Today is our last day in Uruguay. So far we have completed two sides of a triangular road tour: 225k NE from Colonia to Florida, then 225k SE to Jose Ignacia, and now, to complete the long side of the triangle, 350k West back to Colonia. The drive is uneventful, and with stops for petrol and refreshments, is completed in 5 hours. It has been a pleasure to drive on roads with only 5% of the volume of the traffic in the UK. We arrive in Colonia at 4pm giving us 3 hours to explore the town before checking in at the ferry terminal.
Colonia de Sacramento was founded by the Portuguese in 1680 and for years operated as a contraband port evading the trade restrictions imposed by the Spanish crown. The historic quarter, Barrio Historico, lies on a small peninsula jutting out into the River Plate, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is built in the Portuguese style of houses and cobblestoned streets reminiscent of the older parts of Lisbon.
As we have travelled in Uruguay we have been struck by the number of old cars on the road, some in good condition, but mainly in a poor state of repair. Colonia seems to be a Mecca for the original VW Beetle with its air cooled engine, and other cars of a similar vintage. Flat Emil cannot resist being photographed alongside one old model, which rather incongruously is being driven by two fish!
We enjoy pottering around the quiet streets lined with plane trees through which the dappled sunlight filters on to the attractively painted walls of the old houses. We spend the last of our Uruguayan pesos; I climb to the top of the lighthouse and we both eat two scoops of ice cream. We board the ferry arriving back in Buenos Aires at 10pm.
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