Beyond Your Borders: Colonia, Uruguay: Fun in the Sun

Friday, April 6, 2012

Colonia, Uruguay: Fun in the Sun

Typical Building of Uruguay

by Lisa Goodman

If you are looking for an amazing day trip to take from Buenos Aires, look no further because Colonia, Uruguay is the perfect place to go! Not only do you get to see a beautiful and picturesque city, but you also get to say that you visited another country.

We started our journey by taking a ferry from Puerto Madero (a neighborhood in Buenos Aires that is located on the water) to Colonia, Uruguay. Before taking the ferry, we ordered a coffee and some medialunas, which is a typical Argentinean breakfast that is extremely delicious. The ferry ride is only fifty minutes long, which I used to take a quick nap before starting my adventure in Uruguay.

Waiting For The Ferry

Upon arriving to Colonia, I was struck by how beautiful the city was. The architecture is amazing and historical. There are two types of architectural styles in Colonia, the Portuguese style and the Spanish style. The variety of the styles of the buildings is due to the fact that the city was in dispute between these two countries in the era of colonialism. As a history major, I was fascinated by the city’s rich history. I made sure to take a lot of pictures of the different buildings in the town.

The Lovely Nature

Not only were the buildings charming, but there also were a lot of different varieties of plants, which are the types of plants that are suited best for warm weather. For example, while I was walking around the city, I saw a lovely Hibiscus bush. I made sure to capture the moment by asking my roommates Carly and Rob to pose by it.

After walking for a time, we decided to take a bus tour of the city so we could have an overview of it. I recommend taking the bus because it takes you to important landmarks in the city. One of the most interesting stops was when we saw the Bull Ring of Colonia. I believe it is no longer in use, but it was amazing to see the remnants of the influence of the Spanish colonization of the area.

Bull Ring

After taking the bus tour of the city, Carly and I decided to go off on our own and return to some of the stops that we had seen earlier with the guide. We went to an open-air market, in which I bought some beautiful (and well-priced) jewelry – an amethyst necklace for my sister and a quartz necklace for myself. We also returned to the beach that we had seen earlier. Colonia is a city on the water; therefore there are many beautiful beaches to choose from. Carly and I took in the sun and enjoyed the sound of the waves. Carly even ventured into the water and walked in it, while I was not as brave and decided to take some pictures instead.