Colonia, Uruguay

With Uruguay being so close to Buenos Aires, it would be a shame not to visit, right? That’s what I thought, so I headed down to the port, and bought a ticket on the 1-hour Busquebus ship Atlantic III from Buenos Aires to Colonia. The city is properly called Colonia del Sacremento, but I don’t like Sacremento, California, so I’ll just forget about that part.

Colonia was picturesque, quiet and reminded me in many ways of Tallinn or Bruges. The historic old city certainly was not a large, or as filled with tourists as Tallinn, or Bruges, but the feel of old buildings, and hidden courtyards brought back a lot of memories. The tree-lined streets in other parts of the city with their autumnal amber leaves–many of which were crunching underfoot–also reminded me of the things I miss about living in Ontario with its many tree-lined streets.

Anyway, Colonia made for a nice retreat from the bustle of Buenos Aires. However, with new friends at Estoril waiting to share an evening full of fun, and the horns of the ferry signaling departure, it was time to grab a quick sandwich and beer, wave goodbye to Colonia, and head back across the turbid waters of the Rio de La Plata to Buenos Aires.