I am super excited to be in Uruguay. Prior to my trip, this was one of the countries I was most looking forward to visiting. I think of Uruguay & I think of beautiful somewhat isolated beaches on the Atlantic. That’s definitely not what Colonia del Sacramento is but the more I read & heard about it, the more excited I grew to visit. It’s an easy 1hr ferry ride from Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires but it’s like a whole different world. Colonia is a colonial city, the oldest in Uruguay, located right on the Rio de la Plata & it’s small (population of 20k), quaint, tranquil & picturesque with charming streets & shops & wonderful food & wine (tannat is their prominent red grape & I enjoyed sampling several wineries). It was such a welcomed reprieve from non-stop BA action. It seems there’s a bunch of Argentine day-trippers that visit but they thankfully don’t overwhelm & when they leave, they miss out on the lovely quiet nights at cafes with live music under the stars. I spent a lazy 4 days largely not leaving the old town so I mean real lazy & it was exactly what I needed.