Colonia del Sacramento (Uruguay)
02 April - 03 April 2015
02 April - 03 April 2015
Colonia de Sacramento stands idly on the shores of the Rio de la Plata, looking almost forlornly,even perhaps embarrassingly across the 52kms of water that stands between itself and its gigantic beast of a relative, Buenos Aires. If Colonia were a person then I’d have to say that it would be Doug Pitt,(Doug who you say?), 'Doug Pitt' I repeat, the almost unknown, unseen younger brother of superstar Brad Pitt. I mean sure, good 'ole Doug may have some impressive, even some endearing qualities. Doug is a businessman, a philanthropist and for some odd reason also the Goodwill ambassador for the United Republic of Tanzania (..seriously). Now as nice as that all is, I ask you, so what!? I'd imagine that Doug would be the type of guy you’d be okay having a casual chat with when Brad is off galavanting with Angie and you somehow find yourself stuck with a six pack of Millers, a flat screenTV and watching 'the game',(whatever game that may be), at Casa de Pitt. Colonia is what I imagine Doug Pitt to be, quiet, serene, quaint and close enough to its big brother Buenos Aires to be visited without being considered as an absolute nuisance. Sometimes proximity to greatness can have its benefits!
Historically however this city suffers from a complex multiple personality disorder. It was initially settled by the Portuguese for strategic purposes, it then fell into the hands of the Spanish and then, following that ownership transference, the succession of ownership went, (and don’t hold your breath until the end), Portugal, Spain, Portugal, Spain, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Portugal, Brazil and finally Uruguay from 1828 until the present day. You could only imagine that with such a chequered upbringing the now older Colonia would be somewhat jaded and carry with it long persistent issues that were rooted in its childhood, but alas, the only sounds of fury on the cobbled stoned streets of the historical centre of Colonia were those of the tapping tread of tourists and the sounds of the pimped out golf carts that tourists utilise to get around the streets.
Colonia del Sacramento - Uruguay
Colonia del Sacramento - Uruguay
Colonia del Sacramento - Uruguay
Our two day sojourn to Colonia followed a well known and well-trodden path that commenced at the Buquebus terminal in Buenos Aires and then skimmed along the surface of the silvery-grey Rio de la Plata, ending up at the equivalent terminal in Colonia del Sacramento. It’s popularity amongst tourists and Portenos alike comes from the UNESCO heritage listing granted to the old town of Colonia, which as I’ve mentioned, is admittedly charming, quaint and makes for wonderful photos opportunities. In my personal opinion it is quite a photogenic town and it’s hard not to fall for its subtle, airy charms, especially when conducting a post photo-shoot reviews on your digital.
Walking in the barrio historico is kind of like taking a step back in time, although the proliferation of digital cameras and happy selfie posers does everything to entice you out of that daydream (yes, I realise that we're also part of the problem - but let me state for the record, WE ARE NOT SELFIE POSERS OR TAKERS).
Colonia del Sacramento - Uruguay
Posada Plaza Mayor - Colonia del Sacramento - Uruguay
Colonia del Sacramento - Uruguay
Colonia del Sacramento - Uruguay
Arriving at the Andalusian inspired courtyard at the centre of the Posada Plaza Mayor, our accommodation for the evening, was like arriving in an oasis of tranquillity, one step away from the already sedate streets of Colonia. The town I gather was quite contented to be living within its own placid, peaceful corner of the world without interruptions. In fact the only ‘happenings’ in the town on that day was the advertising of a candidate in upcoming state inflicted elecciones nacionales. His campaign strategy must have been top heavy on advertising as the vehicle he had hired to do laps of Colonia for the day trumpeted his annoying catchy theme song incessantly, so much so that the tune stuck in our heads for weeks after we had left Colonia, and even though we couldn’t quite pin down all the words we did consistently catch the mysterious political line of ‘todos canguros’..dah, dah, dah. Now why a Uruguayan political candidate would appeal to ‘All the kangaroos’ I couldn’t tell you but damn me if that kangaroo line didn’t float around in my subconscious for months after.
Sunset over the Rio de la Plata - Colonia del Sacramento - Uruguay
Sunset over the Rio de la Plata - Colonia del Sacramento - Uruguay
Colonia del Sacramento - Uruguay
Colonia del Sacramento - Uruguay
That afternoon was spent in the courtyard of our posada, downing our own mojito creations with fresh ‘menta’ that Inga was resourceful enough to locate in a store by simply asking for 'menta',(logical woman!), and waiting for the sun to commence its fall over the Western side of the Rio de la Plata, behind the tall glass and metal structures of Buenos Aires. The fact that we had made a point to watch the sunset was not surprising. Apart from my penchant for watching sunsets one of the highlights of an afternoon in Colonia is to meander to the Rio de la Plata and witness the sun paint on its own earthly canvas. But as the afternoon faded and our mojitos took control, the bliss of our buzz increased in direct proportion to our mindfulness, or rather lack of it, of when sunset was actually meant to be happening. It was only when Inga called out ‘sunset is in 3 mins’ that we jumped up off our chairs like startled gazelles and ran through the Portuguese/Spanish/Brazilian/Uruguayan streets like Wilderbeest stampeding through the Serengetti (ok, so perhaps not even that elegantly). Never the less, when we reached the banks of the Rio de la Plata we were in fact rewarded with quite an appealing view over the water out to Buenos Aires with the Sun providing a master class as to how the concept of 'paint by numbers' actually works.
Colonia del Sacramento - Uruguay
Colonia del Sacramento - Uruguay
Colonia del Sacramento - Uruguay
Colonia del Sacramento - Uruguay
Colonia del Sacramento - Uruguay
Colonia del Sacramento only allows you to play as hard as the toys it provides. It's like playing with your 10 year old cousin, whatever you're doing is basically for charity purposes. Okay, its not as bad as all that and as I've mentioned its relaxed charm and picturesque surrounds provides for a soothing atmosphere. It's sycamore lined streets, coloured building facades, winding cobble stoned streets and Portuguese inspired architecture offers enough for the passing tourist to enjoy a few hours before being called back into the arms of Buenos Aires screaming for a morcipan with buckets of chimichurri and denouncing the much hyped credentials of the local fare, headed solely by the mighty chivito.
