Arrived in Colonia del Sacramento on 23rd December and checked into the very cosy Posada del Flor. The Posada is on the banks of the River Plata and a stones throw from the cobblestone streets of the barrio historico, designated a world heritage site.
Spent our first afternoon exploring the small town and enjoying the views over the river to Buenos Aires as we ate our lunch. Dave was still suffering with the lurgy he picked up back in Punta del Diablo so we returned to the hotel to relax on the roof terrace, me with a glass of wine, Dave with flu tablets and cough medicine.
We awoke on Christmas Eve to torrential rain and a fairly hefty storm and hoped that this didn't mean an end to our hopes for a sunny and hot Christmas. Amused ourselves during the wet weather trying to master the art of Mate (pronounced Marr-tey) drinking; Mate is a herbal tea which is an obsession here in Uruguay. It is unusual to see any person walking down the street without their mate cup in hand and a thermos tucked under their arm. There is a very specific way to arrange the mate leaves in the gourd (cup especially for the tea) and then how to put the bombilla (metal straw for drinking the tea through) is a whole skill in itself! Thankfully the storm abated after lunch and we left the Mate lesson behind and ventured back into the town to enjoy the beautiful streets of Colonia.
Christmas Eve here in Uruguay is when everyone enjoys their main Christmas meal and celebrations; the restaurants were full of festive family groups and at midnight the skies exploded with fireworks to welcome in Christmas day. This year our Christmas gift was a gorgeously sunny and warm day when we awoke on the 25th. We decided to hire some bikes and cycle along to the beaches which are on the shores of the Rio Plata and just on the outskirts of Colonia. Enjoyed a few hours on the bikes and then chilled out in the sun on the beach. On our return to the town we enjoyed a Christmas beer in one of the river front establishments;the sun was beating down and it felt very strange to be hunting out shade from the sun on Christmas day.
We chose a lovely open air restaurant for our Christmas meal and enjoyed a mountain of barbequed lamb washed down with a not too shabby bottle of red. A very different Christmas day, but a very lovely one!
Boxing day morning bought another window shaking storm and an excuse to watch some English Boxing Day football, unfortunately Stoke didn't manage to deliver a late Christmas present. The afternoon bought clear skies our way once more and we made our way to the old lighthouse in the middle of the historical quarter. Dave clambered to the top to take some birds eye photographs of this picturesque town.
Our relaxing Christmas stay came to an end the next day and we climbed aboard the seacat to cross the Rio Plata and head for the lights of Buenos Aires.
Spent our first afternoon exploring the small town and enjoying the views over the river to Buenos Aires as we ate our lunch. Dave was still suffering with the lurgy he picked up back in Punta del Diablo so we returned to the hotel to relax on the roof terrace, me with a glass of wine, Dave with flu tablets and cough medicine. We awoke on Christmas Eve to torrential rain and a fairly hefty storm and hoped that this didn't mean an end to our hopes for a sunny and hot Christmas. Amused ourselves during the wet weather trying to master the art of Mate (pronounced Marr-tey) drinking; Mate is a herbal tea which is an obsession here in Uruguay. It is unusual to see any person walking down the street without their mate cup in hand and a thermos tucked under their arm. There is a very specific way to arrange the mate leaves in the gourd (cup especially for the tea) and then how to put the bombilla (metal straw for drinking the tea through) is a whole skill in itself! Thankfully the storm abated after lunch and we left the Mate lesson behind and ventured back into the town to enjoy the beautiful streets of Colonia.
Christmas Eve here in Uruguay is when everyone enjoys their main Christmas meal and celebrations; the restaurants were full of festive family groups and at midnight the skies exploded with fireworks to welcome in Christmas day. This year our Christmas gift was a gorgeously sunny and warm day when we awoke on the 25th. We decided to hire some bikes and cycle along to the beaches which are on the shores of the Rio Plata and just on the outskirts of Colonia. Enjoyed a few hours on the bikes and then chilled out in the sun on the beach. On our return to the town we enjoyed a Christmas beer in one of the river front establishments;the sun was beating down and it felt very strange to be hunting out shade from the sun on Christmas day.
We chose a lovely open air restaurant for our Christmas meal and enjoyed a mountain of barbequed lamb washed down with a not too shabby bottle of red. A very different Christmas day, but a very lovely one!
Boxing day morning bought another window shaking storm and an excuse to watch some English Boxing Day football, unfortunately Stoke didn't manage to deliver a late Christmas present. The afternoon bought clear skies our way once more and we made our way to the old lighthouse in the middle of the historical quarter. Dave clambered to the top to take some birds eye photographs of this picturesque town.
Our relaxing Christmas stay came to an end the next day and we climbed aboard the seacat to cross the Rio Plata and head for the lights of Buenos Aires.
No comments:
Post a Comment