Colonial Colonia

Colonia is as amazing as everyone said it is. I'm so pleased I made the effort to come here and I'm also pleased that I'm not just day-tripping here. I want to soak it all in slowly. However...

...coming at the end of April means its mid-Autumn here and it's cold! My wardrobe seems so inappropriate, especially now that I took half of it to the laundromat.

Coming mid-Autumn also means that there are fewer tourists. I wandered around the streets of the old-town today and could really appreciate the town for itself. I can imagine the zoo this town would be in the summer but now it's so peaceful and chill. Lucky me.

Other than aimless wandering, I went up the lighthouse, into the cathedral, the old port door, a few shops and around the squares and the riverfront.

During my wanderings, a local I bumped into, Carlos, offered to take a picture of me. This is the picture he took right outside his front door. What a neighbourhood!

I also stumbled upon a FABULOUS photography-antique shop where I bought a kid's book on Canada in Spanish. That should be interesting! I also picked up some inspiration for photos of Colonia. The brazilian photographer is a genius!

While reading in my room at the hostel tonight I could have sworn I heard a brass band. I needed to go check it out. Maybe there was a fair going on at the plaza. Instead, it appeared to be a figment of my imagination or I was too late. Either way, I walked up and down the street looking puzzled only to discover that Javier from the hostel had witnessed my deranged little outing.

I'm not imagining it, I protested in spanish because Javier from Montevideo speaks no English. No importa, he said and then added that he was bored at the hostel and did I want to grab a drink. Well...I had my coat on already. Why not?!

We wandered over to the historical town to share a bottle of wine. We took the long way back, weaving through the streets of colonial Colonia. It was such a treat to see it at night. There were no cars so we walked in the middle of the road, although that's hazardous because it's so uneven. The street lamps give off a warm yellow glow making all the buildings look even more special. It was magical.

What a wonderful first day in Colonia. Warm fuzzies! ;o)