Trying to cross Buenos Aires' July 9th St., the widest street in the world, was no easy feat on our way to the port terminal. It took two traffic lights to cross the street and even then we had to walk quickly!
We were taking a ferry, called a Buquebus, 50 kms across the Rio de la Plata to Colonia del Sacramento, a picturesque town and UNESCO World Heritage site, in Uruguay. The day trip would be easy as it didn't necessitate our getting a visa or getting Uruguayan currency as both USD and Argentine currency was accepted.
After arriving in Colonia del Sacramento, aka just Colonia, and admiring the pretty rows of sycamores and the narrow cobbled streets in the charming town, we could immediately see how its historic center and its proximity to Buenos Aires drew thousands of Argentines and day trippers like ourselves across the river to Uruguay if only for a day.
We were struck by the beauty of the tile, not realizing then how many other equally beautiful ones we'd see later that day.
The Plaza Mayor 25 de Mayo, created during the foundation of the city, was originally used for military maneuvers but later changes added paths and gardens that created a pleasant spot to watch a school performance of a Christmas show.
The lighthouse stood within the ruins of the 17th century Convent of San Francisco.
The ruins next door had been the former Viceroy's House.
On the other side of the plaza were the Regional Archives.
Walking around the historical area of Colonia was so delightful as the sun was shining, the flowers were gorgeous, we were discovering something new and we were together!
I hope the following photos evoke the same sense of beauty we felt and discovered while in Colonia.
Lovely tiles adorned many houses.
The Plaza de Armas held the foundation of a house dating from Portuguese times.
On a corner of the same square was Iglesia Matriz, Uruguay's oldest church, which was built by the Portuguese in 1680 and completely rebuilt twice under Spanish rule.
One of the more unusual plant stands, don't you think?!
I couldn't help but be charmed by the plants that just oozed out of the car's every crevice.
We found a spot on the beach to sit down on and just read for a good while. It was perfect and not something we choose to do very often on these long trips which made it even better. Steven considered it a success since nothing was stolen this time as it had been the last time we'd been on a beach in Vina del Mar, near Valparaiso in Chile!
The pretty sculpture was called The Sisters.
That evening we enjoyed one of our best meals ever on one of our long trips, dining at an Argentine parilla or steakhouse that had been recommended by our walking tour guide a couple of days ago. If you're ever in Buenos Aires, I urge you to run, not walk, to Parilla Pena if you want to feast on the most flavorful and tender pieces of meat you're ever likely to come across, and at rock bottom prices compared to those in the US. Of course, enjoying each morsel with a glass of Argentine Malbec wine made the meal sublime. Steven and I still talk about that steak, the sides and the wonderful service and dream of returning there in 15 or so months on our way to or from our Antarctica and Patagonia adventure!
Neither of us could recall taking a boat trip before where we couldn't actually see the exterior of the boat when we boarded or when we landed because of the long passageway! By the way - Buenos Aires wasn't really that dingy and dirty looking - it was just the dirty windows that made the city look less than appealing.
Colonia was founded in 1680 by the Portuguese governor of Rio de Janeiro, almost exactly opposite Buenos Aires across the river. We planned to spend the day in Barrio Historico after entering via the reconstructed 1745 city gate. From there, a thick fortified wall ran along a pathway to the river.
Strolling along the 18th century roughly cobbled Street of Sighs that was lined with tile and stucco colonial houses ramped up the town's cuteness quotient tenfold! As Steven kept saying, it doesn't get more beautiful than this.
One of the town's most prominent landmarks was its lighthouse just steps away from the main square. Construction on it began in 1845 but the work was interrupted by war and the lighthouse was only finished in 1857.
Across from the town square was the Museo Municipal housed in a building from 1731 and rebuilt by the Spanish who established the city.
The Museo Indigena looked delightful but we weren't in the mood for museums that day, especially after being spoiled by the wonderful Museum of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires the day before. Another time I would have been amused to see its map showing how many European countries could fit inside Uruguay's borders. I read it was at least six!
The waters of the bay guarded the remains of the English ship Lord Clive that attacked Colonia in January, 1763, with two Portuguese frigates. The city, which was in Spanish hands then, defended itself and sunk the English ship.
The attractive tile on the side of the Spanish consulate displayed a regional map of Colonia and the big city across the river, i.e. Buenos Aires!
We decided we'd better hightail back to the port at 3 as we'd only left ourselves a few minutes to spare this morning when we had to go through border control leaving Buenos Aires and not after arriving in Uruguay at 9:30 as we'd expected. We wanted to make sure we had plenty of time for customs and immigration this time.
Oh, my poor baby was tired after such a long day enjoying colonial Colonia!
Next post: On to Iguazu Falls by the hair of our skinny chin chin!
Posted on May 20th, 2018, from Natchez, Mississippi.
There weren't many people in your photos. Must not be a highly populated city. Lil Red
ReplyDeleteLil Red,
ReplyDeleteLooking back at the photos made me realize you're absolutely right in your observation about the few people we saw in Colonia. That was part of the charm of the town for us as compared to having been in such a populous city as Buenos Aires for several days. Annie