South American Ships Sail into Boston and Spanish Soccer

Can you see the Colombian flag?

In my future brother-in-law's apartment in Colombia, there is a painting of a ship over the fireplace. My fiance explained to me that this ship was very important to Colombians, and it meant a lot to his brother who had trained aboard the ship when he was in the Colombian Navy. La Gloria is a old ship from 1968, and it is a source of pride for the Colombians in the same way the U.S.S. Constitution aka Old Ironsides is a symbol and source of pride to Bostonians. La Gloria's sister ship, Las Guayas, is also in town. Las Guayas was built by the same company, but it is owned by Ecuador.

Las Guayas is in front and La Gloria is in back.

About to board ship

As we start to approach the ships, in true Latin style, music was playing. I think I heard Andean music coming from the Ecuadorian ship, and I know I heard Colombian music on the La Gloria. It was actually fun because as we walked around the boat we were swaying to the music.

Once we boarded the boat, we were given complimentary Colombian bracelets from Bancolombia encouraging us to get a loan and buy property down there. They were actual leather bracelets decorated with palma de iraca on each side.

Leather bracelets with palma de iraca

The ship was so beautiful. I was impressed with their attention to detail.  For example, the ropes are decorated with the colors of the Colombian flag, and the stairs have the name of the ship on every step.

 

                
















After seeing the ships, we decided to go watch the end of the 2012 Eurocup match. It was great to see Spain win their 3rd major championship. (2008 Eurocup, 2010 World Cup, and 2012 Eurocup). This makes me excited for the upcoming Olympics which I will see in Uruguay.

I like the phrase Ecuador had on their sail - "Love life". I know I surely do. I love taking advantage of all the beautiful things Boston has to offer, and I love sharing special moments with the ones I love. It's a great way to go about the world.