Nick, Chanda, and Todd play near the shore in Colonia del Sacramento, Uraguay.

Journal and photo by Chanda Baggarly

Nick, Todd and I went to Uruguay for the day. A three-hour boat ride across the River Plate from Buenos Aires can get you to a little town in Uruguay called Colonia del Sacramento.

We left Buenos Aires without a clear plan. We decided to just wing it; I knew of a good hotel and had read about some good restaurants. The historical town is small; you could walk through it and stop for ice cream in an hour, so there is not much to think about planning-wise.

We arrived at 4:00 a.m. Although there were a few people out and about, the town was quiet and calm. We walked about 8 blocks to Posada Don Antonio and knocked on the door. Pablo, the owner, greeted us with a smile as if he was expecting us, and let us in. The Posada Don Antonio is a 200+ years old, fully restored, Spanish villa. Beautiful. And only $15 USD per night.

Colonia is a UNESCO historical site. It is a charming little coastal town dating back to the 17th century. Colonia has wonderful old Portuguese colonial architecture, sycamore-lined streets, cobblestone lanes, and the oldest church in Uruguay, the Iglesia Matriz del Santisimo Sacramento, which dates from 1699. We hear that there is an old bull ring worth checking out, too, but we didn't make it. The bull ring is the only one in Uruguay and apparently never used, as bullfighting was abolished shortly after the ring was built.

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