While we spent two full days out of the city visiting the Piedra
del Peñol and Guatapé on one day and then the town of Santa
Fe de Antiochia on another (see the article on ‘Hanging out in
Small Towns’), we did relax and enjoy our time in Medellin
itself. It’s all a matter of finding your comfort level.
And one of the best techniques we have adopted for getting ‘in
tune’ with a town or city is to find a popular café, grab a table,
order a beer (or coffee) and kind of pick up the vibes from the
local patrons. It’s a great way to feel comfortable, strike up a
conversation or appreciate a smile. So that’s what we did in
Medellin. We wandered down a shopping street, found a busy
café and settled in. After 30 minutes or so we started to
explore with a whole new relaxed attitude.
The main attractions that we explored included:
Plaza Botero: the public park outside the Museum of
Friendly creatures, Jardin Botanico. Medellin
Antioquia where twenty-three bronze sculptures by Fernando
Botero are displayed. Aside from Botero’s amazing sculptures of ‘voluminous’ people and animals, it’s a fun
place for photos, selfies, watching people pose with the statues as well as the vendors selling ice cream,
balloons, toys, hats and souvenirs.
The Museum of Antioquia is located by Plaza
Botero.
Aside from Botero’s statues,
sculptures, drawings and paintings, it also
houses work by international artists (we found
at least one Picasso). We enjoyed it so much
that we visited twice during our four days in the
city. There is also a very nice coffee shop in
the museum. Your admission ticket includes
one coffee tinto (black coffee). Really good
(as are the pastries).
Jardin Botanico. Right off the Metro stop, this
is a large park with trees, birds, small animals,
performance areas and an excellent restaurant
(we had the ceviche and beer). It’s a great
respite from the busy traffic, crowded streets
Memoria a los luchadores de la paz
and clogging fumes of the downtown area.
Families cool down in the mist sprays while dinosaurs peer
overhead.
The Plaza outside La Alpujarra Administrative Building features
some amazing statues including the 124 foot La Raza Monument by
Rodrigo Arenas Betancur, which dramatically depicts the history of
Antioquia. Nearby is the Memoria a los luchadores de la paz
(Monument to the memory of fighters for peace) honouring two of
Colombia’s political leaders, Guillermo Gaviria and Gilberto
Echeverri Mejia, both of whom were kidnapped and killed by FARC
guerillas in 2003. But there are also some lighthearted and very
realistic statues depicting a newspaper salesman, a shoe shine boy
and an elderly woman selling goods.
Get your shoes shined outside La Alpujarra