Colonia del Sacramento!

25 September 2009

I took an amazing day-trip to Uruguay today, to a little town just across the Rio de la Plata called Colonia del Sacramento. The town is absolutely gorgeous, but it’s TINY! It was definitely worth the money to see a little part of another country, but I was done seeing the sights I wanted to see by 1:30. I arrived around 10am via Buquebus, which runs passenger and vehicle ferry services between Buenos Aires and Colonia. It’s actually very comfortable, with a snack bar, duty-free shop, and airplane-esque seats, and the trip is only an hour on the barco rapido. I took some pics of the boat while I was on land in Colonia, so you can see what I’m talking about, at least size-wise. My only problem the entire day was the construction around the port area. They were building a new passenger terminal and you couldn’t find the street! And all there was at the port was customs…no real information booth or taxis waiting or anything. Finally the lady who was organizing tours for those who’d reserved ahead of time helped me find the street and the nearest tourist information office. I was ready to start my sole day in Uruguay.

The historic district of town is beautiful. The town was an old Portuguese colonial settlement, hence its name, Colonia. Because of this, there is a ton of Portuguese influence. The pictures are amazing – you’ll have to take a look for yourself. The pictures and the scenery were the best part of the visit by far. I actually skipped out on the museums because of the way they sell tickets; you have to buy a pass to all seven museums and cannot buy tickets museum by museum. There were only a couple museums that I was interested in enough to visit – one was a tile museum, showcasing some of the first tiles made in Uruguay! But all the museums were also small, and it didn’t seem worth it to me to buy the pass. My absolute favorite place in Colonia is the old port (see the first set of pictures in the album). The shopping was also really great, with good leathers and friendly, unobtrusive sales people. They also took Argentine pesos and US dollars, so I never had to change money for a 1-day trip, which was clutch. Lunch was a bit pricey, but I had fabulously rich ravioli with ham and cheese inside and a creamy mushroom sauce on top. It was definitely NOT what I needed – I really just wanted a couple empanadas or a good salad. But the resto where I stopped to relax did not carry what I wanted, so I made due. The 20-peso bread service (which is normal here – they bring bread, never mention that it an extra charge) included some of the best bread I’ve had here. After lunch, I finished up my sightseeing and did some shopping, buying 2 purses…the first of my large handbag purchases. However, the purchase wasn’t large in US dollars, and that’s really what counts, right?

All in all Colonia was just what I needed – a day off from touristy Once (which I pass through twice a day), where you’re hounded to buy crap from vendors on the street, all selling the same crap as the next guy. It was perfect – a gorgeous day to myself, in a very quaint and beautiful town, outside of the hustle and bustle of the city.