My Oyster

Colón and Color in Cartagena...

That is Christopher Columbus and some other woman.  The statue is in Plaza de la Aduana – just a few steps from our hotel.

The word "Colombia" comes from the name of Christopher Columbus (Cristóbal Colón in Spanish). It was conceived by the revolutionary Francisco de Miranda as a reference to all the New World, especially to those territories and colonies under Spanish and Portuguese rule.  The name was then adopted by the Republic of Colombia of 1819 formed out of the territories of the old Viceroyalty of New Granada (modern day Colombia, Panama, Venezuela and Ecuador)

Since we are in Colombia, his namesake, I thought it was important to give CC a little play here on my blog.

 

Today Jean and I ventured outside the walled old city to a monastery on the highest hill here in Cartagena.  It was nice and fun getting out into the less preserved and touristy Cartagena.

Here is the monastery on the hill (look past the woman)…

 

And here is the view of the city from the monastery…

 

 

One of the things that Jean really enjoys about Cartagena is the colors – the Caribbean influence.  Here are a couple colorful shots from today.

The Portal de los Dulces (where they sell good sweets)…

 

And here is the string of gift shops at the Bovedas…

 

And finally, this is the Plaza de los Coches on our way back from dinner.  They sold the slaves in this square just inside the wall…

Capital of the Caribbean - Cartagena de Indias...

That was my entertainment tonight at dinner in Plaza Santo Domingo. This city is too much fun. It is the perfect spot to be on vacation.

Jean and I did as the guide book advised. Just roam the narrow streets of the old, colonial city. We roamed for 10 hours today and stumbled across historic places, odd sites, beautiful sights, artisans, performers, and more good food and drink.

This was the view from our balcony this morning. The dog is adorable.

This is me in Parque De Bolivar – this city’s monument to Simon.

Here is the same park, at night during a coach ride.

Here are Jean and I on the fortress wall that surrounds the old city. We later learned that it took 80K (of the millions) of the slaves brought through Cartagena to build the wall.

We took a tour of the monastery where St. Pedro did his work with the slaves.

We also took a siesta to escape the mid-day heat. This is me in our room – the “Viceroy Suite”. Very nice.

Here is one of the houses we passed.

And here are a couple of the neighbors.

This is the ocean at sunset.

And here are our dinner companions – all of us enjoying the warm breezy night in the open plaza.

It was such a nice first day in Cartagena, that we decided to stay an extra day – so we could roam some more.   More pics here.

Medellin to Cartagena...

I am in Cartagena tonight. The town looks great and I can't wait to start exploring it with Jean. More on this city tomorrow.  Umm, no - the pic above is not Cartagena. 

We spent most of today in Medellin with David, Mauricio, and David's family.

Today we rode the Metro to the cable car and up to the Spain Library. It is amazing. A beautiful modern, art-shaped library built at the top of one of the city's highest slopes. It is also in what was one of the city's poorest and most violent neighborhod. David tells me that it was so violent there in the 80s that the police would not even go in. Pablo Escobar's gangs were often fighting each other and killing lots of others in this very poor neighborhood.

Spain built the library and it has become a model for new approaches to addressing violence and poverty. We were all very moved by it and the neighborhood and the people living there.

More pics from today at the library...

Biblioteca España, originally uploaded by el DVD.

After the library, we went home for lunch with the family - my favorite part of the day - took a quick pic and then said goodbye for now to David's wonderful parents...

These are a few of my favorite (Colombian) things...

Juan Valdez, Mountains, Arequipe, and Flowers.

So I have been to two cities so far in Colombia (Bogota with David and Medellin with Dr. David) – and I am clearly seeing a pattern of what catches my eye and my tongue.

1. Juan Valdez is the king of coffee here. I have not seen a Starbucks (thankfully) anywhere, though I have seen several Dunkin Donuts (oddly). JV is really good stuff – nice and smooth but strong. Their cafes are colorful and fun and usually with outdoor seating areas. And Wifi. I usually order a latte grande with a big dollop of arequipe (see below) in it. The pic above is me and Jean in our matching Juan Valdez hoodies.

