A day in Uruguay

On Saturday May 26, I took a boat over to Colonia, Uruguay! This adorable little town is about 3 hours across the Rio de la Plata by boat from Buenos Aires. It is the oldest town in Uruguay, founded by the Portuguese in 1680. It changed hands several times during the colonial era between the Spanish and the Portuguese, and the town shows a lot of influence from both countries. The town's full name is Colonia del Sacramento and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Colonia is home to about 20,000 - a nice escape from the 13 million living in Buenos Aires. A lot of porteños (people who live in Buenos Aires) spend their weekends and holidays in this quiet Uruguayan town.

I went with Michelle (a friend from my class) on a 9am boat across the river. This boat is no typical ferry - it had a live band, a cafe/bar and a tax-free shop inside. It also had an upper deck where could check out the view of the coast of Buenos Aires, and catch the first glimpse of Uruguay.

First and Second floors of the ferry

Me and a map of Uruguay (pointing to Colonia) in the tourist center

I found that it was easy to fall in love with this quaint little town - winding cobblestone streets, colonial style houses, sunsets on the riverbank - it's really quite charming . No loud busses passing you by, no hurried businessmen rushing past you, no dog poop on the sidewalk - it was really quite a nice change from Buenos Aires...

Typical Street in Colonia

I feel like it's important to note here that although Colonia is a lot calmer than Buenos Aires, it's not boring in any way. There are 7 historical museums, a lighthouse, Iglesia Matriz (Uruguay's oldest church), old Jesuit mission ruins, a yacht harbor, the old city wall and gate and plenty of artisan shops to keep you busy.

Me on this giant wooden swirl at the habor

Me in front of the lighthouse and Jesuit ruins

If all that's not enough, take a break by the riverside and have some lunch, and chances are, a lively Candombe band playing traditional Uruguayan music will pass you by...

Michelle and I having lunch by the river

Traditional Candombe musicians passing down the street

The most well -visited street in Colonia is called Calle de los Suspiros, or the Street of Whispers. It is one of the oldest streets in the city and still maintains a very colonial-era feel. Walking down this 'magical' street is like taking a trip back in time, escaping reality for a few moments and experiencing life from colonial times. It is so well-preserved and you can walk through one of the home and see it perfectly in tact from when the city was first established. You have to watch your step though on these cobblestones, I don't think they really have been refitted into since the colonial times either...

Michelle and I on Calle de los Suspiros

Typical house on Calle de los Suspiros

After just one day, it's easy to see why Uruguay is considered the 'undiscovered gem of South America'. Here's a picture I took just before we left Colonia to prove it - the sunset over the Rio de la Plata...