Today we took a high speed catamaran over to Colonia del Sacramento Uruguay and spent a delightful two days doing walking tours and just relaxing in the many parks checking out the old buildings and the many species of birds and of course, having great meals at the out door cafes. History: Colonia del Sacramento (formerly the Portuguese Colónia do Sacramento) is a city in southwestern Uruguay, by the Rio de la Plata, facing Buenos Aries, Argentina.  It is the oldest town in Uruguay and capital of the departamento of Colonia. It has a population of 21,714 (2004 census). It is renowned for its historic quarter, a World Heritage Site.   Modern Colonia del Sacramento produces textiles and has a free trade zone, in addition to a polytechnic center and various government buildings. Founded in 1680 by Portugal as Colónia do Sacramento, the colony was later disputed by the Spanish who settled on the opposite bank of the river at Buenos Aires. The colony was conquered by José de Garro in 1680, but returned to Portugal the next year. It was conquered again by the Spanish in March 1705 after a siege of five months, but given back in the Treaty of Utrecht. Another attack during the Spanish-Portuguese War, 1735-1737, failed. It kept changing hands from crown to crown due to treaties such as the Treaty of Madrid in 1750 and the Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1777, until it remained with the Spanish. It then transferred to Portuguese control again, and later to the Brazilians after 1816, when the entire Banda Oriental (Uruguay) was seized by the Rio de Janeiro government and renamed the Cisplatina province. Now part of the independent country of Uruguay, Colonia del Sacramento has expanded to the north and east, but the original Barrio Histórico (historic quarter) retains its irregular, terrain-fitting street plan built by the Portuguese, contrasting with the wider, orthogonal calles in the newer Spanish area.
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November 07, 2009	This morning we will take a ferry or boat to Colonia del Sacrement, Uruguay, the first city in South America to be on the World Heritage listing.  We will stay two nights there.  We got off the boat and were given an hour of history on a walking tour of the down town.  We then went to the hotel and had a late lunch and then walked back down town and checked out a bed and breakfast so we could transfer there the next day. We had dinner at the hotel and by then were tired and went to bed early to be ready for the next day.
November 08, 2009	We decided to change hotels in the morning and get a bed and breakfast with lots of charm.   We walked around the town so often that we started to know the area quite well. We found a great out door cafe and relaxed and had a nice lunch. We also sat in the main square and relaxed under the palms and trees and watched the green parrots make nests along with small song birds and other birds. We then finally after almost two weeks and no shopping, stopped at a shop we liked and proceeded to buy most of the things we wanted to take back!

Buquebus Hydrofoil to Colonia and Photos of the Old City ----------------------------
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Leaving the water front of Buenos Aries, all new high rise condos!		Our super fast Buquebus to Colonia del Sacramento.
The fort was built by the Portuguese but the Spanish came in and destroyed it and rebuilt it to suit their needs plus erase the Portuguese influence.
This street was originally a prostitute lane, and it is still legal in Uruguay.		Take a leisurely ride by carriage.
Relaxing while overlooking the town.		Streets were very rough to walk on but so scenic!
Looking toward a cafe and church.		We loved the many types of stone and brick used to build the structures.
This was one of the older public buildings.		And a nice staircase inside.
One of the many parks.		Lots of outdoor dining!

Bed and Breakfast Hotel full of Angles ----------------------------
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The Posada del Angel was only a block from the river and two from the town.		Nice lobby and sky light!
Cozy breakfast area.		Small but nice pool and grounds, so relaxing!
Doors to our bedroom!		We had to laugh at the cupids flying around the bed!