Medellín: March 2016 

Our neighborhood. El poblado.

We decided to spend some downtime in Medellin. I had contacted our friend, Shannon, while she was in Barcelona to pick something up for me, and in our messaging, she told me that she would be spending a month in Medellin. The timing was so close, we decided to wait in Medellin and spent a few days with her before heading out. Plus, she was a doll, and brought my new credit card…I had been a victim of fraud and had the new card sent to her house. We had a week until Shannon arrived. 

On a mission to buy a Paisa Bag.

We did a whole lot of nothing. We were staying in El Poblado, in La zona Rosa, which is a really cute, trendy neighborhood with tree-lined streets and a little creek meandering through. There are bistros galore, great outdoor restaurants/gastropubs and cute boutique stores. We enjoyed every moment. We saw a couple movies, watched a Colombian World Cup qualifying match with all the local people, and shopped for purses. Colombia has these really cute, brightly colored, woven bags. I see them everywhere, and it makes me happy every time. Well, I needed one of these bags, when we finally found the place to buy them…let’s just say, I bought more than one. But in all honesty, I wanted one in EVERY COLOR! 

Plaza Botero

We spent only a couple days sightseeing. We went downtown one day to Plaza Botero. Plaza Botero is an open space that is filled with sculptures by…you guessed it, Botero. It was boiling hot that day, so we enjoyed the statues from different spots of shade throughout. We wandered into the Museo de Botero, which was really fun, and a great escape from the heat. My favorite sculpture was the fat bird. After this, Javier was on a mission to buy a Colombian jersey. He had already spotted one at a mall, and was looking for a cheaper version to wear to the qualifying match. We walked all over without success, and then it was on to purses. It actually took a really, really long time to find the place everyone was directing us to, but once we found it…well, you know the rest. 

Our one trip downtown was enough for us. We had no desire to return. We quite liked our trendy little neighborhood. Javier found his jersey and together we walked to Parque El Poblado and found a restaurant there to watch the game.

Matchday. World cup qualifiers.

There were so many people. The restaurants are all open-air, and all the TVs were on with the news reporters in the restaurants interviewing the local people. Javier and I made it to TV! Well, we weren’t interviewed… just in the background. 🙂 There was a large screen on the roof of our restaurant.. Many people sit in the small park, drink their beers and eat their picnics while sitting on the steps and along the walls, watching this screen. When Colombia scored, the people went crazy, of course, and the restaurant across the way blasted salsa music, with the local people screaming, jumping around, and dancing salsa. Colombia won, and the rest of the day was full of happy, drunk people.

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pickup?

It was a bit humid and hot while we were there. We still managed to go for a run and Javier played a pick-up game in the park. We happened to walk by and saw some guys playing. Javier asked if they would be playing the next day. They said, yes, but at a different time with different people. As we were walking down the street, Javier spots this European guy and randomly asks him if he played football. He said yes, sometimes. Javier told him that there would be a pick-up game the following day at 5pm if he wanted to come, he said, okay, thanks. I thought this whole thing was rather strange, but whatever. Turns out, there was a pick-up game the next day at 5pm with all different people, AND the random European guy showed up with friends to play! I guess it’s not as weird as I thought. 

Pueblito Paisa

Fast forward one week. Shannon showed up! We met her in the morning, grabbed some coffee, and seeing as it was Easter Sunday, it was pretty dead. Still, we spent the day together and took a cab to the mall to get Shannon’s phone a local SIM card. 

The next morning, after Shannon’s Spanish school, the three of us took the metro to Plaza Mayor and hiked up to Pueblo Paisa. Our plan was to take the metro to a funicular, but were told the funicular was closed for the holiday. We switched our plans. The day was muggy, but not too hot for our walk up the hill. From up there, you can see Medellin below. Not something we’re usually fans of, but it was a nice walk. 

Hanging out with Shannon

On our last day, we watched another World Cup qualifier with Shannon and just hung out. I should mention that Shannon is a vegetarian, so we found ourselves going to specific restaurants rather than any old place on the street. This change really upped our game. We ate better in the few days with Shannon than we had in a very long time. Our pocketbooks were not too happy about it, but our bodies were. 

I really liked Medellin. More than Javier. I felt like it was a very livable city. There are lots of parks, people out and about exercising, and great food options. I wouldn’t hesitate to go back…and buy more purses. 🙂 

To see more pictures of Medellin, click HERE.

Views from Cerro Nutibara. Pueblito Paisa in Medellin.