Tag: tour

Why To Visit Bogota

As Colombia’s capital city, many people fly in and fly out of Bogota to more glamorous Colombian destinations but I recommend staying for a few days. We liked Bogota so much we returned for a second visit this summer and loved it even more. Now, with two multi-day visits almost exactly five years apart, here’s what we loved and why to visit Bogota.

Monserrate

Many people hike up this hill with great views of the city, but we chose to ride up on our first day due to the altitude. And even then, after years living at sea level, I got dizzy and light-headed up there. Monserrate is over 3,000 meters above sea level, with great views of Bogota. It is the site of a 17th century church, and is a big tourist attraction which can be reached by cable car, funicular, or hiking. We did the cable car up and funicular down, but I’m sure the hike is good once you’re acclimated to the altitude.

View from Monserrate
View from Monserrate
Church at Monserrate Bogota
The church at Monserrate

The views are stunning, the church is pretty, and Monserrate has a whole section of restaurants serving Colombian food and drink. If we’d known, we would have waited to eat lunch! Even with the dizziness and general discomfort from altitude adjustment, Monserrate was a pleasure to visit and the intermittent showers made for some moody photographs.

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Art in The Streets of Getsemani

When you visit Cartagena, you’ll go to the neighborhood of Getsemani. Adjacent to the old city, it’s a nexus for nightlife and dining. What it’s most known for is art, and if you’re like me, you’ll love the colorful art in the streets of Getsemani.

About Getsemani

When I first came to Cartagena in 2016, Getsemani was the “edgy” neighborhood known for its hip street art tours. Now it is an established tourist attraction with great restaurants, upscale hotels, and still the best street art in the city. In fact, all you need to do is take a quick stroll off the main avenue to immerse yourself in the colors of Getsemani.

Start at Plaza de la Trinidad

It may seem confusing in Cartagena, the narrow streets turn and wind and almost seem circular, but that’s part of the fun, especially when there’s so much to see! I recommend heading for Plaza de la Trinidad to get started exploring Getsemani.

Plaza de la Trinidad Getsemani Cartagena
The church and Plaza de la Trinidad

If you’re doing a walk of the neighborhood in search of inspired photo backgrounds, start or end in this main plaza. The colorful art in the streets of Getsemani spreads out from Plaza de la Trinidad, named after the Iglesia Trinidad (Holy Trinity), which dominates it.

Trinidad Church in Getsemani
Iglesia de la Trinidad
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Cycling in Colombia

Brian and I both love cycling, and were excited that it’s so popular in Colombia. Racers and mountain bikers are everywhere in this country and Colombian cyclists rank among the world’s best. We welcome any opportunity to get off of the boat for some fun exploring and exercise and Colombia offers cycling tours and more. We’ve found it easy to join the nation’s cyclists across the county. This post details some of our favorite ways to enjoy cycling in Colombia.

Cycling in Cartagena

One of our favorite activities in Cartagena was the bike tour with Gerardo. Cartagena is a mostly flat city, except when you’re climbing up and down the walls, so biking is relatively easy. In Cartagena, the sights are spread out and the climate is hot, so riding a bicycle is an ideal way to cover all that territory. Many people ride bicycles in Cartagena, so the drivers are used to sharing the road with cyclists and don’t grumble or honk at you. If you have bikes on your boat, Cartagena is a great place to use them.

bike tour of Cartagena stop along the wall
Brian and I at the wall on a bike tour of Cartagena
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Cartagena Highlights

Cartagena is one of the biggest cities we’ve sailed into, and even with Covid lockdowns, we found it lively and entertaining. Even though this isn’t our first visit to Cartagena, we still had a lot to see and discover. I went on some tours my first time here, but I’ve done a lot in the 5 years in between visits, so the city seems new to me. It’s been a blast exploring Cartagena again. Read on for my Cartagena highlights.

Orientation to Cartagena

When you arrive in Cartagena, the views are stunning. The ocean is next to skyscrapers and old stone walls. There’s an ancient clock-tower and a modern gold building. On the water are old wooden sailing ships and luxurious catamarans. On the streets are women in colorful traditional costumes, including fruit hats, alongside hundreds of people driving mopeds.

Old and new in Cartagena Colombia
Old and new in Cartagena Colombia
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Things to Do in Pawleys Island SC

We had a whirlwind trip to the U.S. in May, a break from the boat that didn’t really feel like a break because we were so busy! In addition to getting the coveted Covid vaccine, we spent a few weeks catching up with friends, family, and exploring new places. Much of that time was spent where my mom lives and we found a lot of things to do in Pawleys Island SC.

About Pawleys Island

Pawleys Island is a small beach town on a barrier island in the Low Country of South Carolina. Things move slower there, and it’s pretty and peaceful most of the time. Located 70+ miles north of Charleston and 25 miles south of Myrtle Beach, we drove from Florida to visit my mom.

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