During our time in Colombia, we were able to have some adventures and explore unique places. I’ve outlined a few of our excursions.
- The Salt Cathedral –
Emmett had done a school report on the Salt Cathedral before we left home, so he was particularly excited that we were able to see it in person. The Salt Cathedral is an old salt mining site that has underground sanctuaries and enormous crosses carved within the mine. It was a really fun experience as we joined another adopting family and went through the mine together. A loud and rickety train came into the tunnel, and we rode out with a few jolts and bumps. The kids loved it!
- La Candelaria –
La Candelaria is the heart of Bogotá, housing historical buildings and beautiful architecture. We were fortunate to be able to visit during our time there as it was sadly one of the places where much of the protesting was occurring. We were permitted to go on a non-protest Saturday. Our driver, German (pronounced Hare-mon), walked and guided us in all of our touring of La Candelaria. This personal touring was unexpected as usually our drivers would send us on our way and show back up when we called. However, our adoption agency was a bit hesitant to let us tour, and German must have taken the responsibility of keeping us safe during our visit of La Candelaria. Beautiful colorful houses seamlessly line the busy streets.
La Candelaria – Plaza de Bolívar
The Plaza de Bolívar usually overwhelms tourists with its historic dignity, but it actually made us a bit sad. We stood there in the middle of the plaza, masked, as we peered out at protective black sheeting. The statue of Simón Bolívar sculpted in the late 1800s and had since remained a predominate figure in the plaza was wrapped in black sheet to protect the history. Long black sheeting draped in front of the ancient government buildings and a cathedral that has stood for hundreds of years and likely is unmoved by our trials of 2021 was also draped in black. German took our picture there in the plaza on a sunny Saturday. It isn’t a beautiful photograph as one might imagine a family picture in the middle of the Plaza de Bolívar might be. Our faces were masked because of the pandemic and our backdrop was black sheets because of the protests. It’s a perfectly dated picture that needs no description. A noteworthy piece of 2021 for our scrapbook. We continued on with German who wanted to show us the president’s home. Yet, we turned the corner to find the roads were blocked and guarded, new safety measures because of the protests. German talked to the guards asking if we could have our picture made and a guard agreed. So, instead of a picture in front of the president’s home, we stood smiling behind our masks with a Colombian guard. Another one for the scrapbook.
La Candelaria – Santuario Nuestra Señora del Carmen
In La Candelaria, there were many beautiful churches and sanctuaries. Allen did a report on one he called the “Candy Cane” church. The architecture was gorgeous and we all enjoyed seeing it in person.
La Candelaria – Botero Museum
Before coming to Colombia, we had so much fun studying Botero, a famous Colombian artist, whose large disproportionate sizing makes for unique and very distinguishable art. Naturally when we saw the Botero Museum while exploring La Candelaria, we had to stop in. However, taking four children to a museum of fine art never goes without a few mishaps. The museum is a beautiful courtyard with two levels of quadruple rooms. These rooms have a natural flow as you weave from one room to the next greeted by paintings, sculptures, and art. The art is mostly Botero, but the museum was speckled with work from other artists as well including Picasso. Despite multiple directives and warnings from Brandon and me, in the very first quiet and airy room, one of our lovely boys got too close to an original Botero painting and an alarm sounded. He panicked as we began shouting at him to step away, and finally after throwing his hands out and freezing, he stepped toward our gesturing hands and the alarm stopped. Every room had an attendant, and we didn’t disappoint amusing them whether it was from sounding an alarm, the kids making off-handed comments about the paintings, “Mom, why is that baby so fat?” or from simply just watching a family of six navigate four young kids around sculptures and past fine artwork. Nothing was harmed during the course of our visit, and we left the museum with much satisfaction and a sigh of relief.
- Usaquen Market –
We twice visited the Usaquen Market that is held on Sundays. Locals even enjoy shopping at this market where you can find handmade artisanal products. We saw dancing and mimes and loved the cultural experience.
- Monserrate –
What a lovely experience this was! Monserrate is a mountain that overlooks the vast city of Bogotá. From the top, looking down on the small outlines of houses and buildings and cars and people, all of it combined and rolled into one wide and seemingly endless city in one frame creates a notably overwhelming view. Often fog and low clouds partially block the view allowing the onlookers to take in the city in sizeable looks. We rode a tram car straight up to Monserrate and a cable car back down. This whole trip was thrilling!
We were so blessed to be able to venture out for these excursions amid the pandemic and protests. In my next post, I will switch and tell you about the serious outings, our adoption appointments. I also will share with you what we did the day Mila was officially adopted.
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