Today I went to Uruguay

June 3

Today I went to Uruguay. I got up early, hopped on an 8:30 high-speed ferry from Buenos Aires, and arrived in the tiny village of Colonia del Sacramento before 10:00 am. Colonia is an ancient colonial outpost, and has changed hands between the Portuguese and Spanish countless times over the centuries.

I really enjoyed my day in Colonia. It was a beautiful walled-in village surrounded by water on three sides. It used to be a military outpost. To visit is to step into the past. The tree-lined streets are paved with cobblestones. The houses are painted in bright colors. Half of the cars are B.N. vintage (Before Nick). It is supposedly a huge tourist trap for Buenos Aires residents fleeing the city during the summer, but since it’s cool here now, Colonia was quiet today. When I arrived this morning, the place was mostly deserted and locals where sweeping away the leaves that had fallen on the sidewalks in front of their homes. I met two nice girls from Canada, and it seemed that I ran into a ton of Germans, too. One minor disappointment: the ice cream was mediocre. The local kids had motorized bikes and were buzzing around all day. They were friendly and gave a thumbs-up. I enjoyed Colonia. It seemed like a tranquil blend of old-world Europe and Latin America.

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