As I mentioned last week, we had the opportunity to meet up with Rhys in Medellin for an XL weekend. In 1993, Medellin was one of the most dangerous cities in the world and in 2013 it was named “Innovative City of the Year” by the Wall Street Journal, Citibank and the Urban Land Institute. Many people have told us that this is a favorite city to visit in South America and the 36 Hours in the NY Times looked amazing. So far, it has met up to the hype.
We arrived midday on Thursday and made our way to our hotel in the tony El Poblado neighborhood. We booked a two bedroom apartment for the four of us to share at the Sites Hotel. After some initial confusion, we left our bags and headed over to Lleras Park area for lunch and our first Juan Valdez coffee. The apartment and hotel are first class and were VERY reasonable due to a strong dollar.
Rhys met us in the evening and we loved seeing her for the first time in months. We caught up over drinks with her and her friend Alli who was also stopping in Medellin.
Friday morning, Stacy, Neal and I took a city tour to get oriented. We used Landventures Travel which was recommended by Medellin Living. Our tour guide, Alejandra, was amazing. We started in a park called Nutibara which had a replica of a traditional village and a fabulous view.
Then, we went to the Centro area and checked out the Botero Plaza. I am a big fan and we had fun snapping photos and buying great coffee at El Labratorio de Cafe.
Next we jumped on the Metro to take a cable car ride to see the amazing views. This is the only metro system in Columbia and the cable cars have revolutionized how people in poorer areas of the city get around. They also offer amazing views. It was a bit like the Staten Island Ferry. We rode to the end and came back down. On the way back, we stopped at the Botanical Garden. It is free and pretty fab! We want to go back to see more.
We headed back and picked up Rhys. After a light lunch, we jumped back on the Metro to Botero Plaza and went to the Casa de la Memoria, “House of Memory Museum,” which commemorates the people who died in the violence in their country’s civil wars and political battles. It was fascinating and very interactive.
In the evening, we dined at Carmen in El Poblado. It was recommended by pretty much every source, and everyone we met, and it met up to the hype. It was absolutely delicious and a terrific setting. We loved our food and had a lot of laughs.
On Saturday, we got up bright and early for a day trip to El Penol and Guatape. Andres from Landventures picked us up and we took the winding roads to El Penol. This enormous rock formation has 700+ stairs to climb. The area is also at 7000 ft of elevation. We flatlanders worked up a sweat but it was worth it. The view was phenomenal.
After El Penol, we went to the town of Guatape where there is a beautiful traditional town with colorful artwork and friendly people. We walked around, learned a little, had a delicious lunch and coffee plus an Arequipa (delicious dessert).
We headed back did a little shopping in El Poblado. We got some wine, local beer and snacks and caught up on email, etc. In the evening, we had a delicious dinner at Osea, a local food restaurant with a small, but delicious menu.
Today, we are going to check out the Ciclovia. They close main avenues where we are staying in El Poblado for bikers and runners. We will go for a run and then we plan to take another cable car to visit Park Avri, a large park with amazing vistas and hiking trails.
It has been a terrific trip! It is great to reconnect with Rhys and to learn about this fantastic city. It also reignited our travel bug. Must plan out next vacation STAT.
Thanks for joining me on this little adventure! I hope that your weekend has been terrific so far, too!