Mr. Coqui's Blue Cow

Finally, I have some access to the internet- I will try to catch up. We are currently in Taganga, on the Caribbean Coast. We are heading for the mud baths and Cartagena this afternoon and for Bogota on Saturday night. (We were unable to book a flight out on Sunday so had to cut the Coastal part short.

Sunday, September 13 Villa de Leyva

After a large breakfast at the Hospederia we decided that this would be a day to relax after our somewhat strenuous schedule since arriving in Colombia. So we mainly ate and wandered, which all agree is the best way to experience the town. The village was declared a national monument in 1954 and has been preserved as it was in the 16th century.
Since it was Sunday morning the bells at the Iglesia Parroquial on the Plaza began ringing around 7am and continued throughout the morning as various masses were called. Many of the museums were closed because it was Sunday and since it is off-season, the town is not the bustling tourist attraction of spring and summer-a good thing.Being unwilling to stick to the normal byways, we found a little path that took us down and over a stream and uproad behind the Plaza. We found another Plaza dedicated to Antonio Recaurte who blew himself and a large Spanish battalion up in a local fort, leading the the defeat of the Spanish Army’s takeover of that area. (one of the first suicide bombers?) Another plazoletto adjacent to the larger plaza is beautiful garden with several different types of flowers and shrubs.We stopped for a mid morning café and chocolate and a bit later for lunch. We continued winding through the streets and poking into little shops along the way. Finally we ended up back at the Hospederia for some rest and relaxation. That night we found a little restaurant one of the side streets and had a tasty repast of whole fried fish and beef brisket with potatoes and tomato and avocado salad. We noted that in the states that salad is mostly tomato while in Columbia where tomatoes are scarce, it is mainly avocado.