Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

From downtown Buenos Aires, it is possible to get a ferry to Uruguay. It only takes about an hour. I pretty much couldn't resist seeing a new place and getting another stamp in my passport.

I took the afternoon boat from Buenos Aires across the Rio de la Plata and landed in Colonia at around dusk. I headed to my very cozy accommodation and looked forward to seeing the town in the morning.

Colonia del Sacramento is a historic town, it was founded by the Portuguese in 1680 in order to smuggle goods across the Rio de la Plata into Buenos Aires. It is now a UNESCO heritage site and a popular site for weekend visitors from Buenos Aires.

The next morning I set off along the cobbled streets to explore the town.

I arrived at a lighthouse that overlooked the town and climbed up the tightly winding staircase to the top.

I stopped in at some of the little museums in the area. They were full of historical artifacts and included some collections of dried tropical animals - including a taxidermied piranha.

I had some lunch and kept roaming, this time past a historic fortress, complete with cannons.

Buenos Aires.

 After exploring this lovely little town, I headed back to the ferry and back across the Rio de la Plata towards downtown Buenos Aires.

---