I had heard that La Candelaria in downtown Medellin was an attack on the senses – ever bustling, ever crazy, sometimes beautiful, a little dangerous. I was keen to see it for myself.
I walked down the hill to Poblado station, and caught the train to Parque Berrio. It was a fast train ride. The view once you get off the train is amazing. It is a bird’s eye view of the area.
I headed out of the station.
It was a crazy hive of activity downstairs. However in 2 minutes I could see the most majestic building. I knew this one would instagram well. 🙂
It was next to a garden area as well.
I was glad the sun was shining.
It was time for a coffee, so I headed to one of the most recommended coffee spots – El Labratorio de Cafe.
El Labratorio de Cafe
It was packed out, and they had a great view onto the square, and very limited seating.
Luckily a kind staff member, moved a table out of the direct sun, and inside so I could sit down.
They had a coffee/ breakfast deal of cappuccino and panini with mushroom and cheese for COP$7,500. The sandwich was very small though, but the coffee was really, really good.
There was a sculpture exhibition set up in the garden area. The bronze was really well done.
I headed off in search of a certain Cathedral.
It was fascinating to see how the Medellin people lived.
I must admit, at times I didn’t feel 100% safe in this area, so I was a bit cautious on using my phone/ camera. I finally found the park I was looking for.
I even tried to look grumpy to blend in, but being nearly 6ft and blond doesn’t really help.
When I finally found the cathedral, I was glad I did. Sadly it was locked and bolted so not really possible to see inside.
If this park looks….. familiar to you, then it’s likely you’ve seen the Narcos season 2 finale. Sometimes you just need an ice-cream…
Then I headed into the mall for some lunch. It felt a lot safer once I was in the mall.
I had a good look around, but it was clear the clothes in Colombia are definitely for shorter people.
I picked up some chocolate cake from the local famous Astor bakery.
I dedicated to walk back to the San Antonio metro station.
Sometimes, the city felt like a grungy, retro Miami.
It was well set up for tourists though, with maps scattered around.
These guys REALLY like decorations.
I squeezed through the markets.
Popped into the basilica.
And squeezed through more markets.
There were some really beautiful buildings downtown.
There were so many people, I started to feel overwhelmed.
I snapped a few pics of the street art.
I then reached the train station, so I jumped back on to head back to Poblado.
