Category: Medellin

Today we went on a walking tour of some of downtown Medellin. Wow! I cannot say enough about how good our tour guide was and how much fun we had. It was so incredibly informative and we learned so much about the people of this area, their history (both traumatic and regenerative) and in the process gained so much appreciation for the country of Colombia. I hardly know where to start.

Our tour guide Juliana was so incredible. She started with an explanation of the people of the area (Medellin and the surrounding state of Antioquia). These people refer to themselves as Paisas. She described them (and herself) as having incredible pride in being from this area (in the Andes) and of  the resilience they have shown during the dark times in their history. Initially she did a brief recounting of the years of the drug cartel (although this is only one horrible episode in the history of the country) and after naming Pablo Escobar once she said she would not refer to him by his name again as he did not need to be glorified (as he has been in tv documentaries etc.) She was passionate about her country and especially Medellin and the surrounding area. In the course of the 3 and a half hour tour she spoke of how the people of Medellin clawed back from the terrible 70s, 80s and 90s to build a safe, secure and beautiful city. There were so many stories and I often had tears in my eyes when listening.

Besides all the incredible stories here are some of the places we visited.

The central plaza that housed the government buildings (one for the state of Antioquia and the other for the city of Medellin) as well as the Palace of Justice. There was an incredible statue in the square called the Monumento a la Raza. It is 125 feet high and over 900 metric tons. It is made of concrete and bronze and is a representation of the beginning of time through Colombian history until death. The representation of God actually has the face of the artist. Another monument in the square is dedicated the memory of  a former governor and a former peace commissioner of Antioquia who were kidnaped by FARC (a revolutionary armed force of Colombia) during a peace march and murdered. This was during the reign of Pablo Escobar. Also in this square is a massive green wall (300 feet high)  against the city government building and is the second biggest one in the world. Medellin is known for the incredible greenery in the city and this is in keeping with that reputation.

After this we walked to the Plaza of Botero where there are 23 massive bronze Botero statues. Botero donated them to Medellin (the city where he was born) but said they needed to be displayed in a public place so everyone could have access to the art.

In this plaza there is the Palace of Culture. It is a building that looks like a church at first glance. It is made with black and white stone and is quite striking. Juli, our tour guide said that the architect was Belgian and that there was so much controversy and complaining about the design while it was being built that the architect up and left without finishing it. Unfortunately the Colombians who finished it just didn’t get it right and you can see the very ugly grey wall and boring windows that don’t follow the original design at all. They said that they could just paint the wall black and white to match the rest of the building but never got around to it.

We also toured the incredible former Palace of Justice that is now a mall. It became vacant when all city government buildings were moved to a common location. After standing vacant for 10 years it was slated to be demolished. A foreign investor saw the building, fell in love with it and restored it. The place was magnificent with dozens of massive crystal chandeliers and stain glass windows.

Our last stop was San Antonio square. It had been a bustling and busy place where cultural events (music, theatre, etc.) took place but now it was basically empty and our guide said that this what because of a bombing at a concert there is the 90s. Someone had set a backpack with a bomb under the body of a Botero bird scupture and it exploded killing 30 and injuring over 100 others. The mayor at the time issued some sort of statement that the incident was regrettable and that the statue remains would be cleaned up right away. Within the hour of this announcement the mayor received a call from Botero saying that that should not happen. The people need to remember. He would create another one to sit beside the statue that had been blasted apart and that it would serve as a memory to the people. Our tour guide said that this was so important as many Colombians seek to forget the terrible years and that there is no curriculum in schools about this traumatic time in history. Young people are growing up either indifferent to what has happened or hero worshiping Pablo Escobar and his power.

After the tour we were hot and thirsty so we headed to one of the oldest bars in Medellin and were joined by 5 other people from our tour group. We had some great conversation and then took the long walk back to our place. Today was definitely one of the highlights of our time in Colombia.

Today I chose a wardrobe item that has been in the bottom of my suitcase for a long time: a pair of pants. This morning it was cloudy and misty and after breakfast I went out for a walk. The daily high in Medellin is usually 24 to 26 degrees celsius and it cools down considerably in the evening.

In actual fact, it was not as cool as I imagined and I had to take off my sweatshirt once I got going. I sat for a while on a wet bench and did some sketching. This area of Medellin (called Laureles) is absolutely glorious with walking paths and trees and flowers everywhere. I hadn’t been out long when Rudy texted me that he wanted to go out for a walk. I packed up my stuff and hurried back to pick him up. We headed out to Parques del Rio. It was amazing. It is a long narrow park along both sides of the Medellin River, with bridges crisscrossing the water and plants and trees, many of which are labeled. There are super cool and modern play areas where kids can climb on wooden structures or play on climbing-net. There are lovely walkways and art pieces along the way. I will definitely go there again another day.

I came back to read and also get into more art. I had purchased some new watercolours in Santa Marta because I had run out of yellow. However the set I found was very cheap and turned out to be pretty terrible. But I played around with the paints and figured out some ways to move the paint around and in the end I actually produced something interesting.

After that I went to the store to get some grocery supplies and did some more walking. The fact that we are not sweating to death all the time really makes it easier to enjoy the day. Everyone seems to be out and about on the pathways. Many of them are out walking dogs or just enjoying the shady paths. Because of all the vegetation there are many birds to be seen. I shall have to look them up to identify them.

In the evening Rudy and I walked to a nearby restaurant (really just a hole in the wall vendor) for pizza. It was great. All in all, Medellin is a big hit with us.

Today is a travel day. We are taking a short flight to Medellin. It is inland and at a higher elevation so we are looking forward to some cooler temperatures. Our flight is delayed and Rudy has warned me that it is commonplace with some of these small airlines. We are flying with Jet Smart. Once it is time to board we scan our boarding passes and head out onto the tarmac to our plane. It is a long, long walk to get to our jet and then a long wait in the hot, hot sun. I can’t believe how blistering it is and how long it takes. But finally we are in our plane and we take off.

When we touch down in Medellin the skies are cloudy, the air full of mist and the temperature deliciously cool. We catch a very comfortable bus into town. The drive is amazing. The mountains are lush and green and the valleys dotted with houses. We travel through a miles long tunnel and get dropped off at a mall close to our accommodations.  We take a short taxi drive through an area of the city filled with loads of parks and green spaces. David, our Airbnb host greets us and shows us around the apartment. It is great. So spacious and comfy. It is on the main floor and, when we open our blinds, all four of our windows open up to a park. I think this place is going to be really nice.

After unpacking we head out to find a grocery store and to find some food as we have not eaten since breakfast and it is 5 pm. We eat the most delicious hamburgers at a street stand and then head to the grocery store to pick up some stuff. It sprinkles rain intermittently and the streets are wet. I feel super refreshed. It is great to be in  cooler weather.