2. The Mountains here in Colombia are the Andes - part of a chain that really runs the whole continent but that splits into three branches here in Colombia. The effect is amazing. Medellin is in a valley with a river surrounded by tall peaks and foot hills. As a result, driving is insane. The roads in the city are curvy and narrow and steep. I would never survive here with a car. Especially a standard. This pic below is from one of our drives in the hilly hoods looking down into Medellin…

3. Arequipe. Mmm.  You sweet nectar of life. This stuff is like crack. Maybe a bad analogy here. But it is some addictive flavor. And you can put it in anything or on anything. We have had it in cakes, in puddings, with ice cream, stuffed in plantains. This is David’s sister Christina, who also lives here with David’s parents (and her daughter). She made this Arequipa dessert that was amazing. I have the recipe now – so watch out, it’s coming your way soon…

4. The flowers. Everywhere. Every color. Every shape. They are a real source of pride here. Especially the orchids. I think there are more native varieties of orchids here than anywhere else. Dr. David’s mother has given me a few snippings to bring back to the US. I will keep one as will Jean and the rest will be for gifts. That is if we get them into the country. Everyone seems to have a garden here in Colombia. This is from David’s sister’s house high up in the hills. Apparently the hummingbirds love this flower…

Tomorrow (Saturday) is our last day in Medellin then Jean and I head to Cartagena – unescorted by a native – for some more fun.

Finca, Family & Art...

Colombia June '08 108, originally uploaded by dcjay64.

That is Dr. David’s finca in the mountains north of Medellin. I think finca means little farm, but really, country house seems more accurate.

We spent the day there. It was pure bliss. Heaven. It was once again, the guys – me, Jean, Dr. David, and his father. The house is amazing. Very open – kind of Italian villa style. High ceilings big windows. Hallways that are completely open to the courtyard. 360 degree views of the Andes mountains. A swimming pool and a Jacuzzi in the back garden. It was as beautiful there when it was raining as it was when it was sunny. We spent the day lounging in the water and reading. And eating, of course.

We drove about an hour north and up into the mountains to get there. The closest town to the finca is Barbosa, which was really small and very traditional – with the church on the town square along with a statue of Simon Bolivar – who liberated much of South America – all surrounded by small streets and shops and homes with balconies..

This is me and Jean in front of the main church…

After a day relaxing at the finca, we drove back into Medellin for dinner with David’s brother and his family. That makes 4 of Dr. David’s 10 siblings that we have met (and I think around 8-10 of his nieces and nephews. Dr. David’s brother, Elkin, is an artist. After dinner, he gave us a tour of his work and explained much of his style and inspiration and evolution as an artist. It was great.

This pic is Jean, me, Elkin, and David’s father holding up the 4 pieces that I will be taking back to Washington with me. They will be on display soon…

This city is really growing on me.

Botero in Medellin...

Broken Back - Botero in Medellin, originally uploaded by wsilk1.

We had a packed and fun day today - but I am wiped out so the blog will be a short and lazyish one. Also, it takes me forever to upload pics here, so I am gonna borrow one.

The pic above is of a statue by Fernando Botero. He was from Medellin. Today we went to see his work at Botero Plaza and then went into the Museum of Antioquia to see some of his paintings and works by other Colombian artists.

We headed home for lunch with David's parents and some other family members that stopped by - an aunt, a sister, and a nephew. Lunch lasted a few hours then we took a short siesta and went to see more family - up in the mountains - for dinner.

The family is really at the center of the social structure here and David's family is very fun.

Speaking of David - this link - will take you to a post I did on him more than a year ago. I knew then that I wanted to make a trip to Medellin. Now I have. I am lucky.

More original pics tomorrow.

Medellin's Jardin Botanica...

David's father took us to the gardens in downtown Medellin today.  It was a real treat - full of amazing plants - and colorful people.

Here we are...

David's father gave us quite a tour. I think he was able to identify every plant we saw.

Below I am with some pretty big plaintain trees. We have been eating a LOT of these - in many different dishes and using many different kinds.

Here are some more flowers from today...

Now I am in Medellin...

medellin 1 (HDR), originally uploaded by willy gil.

We got to Medellin tonight and Dr. David met us at the airport.

The drive into the city was down some very steep and narrow and curvy roads. Exciting. Especially with Dr. David. His driving in DC makes me nervous - imagine that on a skinny litte lane perched on the side of a cliff. Eek.

But it is great to be here with him and his family. We had dinner and sat up all night talking and getting to know his parents, sister, and niece.

I had a great pic from tonight of us all, but am having internet issues (using the neighbors wifi) - so I will have to rely on someone else's pic of Medellin.

I hope to upload more tomorrow.

More to come...

Eating my way through Bogota...

