Yes, we are looney, but happy!
Love,
Nancy
Friday, February 7, 2014
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Castle in Medellin, Colombia
Dear Family and Friends,
Chuck and I went trekking out on one last adventure before leaving Colombia.
We went to the former estate of Diego Echavarria Misas. He donated this estate to the city of Medellan when he died.
His death was tragic. He was kidnapped for ransome by Pablo Escobar, the infamous drug lord in 1971. He unfortunately was killed.
Since it is now a museum, we could go inside the home but we could not take pictures. So I took pictures outside.
The drive up to the house was beautiful with moss hanging from the cedar trees.
A view of the front of the house from the formal gardens which made up the front yard.
Lovely grounds.
Orchids blooming.
A colorful bird of paradise
Here is a picture of the back side of the house.
The inside was nice, but even if I could have taken pictures I doubt they would have been very good because the house was dark inside.
Glad we went to see it because we had the perfect weather to enjoy both inside and outside the house.
As you read this we are on our way home to Cuenca, Ecuador.
After we get home I will do an apartment review for our apartment in Medellin.
Thanks for coming along with us to Colombia.
Love,
Nancy
Chuck and I went trekking out on one last adventure before leaving Colombia.
We went to the former estate of Diego Echavarria Misas. He donated this estate to the city of Medellan when he died.
His death was tragic. He was kidnapped for ransome by Pablo Escobar, the infamous drug lord in 1971. He unfortunately was killed.
Since it is now a museum, we could go inside the home but we could not take pictures. So I took pictures outside.
The drive up to the house was beautiful with moss hanging from the cedar trees.
A view of the front of the house from the formal gardens which made up the front yard.
Lovely grounds.
Orchids blooming.
A colorful bird of paradise
Here is a picture of the back side of the house.
The inside was nice, but even if I could have taken pictures I doubt they would have been very good because the house was dark inside.
Glad we went to see it because we had the perfect weather to enjoy both inside and outside the house.
As you read this we are on our way home to Cuenca, Ecuador.
After we get home I will do an apartment review for our apartment in Medellin.
Thanks for coming along with us to Colombia.
Love,
Nancy
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Botanical Gardens of Medellin
Dear Family and Friends,
The other day Chuck and I took the metro train to the botanical gardens here in Medellin. We were wanting a relaxing day and we were not disappointed.
The gardens have no admission fee. This makes it a wonderful place for people to come with their families.
Here is a young guy in a clown costume making balloon animals for the kids. He was a big hit.
The gardens cover a lot of territory and we saw families enjoying picnic lunches all over the place. It has a very tranquil feel and is a great place to go to get out of the bustle of the city.
We found they have a butterfly house. Uh oh, that did it for me. We went to see the butterflies and I went camera crazy. I love butterflies.
Isn't it amazing that they can stand upside down? I wonder what Sir Newton would tell us about this guy?
Nature is so amazing. These guys had a wing span as big as my hand. Look at the camourflage...looks like each one has a large eye on their wings.
This butterfly was my favorite. The sun light made his beautiful blue wings glow.
The flora was nice. A very peaceful place.
Not a lot of blossoms but a few.
There was a beautiful lake filled with water lily plants. Reminded me of Monet.
Wonderful shady places to sit and enjoy your family, fiends and the beauty.
Glad we went. I needed that trip. We really enjoyed it.
Love,
Nancy
The other day Chuck and I took the metro train to the botanical gardens here in Medellin. We were wanting a relaxing day and we were not disappointed.
The gardens have no admission fee. This makes it a wonderful place for people to come with their families.
Here is a young guy in a clown costume making balloon animals for the kids. He was a big hit.
The gardens cover a lot of territory and we saw families enjoying picnic lunches all over the place. It has a very tranquil feel and is a great place to go to get out of the bustle of the city.
We found they have a butterfly house. Uh oh, that did it for me. We went to see the butterflies and I went camera crazy. I love butterflies.
Isn't it amazing that they can stand upside down? I wonder what Sir Newton would tell us about this guy?
Nature is so amazing. These guys had a wing span as big as my hand. Look at the camourflage...looks like each one has a large eye on their wings.
This butterfly was my favorite. The sun light made his beautiful blue wings glow.
The flora was nice. A very peaceful place.
Not a lot of blossoms but a few.
There was a beautiful lake filled with water lily plants. Reminded me of Monet.
Wonderful shady places to sit and enjoy your family, fiends and the beauty.
