Colonia del Sacramento

We had hopes and dreams of going to the beach, Mel and I. We'll go to Uruguay, we said, where the beaches are as pretty as the people who go are said to go there.

Foiled by chilly weather and dwindling time, we decided to scratch the beach bumming and check out Colonia del Sacramento, a historic colonial town of Uruguay, and only an hour away by ferry.

We went on a Saturday, taking the first ferry out in the morning. It was cold and gray - not the most promising or welcome weather for an excursion, not to mention for successfully getting out of bed on time - but we made it to the docks, found seats on the boat and napped our way across the water.

The ferry lets you off only a short stroll from the entrance to Colonia. The historic area is a small square of preserved colonial architecture - some used for galleries, shops and restaurants. It sits directly on the coast, making for a pretty river-side walking on the outer edge. We made our way around some of the perimeter, ducking down small lanes and into the occasional shop. It was quiet, as we'd arrived so early, but it was nice not to have to force our way through throngs of tourists, or see many, for that matter, while we were there.



All of the buildings are so small there that, paired with a ruin here and there, it was a funny flashback to Oxford for me. Though obviously from a completely different era, and settled by different people, it was the quaintness of the buildings and precariousness of the ruins (don't even ask about the horrifying climb to the top of the lighthouse...) that made me feel an unexpected familiarity.




We decided to stop for a bite to eat at one of the restaurants bordering the main square. We chose one of my favorite things to start -- a platter of meats and cheeses -- and found out too late that between that and our sandwiches, we were more than sufficiently fed. For the record, that platter was flippin' awesome. I miss cheddar cheese!! When the bill came, we got our first taste of what it means to have your currency drastically devalued. Our bill was a whopping $340 Uruguayan pesos!


When we were done, I wrapped up my sandwich, threw it in my bag, and we headed onward and outward, opting to leave the historic area and take a walk up the coast. There is a 5 kilometer stretch put together by the city of Colonia that curves along the coastline. Though there was a wide, pretty sidewalk at our disposal, we decided to do as much of the walk along the beach as we could.





As the afternoon progressed, the sun started shining more and more, making up for the chillier breezes coming off of the water. Though we're both ocean lovers and so are clearly biased, I think we both found the walk to be a really beautiful and soothing way to spend an afternoon. There was occasional excitement, like when I found yet another piece of fruit to add to my list of Random Produce I Find All Over The Place, but otherwise it was a calm walk that I would definitely recommend if you plan to spend a day or two in the area.

Returning sometime around 5, we decided that we'd pretty much seen and done all that we had wanted, so arranged to take an earlier ferry back. A packed boat meant we were forced to make the upgrade to first class, meaning our ride back was spent stretched out in cushy, wide, reclining seats. It was truly a travesty.

When we arrived in Buenos Aires, we met face to face with a ravenous rain storm. It was much better to encounter it on this side of the water than the other, though, and it made for one heck of a sunset as we dried off and warmed up back in the apartment.


All in all, it was a great way to spend a day. We didn't do the full round of the historic part, but we got a good sense of it. Between that, getting to work off some of that cheese platter, and a final layer of tan thanks to the unexpected sun, it was an altogether wonderful day.