A quick ferry ride to neighboring Uruguay to explore the historic streets of the Unesco World Heritage town of Colonia del Sacremento? Okay! Simon was particularly excited about this activity planned for our final day in BA and despite the challenges of no running water in our AirBnB (mmhm) and our inability to snag a taxi, we finally found our way to the Buquebus terminal, got our Uruguay passport stamps, and boarded the boat.
After a rocky ride we disembarked at the terminal a short walk from the historic quarter of Colonia, which was founded in 1680 and evokes old Lisbon with its Portuguese influenced architecture and cobbled, winding streets. The town is on the Rio de la Plata, across the way from Argentina, and obviously caters mostly to tourists. It was a gorgeous day so we strolled along the waterfront of the former Portuguese fort, admiring the brightly colored flowering trees, colonial buildings, and rough brown river water lapping at the shores. After stopping at some shops and climbing the lighthouse for panoramic views, we popped into a lunch spot I had read about before leaving the US. El Buen Suspiro was situated on one of the oldest streets in the historic part of town - Calle de los Suspiros (the Street of Sighs). We tucked ourselves into a cute corner of the outdoor courtyard and dug into a delicious spread of meats, cheeses and fresh bread. Yum! The ride back to Argentina was slightly less rocky and we relaxed aboard the Buquebus playing gin and enjoying the sun. This extra little journey was a great transition from the hubbub of big city Buenos Aires to our next destination - south to Patagonia!
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