaped to see familiar hanging wisteria, vibrant bougainvillea, fragrant oleander, purple jacaranda and lots more. I was in paradise and stayed days longer than the few hours needed to explore the tiny old town. Like many places I ... read more

This entry covers a couple of my weekend trips around Uruguay as well as some more pictures from Montevideo. On the weekends, I’ve tried to find a balance between hanging out in Montevideo and seeing things outside the city. Over the last couple weekends I went camping along the Rio Negro (in the center of Uruguay) and to Colonia Del Sacramento, which is an old colonial town established by the Portuguese in 1680. Last Sunday, I also had the chance to go watch a Candombe practice which is an experience that most tourists don’t get to see. Candombe is a type music that originated from Uruguayan slaves and has progressed into a traditional performance that is desplayed on the streets during Carnival and certain other holidays. There are 3 different types of drums that are used ... read more

Well, this first entry is entirely dedicated to Colonia del Sacramento, in Uruguay. It's such a magical place, it really draws you to the past and yet it makes you feel so at ease, it feels like home. I went with a friend of mine, María, who kept on insisting in taking a daytrip to Colonia. Since it's just an hour on ferry and we were going just for the day, I said "ok, let's go for it". We got to Colonia last weekend, the weather was delightful!, although slightly cool at nighttime. We head up to a bar to have a meal and decided what to do around. Sure, it's all about sightseeing Colonia del Sacramento's historic quarter, but we wanted to make sure not to miss its main locations. I didn't inform myself about ... read more

Colonia da Sacramento is quite a contrast to Montevideo. It is polished, classy and expensive. It is a complete and beautifully restored colonial town full of lovely guest houses, shops and restaurants and set against the backdrop of the River Plate. Across the River Plate is Buenos Aires so Colonia fills us with Portenos every weekend, even in the winter. We enjoyed walking around the cobbled streets, visiting the tiny museums, climbing the lighthouse and watching the pretty sunset each night. There were some very quirky restaurants, one we ate in had the owner come out in a different silly hat every ten minutes to entertain the younger guests. Another had some outdoor seating ... in an old car. It was an enjoyable couple of days. ... read more

From the crisp cool days of Bariloche to the balmy sunshine days of....Uruguay. We travelled to Colona del Sacramento from Buenos Aires by fast ferry over the Rio de la Plata, which according to some is the widest river in the world although isn't considered a river at all by others. And I thought Spanish was confusing. We are staying at another gorgeous little hotel called Hotel la Mision right on the main Plaza of the old town, or Barrio Historico. That makes it sound much grander than it actually is, because the whole town is about the size of a handkerchief, however an extremely quaint and very cute little handkerchief! On our first night Lucy and I went to a gorgeous little restaurant / bar called El Drugstore and I ate the freshest fish ever ... read more