Trip to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay

So, I'm actually keeping my promise this time by uploading some of my travel pics! Today (yes, TODAY) my family and myself went to Colonia del Sacramento, a place designated as a World Heritage Site by the one and only, UNESCO. While I was surfing online, looking for places to visit in Uruguay, I discovered this place. I was so beguiled by the beautiful pictures of the old-fashioned streets, that I knew I had to visit it. We were originally planning to go to San José de Mayo, but since we were only a couple hours away from Colonia, we thought: why not? 

It was raining (damn you, clouds and science!) when we left our house. Our happy spirits remained, however, for we hoped that the rain would stop by the time we arrived. Unfortunately, it didn't. 

We drove for about three hours whilst staring at the gorgeous, peaceful scenery that was laid in front of us. I was very much reminded of the places mentioned in books like Jane Eyre or Pride & Prejudice...if you know what I mean. Just imagine endless fields of grass, cows, green forests, farms, and just about anything else that's considered pastoral. But there were some odd things: 1) there were palm trees. I mean lots and lots of them. So imagine a pastoral countryside with a mix of California 2) there were barely any hills. The place was completely flat! 

It was a bit foggy due to the rain, but that only made everything look cozier. I absolutely loved every minute of the ride. I usually fall asleep, for I get bored rather quickly -- I mean, staring at cows and sheep can get quite boring -- but not this time. 

About an hour and a half into our drive, we stopped somewhere to freshen up. The place was a mixture of things -- a restaurant, a hotel, a resting area, a horse-riding area, and all that jazz. It's great for large groups, as the place is gigantic and has enough activity options to keep anyone entertained (there's even a pool!). If anyone wants information, we managed to get a card. 

It was run by an extremely friendly family and a odd looking cat. The entire place screamed "vintage," and those of you who know how I am, I am totally into that kind of stuff. I'm a hipster at heart. Anything that looks like a cottage or old is like...like Nutella for chocolate lovers.

Two words: cute wagons. Now take that and add: cute horses. Cute horses and cute wagons. That's another way to get the attention of a teenage-wannabe-hipster. Due to the rain (and the fact that we were on our way to Colonia), we didn't get to go on the wagons, but they were incredibly tempting! 

         

There's a whole shelf of old milk jugs, suitcases, and other misc. items! My gosh, I think I may be in hipster heaven! 

There were all sorts of odd looking things hanging on the wall. 

There was a cozy fireplace, too, which made everything even more perfect!

We were sat next to the fireplace. Once we were all cozy and ready to take a nap, my father ordered some cafe con leche (coffee with milk. Basically a latte) and hot cocoa. They came in three little jug-like things. I downed a cup of cocoa and coffee. Maybe that's the reason why I can't seem to fall asleep right now. 

Once we finished our drinks, the friendly person who brought us the coffees and cocoas took us around the place. I, unfortunately, missed the tour as I was busy talking to the cat (which had blue eyes, by the way) outside. But I managed to snap a few photos. 

Then we continued on with our journey...

DUN DUN DUN. Dramatic music. I regret that I didn't take any photos of the actual streets. Adorned with cute little restaurants, coffee shops, and ice-cream shops, the streets of Colonia were breathtaking. It was right by the ocean, which made it even more attractive. The main reason I couldn't take any photos is the rain. It wasn't pouring, but it was drizzling a bit (and it was quite windy as well) and I didn't feel comfortable squelching around in the rain. But I know that there tons of other pictures of Colonia online, so don't be too disappointed! 

The streets really do look as beautiful as the pictures online. It really made me feel like I was walking through a scene in a story...except in the rain, of course. The odd thing is that even though the weather wasn't exactly the best, there were a lot of people around! The restaurants were bustling with people, some were walking down the streets with umbrellas and plastic rain coats, and so on! 

There are many boutiques and souvenir shops lined up in these streets. Keep your eyes peeled for special stores like these. Our family found an adorable boutique in which they sold cute clothes, accessories and other goods at a fair price. 

Just a warning to those who are excited to take photos in Colonia -- be careful of the stores' rules. Some stores prohibit visitors from taking photos. I didn't realize this and snapped away. Thankfully, there was a storeowner who alerted me that there are certain stores that don't allow this, so I was cautious. The next store I went to was one of them. It's such a shame, because that store was filled with cameras, books, tennis rackets, broken clocks, coins, stones, and dolls from ages ago. 

After walking around the streets for quite a while, we decided it was time to eat. It was way past lunch, but you know Uruguayans -- they eat late. Because the Belgium - Argentina game was on, many of the restaurants were crowded with people glued to the TV. 

We were recommended by some female storeowners to this restaurant called Mercosur, so as expected, that is where we ate our lunch. It's a family restaurant and its popular dishes are the meats. The pizza, however, also looked pretty good. And I don't think I would've minded the chivitos as well. We ordered a combination of meats (two-persons portion), which came with french fries, as well was a litre of gas water. The total cost was somewhere around 800 Uruguayan pesos (we paid in dollars: ~36$). It's a reasonable price -- I mean, we're four people and we were stuffed. 

However, if you're not in to meats, I really wouldn't recommend this dish. My poor mother and sister, who can't stand the smell of meat-y meats, didn't have much to eat. They kept insisting we order spaghetti and pizza, but I refused! I didn't come all the way to Colonia to eat pizza -- I wanted Uruguayan dishes! 

The food was okay, but not exactly MINDBLOWINGLY AWESOME. Due to my lack of knowledge and experience of other restaurants in Colonia, I can't make comparisons, but...there are many restaurants in Colonia. Exploring is good. The food's decent, though. 

Bad sides: It's a tad bit pricey, but then again, everything in Uruguay is hella expensive. Second, the service isn't exactly the best. The waiters are a bit slow and forgetful. Third, it's also quite crowded. If you're looking for a calm area, this is not the place for you. 

Mercosur Reviews on Trip Advisor

Warnings and tips: this restaurant has a strange system with credit cards. They don't seem to accept them. So remember to take cash.