Day trip to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

I was over the moon when I found out that Uruguay is only a short ferry ride from Argentina. It's not a country on my to-go list, but since I've travelled all the way to Buenos Aires, I couldn't let the opportunity go by to make a day trip to Uruguay and add another pin to my travel map.

Colonia del Sacramento

After an hour or so ferry ride from Buenos Aires, I landed at Colonia del Sacramento and my fourth Latin American country after Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina. I followed the crowd as we got off the ferry, and went past a building that looked like a station. I think this used to be a train station, but I couldn't see any tracks.

Barrio Histórico

Colonia del Sacremento was founded by the Portugese in in the late 17th century, and today the historical quarter is designated as a UNESCO world heritage site. We walked through the old city gates at the San Miguel Bastion (top left below) into the historical quarter. Many of the old streets were lined with cobblestone, and the beautiful purple bougainvillea plants made this area a popular spot for IG posts. The Calle de los Suspiros (Street of Sigh) on the right is the most famous streets It looks straight out into the sea and when you're standing there with the old houses on both sides, it feels like you're transported back a few centuries ago.

Lighthouse and Convent of San Francisco Xavier

When you walk around Colonia, it's very easy to see the 19th century lighthouse. It's great to use that as a bearing in case you get lost. You can climb up the lighthouse and apparently you get very good views of the surrounding areas. Unfortunately it was closed during our stay. The ruins of the 17th convent sits at the foot of the lighthouse.

As I walked around the historical area, I saw this old map that dates back to 1762. It didn't look like 300 years old, I'm guessing it's a recent addition, but produced in the traditional Spanish/Portguse tile. Nice touch.

Lunch

We found a restaurant nearby the lighthouse for lunch. It had a nice lively vibe and it was chill sitting outdoors, but not under the sun, right next to the historical lighthouse. And of course, we ordered a local beer. It was ok, but nothing special. We always try the local beer when we travel, and it's not like Uruguay beer is readily available in the UK.

When we left, I saw they had a vintage car parked outside. I think it belonged to the restaurant and it had loads of stickers on it. I was gutted that I forgot to bring my Worldmappin stickers!!!! Vintage cars seems to be a thing here, and they definitely add to the vibe of the area.

Wedding

We wandered around a bit more after lunch and once we were out of the historical quarter, there was more of a post colonial vibe. We passed by a church somewhere and saw a newly wed couple coming out. There were lots of people outside taking photos but didn't enter the church premises. It seems like they're not invited to the wedding, so I'm guessing maybe the newly wed couple is someone famous in the area? And in keeping with the Colonia style, the getaway car is a vintage one as well.

I'm glad I made this trip to Colonia, adding another country to my worldmappin map. Snowpea certainly enjoyed the day out. Don't you think she blends in well 😊

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