Or at least that is how it seems.  But who is complaining?  The food and drink here are amazing!

The pic above is from today's lunch (?) at Andres Carne de Res in a small town called Chia.  The name of the town means "moon" in the indigenous language and I think that the restaurant means something like..."another head of cattle meat" in Spanish.  At least according to Babelfish. 

We (Jean, David, Paola, Guillermo, and Alex) got there this afternoon after a morning of touring.  We were supposed to be there at 11am.  We got there at 230pm and were right on time.  I don't think I will ever quite get the knack of "time management" here and with my Colombian friends in DC.  But things always seem to work out, so...

This restaurant was big, wild, and very festive.  And the food was never-ending and very good.  We were there with Guillermo's family to celebrate his sister's birthday.  Notice the "feliz compleanos" sign peeking through the bottles of cerveza.   

Here are Paola (David's sister) and here fiance Guillermo behind a big grill of meats (pork, chicken, beef, chorizo, blood sausage, intestines, plums wrapped in bacon, and more!) on our table.

We had two of these grills for the 5 of us at our table. We also had breads, plantains, berries, dips, and other stuff too. And drinks.  And desserts. 

Here are Alex, David, me, and Jean at our table.  I think we are catching our breath a bit before more food arrives.

 

But eating lunch for several hours in this restaurant was not all we did today.

We also had breakfast at this place...

This is a tiny family-run restaurant in a little town called Zipaquira.  It is about an hour outside of Bogota and beautiful - with an old colonial town center and surrounded by lush green hills.

This is Zipiquira and its cathedral...

Inside the Cathedral is made of a mix of stone and brick. Very rustic looking and kind of unique - at least for the churches I have been in. This is a statue of Saint Anthony...

I think older, single people pray to him to find a spouse.

We started our day here in Zipiquira with a breakfast of tamales and (hot) chocolate.  We put cheese chunks in the hot chocolate and dipped some great bread in it.  Yum. 

The tamale...

Some of us in the restaurant...

So, we did actually do some touring as well. We actually drove to Zipaquira to see the cathedral built in the local salt mines.

To get to the cathedral, we had to walk 200 meters (more than 650 feet) into the salt mines. A bit creepy but interesting. Here is Jean entering the mine...

The tunnels curve and twist down into the cathedral passing 14 small chapels representing the stations of the cross along the way. The temple at the bottom has three sections, representing the birth, life, and death of Jesus.

This is me at one of the stations/chapels. Not surprisingly, it is dark down there...

It was a great day-trip outside the city.  I don't think we will need to eat again until we get to Medellin.

Fallen Christ to Fire Water...

Those were the bookends of our touring in Bogota today with David, his sister Paola, and her fiance Guillermo. 

They picked us up at the hotel and took us to the highest peak in Bogota - the Monserrate.  It is 10,341 feet above sea level.  For some perspective, Mount Katahdin - the highest point in Maine, is less than half as tall - at 4,292 feet.

At the top of Monserrate is a church (the pic above) with a statue of Senor Caida, or the Fallen Christ.  It has been a major pilgrimmage mecca since the 1650s.  Many miracles have been attributed to it, including that the hair on the Christ statue continues to grow.  See below...

By the time we arrived at the top of Monserrate by cable car we were surrounded by clouds.  We couldn't see much, but it was beautiful.  I think the shroud of fog and clouds added to the mystery of the church.  Here are some more pics of us at Monserrate...

The cable car to the top...

The church at the top of Monserrate...

Doing some shopping behind the church...

Thanksgivings for blessings...

After Monserrate, Guillermo, Paola, and David drove us around Bogota - their home - and pointed out some sights - like the universities, president's house, churches, stadiums, the old town, and more. 

We were all pretty hungry after several hours of touring, so we went to Las Acacias for dinner.  It is a very traditional restaurant with typical Colombian food.  And I mean very traditional.  Here is a video of the Colombian version of Mariachi serenading us with songs from different regions of the country.  Make sure your volume is on...

For dinner we had several shots of aguardiente - Colombian firewater.  It really does warm you up. 

Here is David with the stuff...

 

Our Colombian hosts made sure we had several traditional dishes - and I tried (at least a bit) of it all.  Ajiaco (very yummy soup), blood sausage, cow tongue, tripe soup (mondongo), beef from somewhere in the neighborhood of the stomach (I think), and several other tasty items - including dessert.

Here are Guillermo, Paola, David, and Jean at our table...

It was quite a day.