day four–La Candelaria and ice cream

We spent Saturday sightseeing in the historic district of the city, La Candelaria. There are many old beautiful buildings from colonial times. This particular part of the city is very reminiscent of  Western Europe–go figure. We spent most of our time wandering through the plazas and museums of which there are dozens. This area of town is also where the political heart of the city lies. Plaza de Bolivar (pictured to the left) was packed with pigeons, people, and cotton candy. We can’t wait to take the kids there next week. I want to show them President Uribe’s house and other important building from their city. Also, the children will go nuts when they see all the pigeons they can feed and scare away. Adam will be solely in charge of Juan Pablo on that day!

After eating lunch at McDonalds (I know, but we were really hungry), we walked down Carrera 7 for a LONG time just wandering the street markets and taking the city in. Since it was Saturday, the streets were packed with families and tourists. We stumbled on a guinea pig race….soooo funny! Here are just a few pics from our self-guided walking tour (thanks, lonely planet). To see some more click here. I can’t say it enough, but we feel absolutely safe here in the city. The taxis are so easy to get around in, and they are very affordable. Whenever we have a question people stop to answer with a friendly smile. The hotel staff is very nice and very professional. And the lovely people we have met here through church have been so very gracious and concerned that we are well taken care of.

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597609After getting back to the hotel we wandered over to Carrefour. Living in Taiwan, Carrefour was a saving grace to both me in Taichung, and Adam in Taipei. We are loyal customers. It is basically a French owned Super Target, usually comprising two stories. There is one attached to the mall that is next to the Radisson, and we were in search of a fan. The rooms get quite stuffy here in the late afternoon and night. But the cheapest one they had cost US $50.00…it’s not that stuffy at night! Oh yeah, we searched for a Wii Fit–just in case. Still no cigar on that one, but they did have a Wii system….US $550.00. That is just for the system–nothing else. Wow! Regardless, we are still searching for the Fit.

We topped our night off with a short taxi ride to Baskin Robins. Oh yeah, and I didn’t feel the least bit guilty since I had walked all day long. And, by the way, Baskin Robins is the first North American indulgence so far that costs roughly the same as at home. Dad, one scoop did not cost $13.00 like in Cancun! Does that mean that mom can go more often here? 🙂 I think my two scoops in a cup was about $3.50. We forgot to take a picture. Oh well, we will be back with children in-tow. Those pictures will be much more interesting.