Uruguay: Colonia del Sacramento
Through the years, Jason has been fortunate enough to keep in touch with two of his oldest childhood friends, Derek and Rob. When we started dating and Jason introduced me to both of them, it felt like being invited into another small family. A year or so later, Rob got married to a lady named Sara (also a friend from Jason's school days) with whom I've also become good friends.
This past February, the four of us went to Argentina to attend Derek's wedding to a wonderful woman, Hilma. Derek and Hilma were living in Buenos Aires at the time, and chose to get married on this incredible Estancia (country estate) outside of the city (more on that in another post). It was a gorgeous wedding for two fabulous people. But before the festivities began, Rob, Sara, Jason and I had a chance to do some sightseeing.
One of the most memorable trips we took was via ferry from B.A. to the small town of Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay. It was a sweltering day, but still worth it: This little hamlet is seriously loaded with charm. I became obsessed with the row homes in bright (yet quaint) colors and the cobblestone streets. Here are some highlights:
I couldn't stop taking pictures of the windows and doorways. No joke, every one looked as quaint as this.
Travel enough around South America, and you'll come across countless streets like this. Hilly, cobble-stoned and European in feel.
Right?
An offending motorcycle. Oh well, we'll let it ride.
We saw art like this along the sides of lots of buildings ...
... and peeked through I don't know how many sunlit doorways.
In the heat of summer, everything seemed to be overgrown in the best way.
And even in the heat, this restaurant's proprietor managed to maintain a sense of humor.
A view from one of the main promenades in town.
And this, which looked to be a not-so-old structure that had seen better days.
Some parts of the neighborhood seemed to only get better with age.
When the day was done, we took this ferry (the Buquebus) back to B.A.
We loved Colonia del Sacramento and highly recommend it. (Just try to avoid high-summer visits, as it gets super hot here.)
What day trips have you taken? Have you ever underestimated a place, only to fall in love when you got there?
