Mopeds and Sighs

I just spent the weekend in Colonia, Uruguay. It was my first time traveling since February and it was amazing. Colonia is a city founded by the Portugueses in 1680 as a smuggling port into Buenos Aires. In the 1770s, Spain conquered it and it finally won its autonomy with Uruguay in the 1820s. It is a tourist attraction and rightly so. Cobblestone streets and houses remain from the 1600s, and its on the water. It's breathtaking. The people live simply, love their little city, speak slowly and beautifully, and drink more mate per person than any other place in the world.

Highlights of my trip:
-- Street of Sighs. First off, best street name ever. Second, it was the street of true "kilombos" (brothels, the word now used in Argentine slang as "a mess") in the 1700s -- photo above. All the houses and street remain from that época. Yeah, history!
-- Omar's moped. While walking around, I met Omar, who has lived in Colonia for over 50 years. He offered to take me to the Plaza de Toros, the only bull-fighting stadium así in S. America. It was used a few times then abandoned. Secret of my life: sometimes I act like I know what people say, but I really haven't a clue. This was one of those times. All I knew was that this was an old uruguayan offering to show me something 3 km out of the city by way of moped. Heck yes! So I spent the afternoon with Omar riding around the coast and through small neighborhoods and climbing inside an abandoned Plaza de Toros -- picture above. I LOVE life.
-- Chivitos. Typical Colonia dish: steak covered in ham, cheese, bacon and hard-boiled egg. With french fries. Yep. I ate it. TWICE. In one day. (I didn't intend to, life just happens... chivitos happen.)
-- I spent my days purusing the historical district, making friends with old ladies in museums, hanging out in tea houses, and the night, listening to old uruguayan men in a rock band and then sitting on the water under a full moon enjoying silence and stars...

Picturesque? Yes. Will it get me through the next three weeks of hell (=UBA finals)? I sure hope so. Do I want to return someday? Heck yes. With Omar.