Colonia del Sacramento (Uruguay)

December 2019       itinerary link

The ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento(population: 27,000) took about 70 minutes to cross Rio de La Plat. We chose Colonia Express ($36) because their schedule fit ours best even though the other company, Buquesbus, supposedly had better boats and service. The exit immigration was efficiently done at the ferry terminal. The boat was full of young people going to Montevideo for the weekend, and they all preferred to stay on the tiny outside deck, thus, there were many empty seats inside till the rain started pouring down.

The water got really choppy as we approached Colonia (everybody used this short form of the name) port, and our captain had a hard time pulling into the dock. This killed 20-30 minutes. Once we got off the boat, most people went directly to the buses waiting outside the terminal to go to Montevideo. (Colonia Express sold ferry+bus combo tickets.) The arrival immigration was fairly quick. We chose to stay in Colonia overnight to see what this town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was like.

Our Airbnb house was in the area left of the Bus Terminal (bottom right on the map.) Avenue General Flores is their Broadway. The historic quarter, toward the western tip of this map, is only about 6 blocks long and 5 blocks deep.

Under pouring rain, we braved the weather and walked 9-10 blocks to find this restaurant. Food was decent, but the prices were definitely higher here than in Chile or Argentina.

Avenue General Flores in the old historic section – the busiest street in town with restaurants and shops. Maybe because of the rain, the town was empty of tourists. Locals were in grocery stores and restaurants.

Of course! The hero of Latin America had to be here, too. Colonia was literally a colonial town that changed hands 11 times till it became part of Uruguay in 1828.

According to Wikipedia, this is the Timeline of rule:

From	To	Rule	Reason for Handover
1680	1680	Portugal	conquered by José de Garro
1680	1681	Spain	treaty between Spain and Portugal
1681	1705	Portugal	conquered in the War of Spanish Succession
1705	1713	Spain	Treaty of Utrecht
1714	1762	Portugal	First Cevallos expedition
1762	1763	Spain	Treaty of Paris (1763)
1763	1777	Portugal	Second Cevallos expedition
1777	1811	Spain	Revolt led by José Gervasio Artigas
1811	1817	Liga Federal	Portuguese conquest
1817	1822	United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves	Brazilian Declaration of Independence
1822	1828	Brazil	Cisplatine War
1828	present	Uruguay

We walked on Av. General Flores all the way to the end, and the sky was displaying an abstract painting over Rio de La Plat. By doing this, though, we missed the city gate of the old Colonia. We turned left and followed the coastline. The rain did not let up, and the wind was showing its force.

We came to the old lighthouse and turned onto a street that led to the Plaza Mayor. Good time to go inside, we decided. Conveniently, there were several museums in this area. You buy one ticket, and 8 museums were covered. We were happy to duck into a building, then, when we came out, jumped into another one we saw.

Yes, almost every colonial town has a painting like this. Guns come in and take over the town.

I believe this was in the Portuguese Museum.

This one, too.

Nacarello House Museum showing how people lived in the 18th century.

This place claimed to be the oldest cafe in town. The rain got a bit lighter, so, we walked a couple more blocks to find the Cathedral.

There was an elaborate display of the birth of Jesus in one corner of the church. It was  Christmas time when we went there.

There were some artsy shops and cafes in the area. It was time for a break for us.

Even though we could not pronounce the name, we loved this cute cafe. Their tea service was great & went really well with the carrot cake.

Gardel, the king of Tango, was present. After all, Colonia is just across from Buenos Aires, the Tango Capital!

Rain or shine, the weather could not make up its mind and showed both.

Pizza and Chivito for dinner. The restaurant recommended by our host was not open. Because of the rain? We would never know. So we walked into a restaurant where a friendly owner was outside chatting up the passersby. I had to try their national dish, Chivito – a huge hamburger with a fried egg on top. Not bad. Too much food for me, though.

Next morning, we walked to the bus terminal & got on the bus to Montevideo.

Our journey: Puelo -> Puerto Varas -> Puerto Natales -> Torres del Paine National Park –> El Calafate –> Perito Moreno Glacier –> Ushuaia –> the Beagle Channel –> Buenos Aires –>Iguazu Falls –> Colonia del Sacramento –> Montevideo