Colonia del Sacramento

One of trips took us across the Rio de la Plata to the pretty colonial town of Colonia de Sacramento in Uraguay. Colonia was used as a battleground between the Portuguese and the Spanish for years, eventually ending up as a Spanish colony. Regardless of the fighting, the small port has kept many of its colonial buildings in tact and now exhibits a pretty charm that sends you back to days gone by.

We spent the night in Colonia on the advice that the town had a different feel at night and looked particularly pretty lit up by the traditional street lamps. The advice was right and we thoroughtly enjoyed ourselves in this pretty little town.

There are plenty of quality artisan shops with sculpture, art, jewellery and woodwork. The quality a step higher than much of the touristy tat seen in many of the South American cities. There is definitely an arty sense in the air and many of the restaurants take on this charm too. One little corner bistro bar called El Drugstore had kitch art inside and black, antique cars outside. One car was used as a plant pot, the other had it´s inside converted into a dining table and chairs - definitely one for the car lovers.

The port is also famed for it's beautiful sunsets and we were blessed with one as we whiled away the afternoon on the decking of a bar. Picture perfect and no wonder the town is a UNESCO site.

Tired and exhausted, we slept on the boat trip back to Buenos Aires.