I took a buquebus (a ferry) to Uruguay yesterday. Fortunately, it’s a rather large ferry so it weathered the waters well. The waters of the Río de la Plata are normally fairly calm, but it was windy and rainy, so the water was choppy. The Río de la Plata is considered the widest river in the world. I looked it up because I wondered where the river ends and the Atlantic Ocean begins. If you look at a satellite photo of the area, it becomes pretty obvious. The brown, muddy part is the river and as soon as it hits the Atlantic, it turns almost instantly blue. Anyway, it’s very wide and the ride was a little over an hour long.
I arrived in the small city of Colonia del Sacramento late in the afternoon and went straight to my hostel. Like I said, it was windy and rainy and cold. I decided to stay here two nights so I’d have a good chance to see the town.
When I first went out this morning, trying to find out why this town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, I found a lot of very pretty tree-lined streets.
Most streets are cobblestone like this. Very pretty, but World Heritage? Hhhmmm…I couldn’t figure it out.
Then I turned a corner.
Looks like potential.

 

I saw this at the top of the street.

Classic! There were a few around town, but I thought this one was the best.

 

 

Colonia is one of the oldest towns in Uruguay, founded by the Portuguese in 1680.

 

This is a kapok tree. I’ve never seen one before, but I recognized it right away because of the fuzzball seed pods. (You’ll probably need to click on the photo to see them better). The white flowery looking things fluff out to look like cotton and it’s been used to produce fabric for time out of mind. Being a fabric nut, I found it a pretty cool thing to see.
Also, being a fabric nut, I was drawn to these lace curtains. Real lace. Anyone who knows the difference between crochet and lace appreciates these as much as I do.
Handmade gorgeousness.

I love, love, love the brick / rock work of this wall.

Having a little fun with the photo.
View of the Río de la Plata.
I didn’t take many photos of buildings here. I don’t know, I guess I just found the quirky little details more interesting, somehow.
I thought the bricks in this arch looked like books on shelves.

 

How much is that camera in the window?

 

Let ’em lie.

 

 

Just one more – it’s a Ford!

 

Larry’s still my favorite.