Bogota

           

Botero Museum

first meal in Bogota

We did a bit more walking around on Tuesday then hopped on an easy 45 minute flight from Medellin to Bogota, sure beats a 10 hour bus ride.  We arrived and quickly noticed the temperature change from high 90s to low 60s. We bundled up, and headed out to dinner in the cute area of Candelaria where we were staying.  I had a delicious beef loin with yucca fries and a salad, and the chef sent out  complimentary yucca mashed potatoes, which were amazing.

Bogota Beer Co.

            Wednesday we headed out early to explore the city.  We were surprised at how cute, clean, and walkable this city was, almost the opposite of what we had heard from others.  We first went to the center plaza, then we went to the Fernando Botero museum and enjoyed his many paintings, sculptures and drawings.  The museum also had other paintings and art pieces from Salvatore Dali, Pablo Picasso and others.  I really enjoyed this museum, which was free of charge.

coffee break

Guinea pig race

police street performing

            After, we grabbed lunch at Parilla & Pan and got patacones with beef and mazorcas with ham.  They were both absolutely delicious, like nothing I've ever tasted.  The patacones, which is like a sweet plantain with cheese and meat was one of the best things I've ever eaten.  After, we grabbed some coffee at this well known hole in the wall coffee shop, Cafe San Moritz.

         

top of the city

  Being charged up with Colombian coffee, we headed to the Museo del Oro (the gold
museum) with a reasonable $1.50USD entrance fee.  It was cool to see some of the pieces and read some of the history, but Adrienne and I weren't too interested in this museum and we zipped through the 4 floors in about an hour.  Being a bit “museum'd” out we cruised the streets of Bogota stopping to watch some of the street performers, chalk artists, saw a guinea pig race (so random), Bogota police officers street performing (very strange), and then walked to the area of La Macarena, which is  compared to the SOHO of NYC.  It was really cute with nice apartments, condos, restaurants and bars.  We stopped at the popular restaurant, Bogota Beer Company, and each got the local Candelaria Clasica draft beer.  On our way back, climbing the hills and cobbled stoned streets, we made a quick stop at Cefiro Tejido, which is a little boutique for young Colombian designers.

overlooking the city

patacones and mazorcas