A Day Trip to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

Last week I decided to take a ferry across Río de la Plata to visit the small town of Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. I needed to make the trip specifically because you can withdraw USD in Uruguay (but not Argentina) and I needed to pay my rent this month in dollars. The only ticket available on the day I traveled was first class, but it was still cheaper than the other company's ticket (which would have taken 3 times as long). It's only an hour by ferry to visit an entirely new country!

So I took an early afternoon ferry and sat in my special seat. Honestly I don't know what was so special about first class... I guess I am more interested in budget traveling. But the seats were comfortable so that's nice. I mostly just listened to music and relaxed.

I arrived in Colonia and stopped at the visitors center to get a free map. Then I started to make my way over to the historic district, which is what Colonia is famous for. An older man called out (in Spanish): "Welcome tourist! You will love the historical area!"
It was nice to be greeted kindly. After living in Buenos Aires for a little over a month, I am already much more wary of people. I usually walk quickly so people will leave me alone. I appreciated that in Colonia there was a welcoming atmosphere where it wasn't necessary to be quite so guarded.

The historic section of the town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has preserved its original stone roads and architecture. There is influence from both the Spanish and the Portuguese - both have controlled the town in the past. When you first enter the historic area, you can cross through the city gate, which has a drawbridge and was rebuilt using part of the original stone wall. That wall also has it's own cannon sitting on top!

Calle de los suspiros (the street of sighs)

this street was built by the Portuguese and drains down the center, rather than the side like the Spanish streets

To sum it up in a word, Colonia is adorable. It's very sweet to walk along the old cobblestone roads (though it really makes for sore feet/legs later) and look at all of the interesting buildings. It kind of reminds me of Old Salem (at home in North Carolina) but with a Spanish & Portuguese twist. There were restaurants and stores, but they didn't go as far as to dress up in period clothing.

a plaza in the center of the historic district

many of the buildings were very colorful

others were more understated but still lovely

The town is so much more tranquil than hectic Buenos Aires. It felt wonderful to just enjoy the quiet and not feel like someone could steal my bag at any moment. I got to breathe fresh (non smoky) air and enjoy the sun for a while. There were lots of sleepy dogs laying around and basking in the sunshine. I had a lot of fun adventuring by myself, but it would also be a very romantic place to wander around, and thus there were many couples. Sadly my dear Donovan is about 5,000 miles away... but maybe one day.

this guy has the right idea

a view of part of the lighthouse from the wall near the drawbridge

My favorite part was the abundance of pretty spots to watch the river. There were plenty of rocky places along the shore to sit and relax. I ate some ice cream here :)

dulce de leche and some other flavor - maybe a cookies & cream?

Donovan insisted that I appear in some of the pictures - my camera actually fell into a little pool of water during this photo attempt so it's a good thing it's water/shock proof. Perfect for adventuring!

a lighthouse (built between 1845-1857) and the ruins of a convent built in 1694 but destroyed by fire in 1704 

I also walked along a little pier - there was no guard rail for about half of it which was a little bit intimidating. There were benches so it would be a nice place to sit and read or have lunch.

I wandered out of the historic area and into the more modern part of Colonia. Here there were banks and more restaurants and shops. There is really only one busy road but unlike in Buenos Aires, the cars often stop and allow you to walk in front of them. (I'm used to more of a "move or I will run you over" approach). I had a "chivito" for lunch, which is the national sandwich of Uruguay I think. It's basically thin beef with a fried egg and some ham. I can't remember if there was cheese. You can add lettuce or tomato but I don't like lettuce on sandwiches. Yes, I admit it. I think it's unpleasant and interferes with a perfectly good sandwich. Anyway, Argentina has a similar sandwich called the bondiola that is made with pork and includes chimichurri sauce (but more on that later). Things were much more expensive in Uruguay than in Buenos Aires but it was still fun to visit for a day.

the chivito

Adding to the feeling of history in Colonia, the town is also known to have vintage cars. I spotted one on my walk back to the ferry terminal. Anyone seen a car like this before? I'm not sure what kind it was. Apparently there is a man who you can pay to drive you around in his vintage car, if that is something that interests you. 

So after a full day of exploring the town, watching the river, trying new food, and attempting to use the infuriating ATMs (so many error messages), I settled on a bench to watch the sunset. I had about half an hour before I wanted to walk back to the terminal for my 8:30 ferry to Buenos Aires. That was probably the most peaceful part of the trip. The sun set directly over the river, with the city of Buenos Aires just barely visible on the horizon. The town was quiet now that the day was winding down and I got to just relax and enjoy being there.