Week 1, continued: Medellín (posted by Megan)

 Bright and early on Wednesday morning, we left Panama for our second destination of the trip: Medellín, Colombia.  We arrived a few hours before our apartment would be ready for us, so we dropped off our bags and headed off for a quiet few hours in the neighborhood.  Pastries in a local park, cappuccinos and lemonade, wandering our way to the Biblioteca Publica Piloto, and a great lunch at a busy little local spot.  (Coffee, books, and good food - is there anything more we could ask for?)

On Thursday, we took a quick trip on the (excellent!) metro, wandered through the bustling morning streets, and enjoyed checking out the variety of sculptures in Botero Square while waiting for our walking tour to start.  (Fernando Botero was a world-renowned artist from Medellín with a really distinctive style.)

Our walking tour took us past a lot of public art, through Berrio Park and Bolivar Square (home to one of the world's largest brick cathedrals, and a soccer match between Venezuelan immigrant teams while we were there), and to delicious empanadas at Cafe Versalles.  From there, we headed to San Antonio Park to learn about the Afro-Caribbean migration and the 1995 bombing during a celebratory concert.  (The bomb had been placed in a Botero sculpture; in 2000, he donated a new one with the condition that the old one also remain as a memorial.)

Our last stop was Plaza Cisneros - home to more public art and, lucky for us, another awesome library.

We walked home past the tire stores and auto shops of Calle 44 (not surprisingly not part of the walking tour routes) and on an elevated walkway, then the day wrapped up with Anne and Jane taking the lead on dinner - we all enjoyed their chicken alfredo pasta.

Friday was another walking tour - this time, one of Comuna 13.  We had read that tourism to Comuna 13 has become overwhelming, and were glad to find a tour through the neighborhood that focused more on the less-touristed parts of the neighborhood.  When we did get to the tourist heart of the neighborhood, it was overwhelming - tons of cool street art, but also a sea of other visitors and hawkers.  

Before we left the neighborhood, we took the cable car up to the end of the line.  On our walking tours, we had learned that city of Medellín has worked to develop public transportation to the point that everybody can get into the heart of town within 45 minutes.  The steep, winding neighborhoods on the outskirts - like Comuna 13 - have few roads, and so cable cars became an essential part of the connection process.  Getting a birds-eye glimpse into the winding alleys and stairways of the neighborhood was a highlight of the day.

While we didn't manage to make it to any libraries, we did find a cool bookstore/cafe around the corner from our apartment to enjoy in the evening.  (Laureles, the neighborhood where we are staying, is delightful - tons of cafes, little restaurants, small shoe-repair stores, etc.)

After two days of walking tours, we took it a bit easier on Saturday - the end of the first week of our family adventure!  Wade played pick-up basketball at the outdoor gym in Belén, the neighborhood just south of ours, while I worked on math with the girls after everybody slept in.  We followed the recommendation of one of our walking tour guides and headed to Salon Centro for a delicious lunch in town, then visited the Museum of the House of Memories - a museum dedicated to the violence and reconciliation that has been a significant part of modern Colombian history.

After stopping in another great cafe - Medellín seems to have them in endless quantity - we capped off our day with a performance of La Caperucita Roja (Little Red Riding Hood) at the Teatro Popular - Jane managed to understand most of it, and Wade and I were just amused at the very interactive nature of it.  (Lots of kids in the audience shouting "El LOBO!" whenever Caperucita was oblivious to the dangerous wolf sneaking up on her.)

Today, we kicked off the second week of our travels with another cultural experience - the first game of the season for Deportivo Independiente Medellín (DIM), one of the local soccer teams.  There are two local teams - Independiente and Nacional - and, according to Wade, Independiente is like the Mets and Nacional is like the Yankees.  (Sports are obviously not my forte - but I think that Independiente has a hard time winning but super loyal fans?)

We hadn't been able to easily figure out how to get tickets on our own, so took the easy road and joined a local group that takes visitors to matches.  We didn't quite fit in with all of the twenty-something hostel kids, but still had a great time.

At the game, the difference between professional sports in the US and overseas was striking - we were in the family-friendly section, but it meant that we were literally right on the side of the field.  Kids were welcome to run around, drinks and snacks were cheap, and they brought out huge flags for the kids to wave.  Great taste of futbol culture in a pretty chill environment, but we also enjoyed the cheering and singing coming from the Ultras section at the end of the pitch.

Our first few days in Colombia have been jam-packed, and it's been easy to see why people who have visited Colombia have always recommended it!  Now we're looking forward to two more days to enjoy the city before we head to coffee country for our next stop.