Glad we went. I needed that trip. We really enjoyed it.
Love,
Nancy
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Great Day in Arvi Park
Dear Family and Friends,
The other day Chuck and I went on a fun adventure. We explored the metro system of Medellin. Here we are in a gondola going up the side of the mountain.
But I need to start at the beginning. In the last 20 years Medellin has changed from bleak to progressive. Yes, it has evolved from the most dangerous place on earth to a wonderful, delightful thriving city.
One testimonial to this city's progress is their metro system. It is the only metro in Colombia. Their metro consists of a light rail system that serves the main part of the city and a gondola system that serves the populous mountain side.
Since this city has turned around....the evil gone and the hope regenerated....the people of Medellin are experiencing, with gratitude, their new city.
One example of their gratitude is the metro culture. There is not one sign of graffiti anywhere. The stations are kept very clean.
When we boarded the train, we were instantly offered a seat by young riders. This was done for every older person who boarded. The young offer up their seats. Impressed, you betcha!
We rode the metro for the purpose of riding the gondolas. The gondolas are part of the metro system. The locals refer to this part of the metro as the metro cable. No extra fare required.
The purpose of the gondola system is to service the people who live on the steep mountain side. It is so steep that they could not even have a bus system.
These people are poor, without cars...maybe a motorcycle if they can afford one. Most of these people spent up to two or more hours walking down the mountainside to get to work, then trudging back up at the end of the day. You can see what a blessing the gondolas are to them and why they are so respectful of it.
The next couple of pictures are looking down on the populated mountainside.
There are three metro stations along the mountainside where you can get off the gondolas. For our purposes we stayed on the tram. We wanted to get to the end of the line so that we could take another gondola across the countryside to the next valley.
We paid another fare for the cross country gondola ride. Here we are leaving Medellin behind.
Looking out at the beautiful countryside of Colombia.
When we got to the end of the ride, we were at Arvi park, a "resort type" place. They had nature trails, bicycles to loan (for free for one hour), crafts for sell and goodies to eat. We found out later they even have a butterfly house...so sorry we missed it.
Here is Chuck chatting up the ladies at the information booth.
We bought some fruit.
We selected the Andean blueberries. They are much smaller than what we buy in North America and they are tart.
They were also selling uchuvas. Uchuvas are also known as Peruvian ground cherry. They are related to a tomatillo, which is from Mexico, but are smaller, yellow, and much sweeter. We buy them in Ecuador. I use them in green salads.
They were also selling strawberries.
I loved these colorful paper flowers being sold in the craft section. Wish I could get them home.
Here is a fellow making candy to sell.
Chuck and I had these delicious, portobello type, charcoal grilled mushrooms with a chimichurri sauce. They were delicious
Interesting plants...
tons of hydrangeas.
We spent a good part of our day on this adventure. If you come to Medellin we recommend that you use the metro system. It is safe, clean and fun especially the gondola ride. Check out your guidebook on how to ride the gondolas.
We were advised to not get off the gondolas on the mountain side where the people live because it may not be safe to walk around there...especially at night.
Looking at these flowers makes me want to go to the botanical gardens. They are easily accessible on the metro. Maybe we will do that today.
Love,
Nancy
The other day Chuck and I went on a fun adventure. We explored the metro system of Medellin. Here we are in a gondola going up the side of the mountain.
But I need to start at the beginning. In the last 20 years Medellin has changed from bleak to progressive. Yes, it has evolved from the most dangerous place on earth to a wonderful, delightful thriving city.
One testimonial to this city's progress is their metro system. It is the only metro in Colombia. Their metro consists of a light rail system that serves the main part of the city and a gondola system that serves the populous mountain side.
Since this city has turned around....the evil gone and the hope regenerated....the people of Medellin are experiencing, with gratitude, their new city.
One example of their gratitude is the metro culture. There is not one sign of graffiti anywhere. The stations are kept very clean.
When we boarded the train, we were instantly offered a seat by young riders. This was done for every older person who boarded. The young offer up their seats. Impressed, you betcha!
We rode the metro for the purpose of riding the gondolas. The gondolas are part of the metro system. The locals refer to this part of the metro as the metro cable. No extra fare required.
The purpose of the gondola system is to service the people who live on the steep mountain side. It is so steep that they could not even have a bus system.
These people are poor, without cars...maybe a motorcycle if they can afford one. Most of these people spent up to two or more hours walking down the mountainside to get to work, then trudging back up at the end of the day. You can see what a blessing the gondolas are to them and why they are so respectful of it.
