First weekend in Uruguay - Colonia and Uruguayan asado

On Saturday morning, we all got up early to take a bus to Colonia del Sacramento, a historic town that has preserved some of the original houses from the 17th century.

Having fun at the back of the bus!

Heading to Colonia

One of my favorite pictures!

Calle de los Suspiros - Colonia del Sacramento

 

From Colonia, you can also take the ferry to Argentina. I just love saying "Buque Bus". It makes me laugh every time.

Buque Bus

Then, we had lunch together. Lots of yummy pizza.

Cheers to a great exchange!

After, we saw a Plaza de Toros which wasn't really ever used since they banned bullfighting shortly after. Now, it sits abandoned.

Former Plaza de Toros in Colonia

From there, we went to an artisan market where I got to buy some souvenirs to take home. At that point, we started to head back to Montevideo. I checked out of my hotel since I was going to be staying at my host's home on Saturday night.

On Sunday, we slept in and had bizcochos for breakfast. We did a few errands before heading to my host's parents' house for an asado. They made me try everything. It's funny how the still have asado even in the winter. For us, BBQs are only really for summer (for at least us New Englanders). It was delicious especially the homemade chimichurri sauce. The dessert was great, too! It was a crust topped with dulce de leche and then coconut. Yum! Then, we sat by the fire and talked.

Grilling!

Asado Uruguayo

 Chimneys or wood stoves are common in Uruguay since they have no heating system built into the house. In most of the US, we would die because there are so many places that get artic cold with heavy amounts of snow. I haven't sat by a real fire in so long since my parents switched to a gas fireplace years ago. I miss the real thing so I sat as close as I could (until I started to sweat). Great way to unwind after a busy week and to prepare for the week ahead at school!

Sitting by the fireplace