Views from last night’s run.

Medellin…

 

 

…was awesome. It has a very interesting history but is also very modern.

We stayed in El Poblado, where all the bars/restaurants are. And we were there the weekend of the holiday light festival, so in the photo above, the lights you see behind me are the holiday lights decorating Parque Lleras. The park was a total party- there were groups of friends hanging out & drinking (apparently there’s no open container ban!) then heading to the bars surrounding the park.

Culture-wise, we hit up the Museo de Antioquia and took photos around all the Botero sculptures outside (I love how voluptuous they are). We also spent time up in Parque Arvi, even meeting some really nice locals on our ride over there. All the sites were super easy to reach by using Medellin’s metro system, which includes cable cars.

We ate a lot of empanadas there (they were $1 and so tasty), but had sit-down meals as well. My favorite was at El Graspo de Uva. We had walked by it at one point (it’s in El Poblado) and then I saw this blog post singing its praises, so we went for dinner and loved it.

All in all it was an awesome weekend, and I can now say that Medellin is a great city for exploring.

View of Medellin from the metro cable

Cartagena Sunsets

  



Left photo on the city wall near Las Bovedas, right photo on the rooftop of the Hotel Charleston Santa Teresa

Bogota

 


Most flights to Colombia will take you through Bogota. This was the 2nd time I’ve been to Bogota, and I like the city, but I may skip it next time. But, if you’re there, here’s what I recommend to check out:

La Candelaria - just walk around aimlessly. It’s fun

Monseratte - take the cable car ride up to the chapel, and hope for a cloudless day so you can see all of Bogota

eat/drink at Andres - whether at the original site in Chia or at the new one right in Bogota, it’s such a fun experience

dine at Leo Cocina y Cava. The chef/owner, Leonor Espinosa, puts Colombian food on the map. The ingredients are staples of Colombian food but used in very interesting ways. We had snails, octopus, lobster, and beef medallions. There was sauce made from corozo, and foam made out of… foam? We asked the kitchen to make us their favorite dishes, and they’ve now become ours.

 
La Passion Hotel, Cartagena, Colombia

 

 
Arsenal Hotel Boutique, Cartagena

 
Snacks in Cartagena / Arsenal Hotel Boutique / Getsemani

 

Doors in Cartagena

 
 
Food in Cartagena- Creme brulee at the Sofitel, ceviche at La Cevicheria (2 pics), & gnocchi at El Bistro

Medellin Myths & Legends Parade, Los Alumbrados

 

Medellin Las Velitas / Alumbrado

For such a city girl like me, the perfect bachelorette party is an idyllic escape with friends.