Originally, we had wanted to go to a town in Argentina called Salta, where an amazing high altitude train supposedly ran a day long trip on Saturdays. However, we had called ahead and determined that the train hasn´t been running for at least a year. Instead, we thought we would stay at an estancia, one of the famous Argentinian ranches where you could hang out away from the bustle of the city, see gouchos in action, and eat great beef. We figured we´d just book when we got to Buenos Aires, but unfortunately, we didn´t count on Semana Santa. Easter week is such a big travel week there that everything even remotely close was completely booked. So, we went to Plan C, a trip across the river to Colonia, Uruguay.
Buenos Aires is next to the biggest river I have ever seen. When we flew in, I literally thought we were next to the ocean, because I couldn´t see across. A whole bunch of rivers come together here and form a the Rio de la Plata, which must be about 40 miles wide in BA and gets as wide as almost 100 miles wide at the delta. I have never seen anything like it. Across the river is Uruguay, and we figured we might as well check it out and get a stamp from one more country while we were at it, so we booked a day trip to Colonia for Friday.
The ship that crossed the river fit the river perfectly. It was huge - maybe 100 feet wide and holding several hundred people, a parking area downstairs for lots of cars, three classes of service, several snack bars, and a whole duty free shopping area. It was quite impressive, and it got us across the river quickly in about an hour.
Colonia was a welcome reprieve from the craziness of the big city. It was so mellow that it took us a couple hours to adjust. Once we were used to it, we enjoyed strolling around this small colonial town with its cafes, squares, and lighthouse with an overhead view. It gave us the energy to make it through the weekend in Buenos Aires.
Originally, we had wanted to go to a town in Argentina called Salta, where an amazing high altitude train supposedly ran a day long trip on Saturdays. However, we had called ahead and determined that the train hasn´t been running for at least a year. Instead, we thought we would stay at an estancia, one of the famous Argentinian ranches where you could hang out away from the bustle of the city, see gouchos in action, and eat great beef. We figured we´d just book when we got to Buenos Aires, but unfortunately, we didn´t count on Semana Santa. Easter week is such a big travel week there that everything even remotely close was completely booked. So, we went to Plan C, a trip across the river to Colonia, Uruguay.
Buenos Aires is next to the biggest river I have ever seen. When we flew in, I literally thought we were next to the ocean, because I couldn´t see across. A whole bunch of rivers come together here and form a the Rio de la Plata, which must be about 40 miles wide in BA and gets as wide as almost 100 miles wide at the delta. I have never seen anything like it. Across the river is Uruguay, and we figured we might as well check it out and get a stamp from one more country while we were at it, so we booked a day trip to Colonia for Friday.
The ship that crossed the river fit the river perfectly. It was huge - maybe 100 feet wide and holding several hundred people, a parking area downstairs for lots of cars, three classes of service, several snack bars, and a whole duty free shopping area. It was quite impressive, and it got us across the river quickly in about an hour.
Colonia was a welcome reprieve from the craziness of the big city. It was so mellow that it took us a couple hours to adjust. Once we were used to it, we enjoyed strolling around this small colonial town with its cafes, squares, and lighthouse with an overhead view. It gave us the energy to make it through the weekend in Buenos Aires.
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