Today, this little town at the edge of the Rio de la Plata carries a Spanish Name, Colonia de Sacramento, and belongs to Uruguay. It was founded in 1680 by one Manuel Lobo, with the support of the Portuguese King and traders from Rio de Janeiro of the time. Now and again, Spaniards occupied the town. Traces of Spanish, Portuguese and post colonial influence make for a happy mix of architecture in the historic centre of town.
One best arrives via Buquebus, the ferry company that connects Uruguay with Argentinia. Spending a small surcharge, one may take the fast ferry (one hour) versus the 'slowpoke' (three hours) to cover the distance between Buenos Aires and Colonia.
Many Argentinians visit to enjoy the beaches on the Uruguayan side of the river, as the waters are les polluted, albeit still brown and opaque with sediment.
The largest complement of visitors appear to hail from Germany, as most of the tourist pedestrians in town converse in German.
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| Buquebus Ferry arriving in Colonia de Sacramento |
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| Honoring one of the City's Governors, whose 'long and fecund' rule turned the City into an invincible port - that what the sign claims anyway. |
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| Plaza de Armas Manuel Lobo not only commemorates the founder of the city, but it is the major gathering place for lunch. Half a dozen bistros, bars and restaurants (La Meson de la Plaza being the most well known one and destination for many cruise land excursions) have taken over the sidewalks facing the cathedral and the plaza, and one just has to stop for a cafecito or a cerveza to enjoy a pleasant mid day interlude. |
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| Rio de la Plata surrounds the little peninsula of Colonia on three sides. |
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| Reflection in a shop window on Calle de Los Suspiros. The historic stone and brick houses along this quaint street now accommodate various art galleries and souvenir and local deli shop. |
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Calle de Los Suspiros, Street of Sighs...dates back to 1720, and is the most recognized sight of Colonia. There are no sidewalks, the road which descends slightly towards the river, is constructed of rocks previously used as ballast in trading ships. It dips towards the centre to allow rain to flow away into the river.
The connotation with suspiros (sighs) is still under debate. Some say, it refers to the sighs of prisoners condemned to death by firing squad when they descended to the riverbank below to meet their maker, others say it refers to the moaning of the wind when it flows over the rough pavement, but most historians believe that the pleasurable moanings of lovers are to blame, as the stone houses served as bordellos around 1900 ... |
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| The cobble stoned sidewalks and streets are relatively cool under their canopy of trees. During my visit, temperatures reached the mid thirties... |
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| El Viejo Almacen de Fabeiro, a historic supply shop, is now one of the most popular luncheon spots on the Plaza |
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| Local Uruguayan cervecza, as cool and as tasty as can be... |
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| An unexpected added pleasure - impromptu accordion concert..... |
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| Sunset over the Rio de la Plate |
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The sun seems to sink into the slow moving river. People gather at the shore to watch it disappear over the horizon...
Jorge Paez Vilaro, Uruguayan Painter. His house is a restaurant now; it houses many of his works....apart from being probably the best restaurant in Colonia. |
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| There it is La Casa de Jorge Paez Vilaro |
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| Gancho.....the artistic version |
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| Milonga scene.....Well, 18.000 US and up....he is indeed a very well known artist, whose paintings can be found on Google and his history in Wikipedia. |
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| The Lighthouse beside the Plaza Mayor del 25 de Mayo. It is constructed amidst the ruins of an old Franciscan Convent, which was built in 1694. The convent burnt down in 1704; the lighthouse was constructed in 1857. One may climb up there and get a bird's eye view of the surroundings. It is a working lighthouse, and still emits its signature flash every nine seconds. |
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| Lined up along the River....waiting for the 'Green Flash' |
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| .....and after the Green Flash, turn 180 degrees and watch the moon rise over Colonia - quite romantic! |
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| Characteristic street lights illuminate the passages as soon as the sun has disappeared.... |
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| Typical road construction in Colonia's historic centre |
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| Too late for lunch and still too early for dinner, restaurants are deserted. |
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| Empty sidewalks whilst everyone enjoys the last light of the evening by the river.... |
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| A few antique wrecks are parked since forever in El Centro, a 1952 Citroen and a 1929 Ford along this narrow road must be the most photographed cars in Uruguay. |
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| Ruins of the old convent at the base of the light house. |
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| Remnants of the old city wall and portal, with a drawbridge on the far side. |
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| Up the Calle de Suspiros, which extracts it's sighs today, as one clambers up suffering from furnace heat.... |
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| Characteristic lanterns of old, now powered by energy saving electric bulbs... |
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| Definitely not meant for promenading dressed in platform shoes.... |
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| El Faro... |
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| A hot afternoon under shade giving umbrellas... |
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| El restaurante de Jorge, the painter. Dinner with a glass of tinto was definitely delicious, and one had plenty of time to appreciate his art. |
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| A few more 'oldies' lining the streets... |
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| The second most visible beacons in Colonia, twin bell towers of the Cathedral |
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| Yes, this place is old.... |
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| Roof tiles same as are in use in Portugal.... |
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| Jorge Paez Vilaro's image of Carlito....who could mistake that smile! |