The next couple of pictures are looking down on the populated mountainside.
There are three metro stations along the mountainside where you can get off the gondolas. For our purposes we stayed on the tram. We wanted to get to the end of the line so that we could take another gondola across the countryside to the next valley.
We paid another fare for the cross country gondola ride. Here we are leaving Medellin behind.
Looking out at the beautiful countryside of Colombia.
When we got to the end of the ride, we were at Arvi park, a "resort type" place. They had nature trails, bicycles to loan (for free for one hour), crafts for sell and goodies to eat. We found out later they even have a butterfly house...so sorry we missed it.
Here is Chuck chatting up the ladies at the information booth.
We bought some fruit.
We selected the Andean blueberries. They are much smaller than what we buy in North America and they are tart.
They were also selling uchuvas. Uchuvas are also known as Peruvian ground cherry. They are related to a tomatillo, which is from Mexico, but are smaller, yellow, and much sweeter. We buy them in Ecuador. I use them in green salads.
They were also selling strawberries.
I loved these colorful paper flowers being sold in the craft section. Wish I could get them home.
Interesting plants...
tons of hydrangeas.
We were advised to not get off the gondolas on the mountain side where the people live because it may not be safe to walk around there...especially at night.
Looking at these flowers makes me want to go to the botanical gardens. They are easily accessible on the metro. Maybe we will do that today.
Love,
Nancy
Monday, February 3, 2014
Craft Market in Medellin
Dear Family and Friends,
During our walking tour of Medellin we went to Park Bolivar. If you remember, I shared that the park was the hangout for drug addicts. A lot of selling and using of drugs took place there.
Chuck found in the guide book that there is a market held there every Saturday. So we went back...me reluctantly. I was concerned that they would be selling magic brownies and I didn't want to be there and end up getting put in a Colombian jail.
We could not believe the transformation of the park on Saturdays. I don't know where the druggies hang out on Saturday but it sure isn't here.
This man is taking sugar cane, adding lemons and squeezing it to make juice. I think he was missing a bet by not adding some run. This is a traditional Colombian drink.
Of course we had to try it. It was delicious. Tasted like lemonade. Very refreshing.
Chuck found some old pipes that someone was selling. He really liked them both. Which one do you think he bought?
I will show you which one he decided on at the end of this post.
He also found some hats and wanted to buy a traditional style Colombian hat. He tried on quite a few and finally settled on just the right one.
Here he is paying for his hat.
There were many beautiful, colorful items for sale. Colombia is filled with color. Check out these woven purses.
They even had ear rings that matched Chuck's hat. He wanted to buy them for me but I declined. I told him he should wear them to coordinate his outfit.
Isn't this vendor adorable. I love his hair and hat.
Well here we are at the end of the post. Chuck is smoking his new pipe. I call it the Hobbit pipe. He said it is amazingly good. The long stem helps to cool the smoke.
Tomorrow I will tell you about the gondola ride we took here in Medellin.
Love,
Nancy
During our walking tour of Medellin we went to Park Bolivar. If you remember, I shared that the park was the hangout for drug addicts. A lot of selling and using of drugs took place there.
Chuck found in the guide book that there is a market held there every Saturday. So we went back...me reluctantly. I was concerned that they would be selling magic brownies and I didn't want to be there and end up getting put in a Colombian jail.
We could not believe the transformation of the park on Saturdays. I don't know where the druggies hang out on Saturday but it sure isn't here.
This man is taking sugar cane, adding lemons and squeezing it to make juice. I think he was missing a bet by not adding some run. This is a traditional Colombian drink.
Of course we had to try it. It was delicious. Tasted like lemonade. Very refreshing.
Chuck found some old pipes that someone was selling. He really liked them both. Which one do you think he bought?
I will show you which one he decided on at the end of this post.
He also found some hats and wanted to buy a traditional style Colombian hat. He tried on quite a few and finally settled on just the right one.
Here he is paying for his hat.
There were many beautiful, colorful items for sale. Colombia is filled with color. Check out these woven purses.
Isn't this vendor adorable. I love his hair and hat.
Well here we are at the end of the post. Chuck is smoking his new pipe. I call it the Hobbit pipe. He said it is amazingly good. The long stem helps to cool the smoke.
Tomorrow I will tell you about the gondola ride we took here in Medellin.
Love,
Nancy
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