Today we had to get up early – 6am to check out at 7 and take the metro to the port to catch the 8:45 fairy to Uruguay. We were supposed to check in at 7:45 and when we got to the counter they said that the port in Colonia was closed due to weather. Not closed forever, but closed for the unforeseeable future… so, we spend a bit of time in the Buquebus ferry terminal trying to figure out if a) we cancel our trip and try to get a refund, b) move our trip to the next day or c) hang out and hop the ferry goes later in the day.
It was blue skies and sunny so hard to imagine that there could be bad weather an hour away. But we didn’t want to waste a day so we got in the ticket line to ask about moving our trip to the next day. Luckily after about half an hour, right before we got to the counter, the Colonia port opened and the ferry was back on – just running about an hour late.
The ferry crossing was… choppy to say the least. But it’s only an hour from Buenos Aires and you arrive in this tiny colonial-era old town which is a UNESCO World Heritage site called Colonia Del Sacramento. Sycamores line all the cobble stone streets of this peninsula sticking out into the Rio de la Plata (where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean).
We are staying overnight in Colonia and have a room at a B&B with air conditioning but the weather has turned cooler so it’s the first day we don’t need it! After checking in, we walked to the main street of the new town and had lunch at a local café called Irene’s. I had a traditional Uruguay ‘chivito’. It’s a sandwich with steak, ham, cheese, egg, bacon, tomato, lettuce and mayonnaise. And Mike had a vegetarian version (w/ soy instead of 3 meats).
Then we checked out the old town – it’s so quiet and clean after Buenos Aires. You can stroll through the streets without seeing many people, and there’s these cute little cafes on the cobblestone streets and a very angry (and brown) ocean in the background with big waves.
We spent the afternoon strolling and window shopping in the shops. There’s lots of mate glasses, art and souvenirs. We bought a Uruguay mate key chain that we’ll use as a Christmas ornament.
We stopped for a drink at El Drugstore – a cool tapas bar – and had a ½ bottle of Tannant red wine which is a local grape to Uruguay. They also have a cool table outside in an old car...
Then we went by the corner shop for an Uruguayan dessert – Bocade Black – it’s these chocolate cookies with dolce de leche filling covered in dark chocolate – yum!
And while Mike took an afternoon siesta, I watched the only thing I could find in English on TV – Dawson’s Creek! Here's some cool art from our hotel:
After the 8pm mark (when restaurants open), we went to eat a caprese salad, gnoochi and polenta at what turned out to be a pub like quality restaurant and then we walked through the old town at night to see it lit up by ‘gas lamp’. It’s really peaceful here and I’m glad we came and had a break from bustling Buenos Aires.
