The main town square had some buildings with the immense doors I’ve been admiring in Buenos Aires. The small houses were well kept with trim lawns and big shady trees all around. We found a small outdoor market where local crafts and handiwork was sold. I’ve read that some people live in Colonia or on the shores or Uruguay and commute to Buenos Aires for work, and many Portenos own vacation homes in Punte del Esta, on the coast further east of Montevideo.

While walking in the morning we saw this group marching, singing and playing their drums. I was going to ask someone about it but didn’t remember by the end of the day. If anyone has more information about this, (especially the gentleman in the top hat), I’d love to know more. e.mail me Scooters and bikes are the best form of transportation in Colonia, so we rented bikes from Thrifty and headed up a path along the beach. The beach was small and rocky, but the surrounding hills and countryside along the shores of the bay were absolutely beautiful. Using my small map of the town, we took a circular tour a few miles inland. Leaving the beach we headed into the more rural part of town (well rural compared to the Cobblestone village).

Biking over a hill an old Bullfighting Stadium came into view. Then further inland an old church ?? where through my butchered Spanish I asked a boy there cleaning permission to enter and take some pictures.

Most of the houses had wonderful leafy green pants and big trees in the yards, and I was surprised to bike around a corner and have a horse staring me in the face from a fenced yard.

Every house we passed had a kettle in their front yard near the street. At first we thought they were barbeques, and the folks of Uruguay were just passionate about outdoor cooking. We asked around and found out they were simply receptacles to hold trash until pick up.

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