On Sunday, 8 March, we took a day trip across the Rio Plata to Uruguay. From Buenos Aires you have the choice to take a three hour ferry ride to Montevideo or a one hour trip to Colonia. Montevideo is the capital and reportedly a beautiful old city. We will spend a few days there in June when we are again in Buenos Aires. People from all over South America vacation in Uruguay because their beaches are the best. It is also a very safe country that has "carnival" the month of March. We opted for a one day visit and took the one hour ride on a fast catamaran style ferry about nine in the morning. It was a very comfortable boat holding a couple of hundred people.
Colonia is a city founded by the Portuguese in 1680. The Spanish had founded Buenos Aires, 45 kilometers across the Rio Plata, 100 years before. During the next hundred years, control in Colonia changed hands between the two countries 9 times. Apparently the battles were fierce. After each, the controlling country continued work on a wall which eventually surrounded the city. The wall was later left in ruins after many more years of disregard.
Today Colonia is a small city of about 24,000 inhabitants. The "old village" is on a point with a lighthouse. They have a breakwater creating a nice harbor with a beach behind it on the North side. Part of the old wall has been restored as well as the gate into the "old village" with its draw bridge. The "old village" has several squares around which are old homes built either in Portuguese cottage style with tiles roofs or the Spanish stucco taller style home. The cobble stone streets, many still with the original stone, demonstrate the changing history. Some drain the rain water down the middle, Portuguese style, and some drain down each side in the Spanish style. They have many small museums in the town, about 8 of which are in the "old village" as well as shops, hotels, cafes and restaurants. There is also a very old church which shows on its stone walls the effects of many repair jobs over the years.
Right off of the ferry we met a woman offering a one hour walking tour into the heart of the "old village" in English and Spanish, which turned out to be great. After the tour we went to Mass in the old church. Later we had a great lunch across the square from the church. The restaurant had a courtyard inside with trees, a pergola covered with vines, and the requisite fountain. Jane had a lamb pasta dish and I had grilled Salmon. The food, wine, service was very good and quite reasonable, a South America trait.
I have to tell you about an interesting moment we had. Those of you that know us well might remember that Jane and I always joke about "As Time Goes By" being "our song". She even stenciled some of the lines (A kiss is just a kiss . . .) around the dining room of our Cary, NC, townhouse. Wel,l as we were having lunch in the courtyard, a gentlemen started playing the piano in the lobby of the restaurant. As the melody of some classic wafted out over the courtyard I said, "I'll bet he knows As Time Goes By". We looked at each other and grinned and then he immediately started to play it. Jane started to say, "how did you...", then we both just laughed. What a coincidence! You know, one of those right time, right place stories.
Sorry for the diversion. We spent a couple of hours strolling the waterfront and the museums. We bought a necklace from a local artesan. Strolled back to the ferry for our the one hour ride to Buenos Aires. We were back in our apartment early in the evening in time to do our homework.
While you can see our pictures in the sidebar. You might find it easier to look at them at: http://picasaweb.google.com/pojocat/2009_3_8ColoniaUruaguay?feat=directlink
Paste it into your browser.
Enjoy!
