Colonia, UruguayFeb 4, 2012
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Security guard camouflaged) outside our hotel room in Colonia
Cars don't move much in Colonia, a 1930's Ford a little the...
These guys do flags in a big way, this one is about...
| 4th Feb Off to Uruguay on the fast ferry – takes about an hour. Very cool way to pass from one country to the next as you pass through immigration – one little glass cubicle but two different immigration officers. Your passport is stamped out of Argentina by one and into Uruguay by the other, simple and very sensible. There are posh seats but we are in with the poor people and it's mobbed. However, comfy chair by the window and it's a lovely day. David is feeling a little under the weather today and decides that it's time for a sleep and misses most of the journey. Lovely hotel, Posada Plaza Mayor just off the main square. Beautiful central courtyard with a small fountain and jasmine and hibiscus bushes. Bedrooms are very cute with original brick arches and exposed stonework on one wall. After some lunch, we had a walk around the pretty cobbled streets and squares. Colonia de Sacramento is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has been kept pristine. In many of the streets there are really old cars parked up – adding to the ambience. One is parked outside one of the more popular bar/restaurants “El Drugstore” and has had the interior removed and replaced with a dining table complete with candle! 5th February Unfortunately, the weather today is a bit overcast and there are showers throughout the day. However, we walk up the steps in the lighthouse to get a pretty good view of the town. We also see a couple of the small museums around the central square. By early evening the weather has cleared and we enjoy a G&T on a waterfront terrace with a sensational sunset before having quite a poor meal in an expensive restaurant. It seems that although Colonia is very pretty, it doesn't see much repeat custom, so the restaurants aren't great. There is not a lot to do in Colonia but that's fine, once the tourists are away it's a gentle relaxed little town. We could have gone a little further out of town if we wished but it seemed a little too much effort. About 10km outside town there is a run-down amusement fun fair that was built in the 1910's. Only the race track now functions - the idea never really caught on. It also has the only bull ring in Uruguay, again also derelict. It was completed in 1910 and Uruguay banned bull fighting in 1912 – this should have given the owners a hint that it might not be their lucky day after all. |
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