PATINA

This summer we made another shopping pilgrimage to Buenos Aires  in search of the unexpected and the beautiful. We are so excited by all the incredible and interesting pieces we found!  Not to mention that the ship is on the water and soon to arrive in New Orleans. Before it gets here though, we would like to share some of our recent experiences there.

Always on the hunt for new adventure, from Buenos Aires we took a one hour Buquebus ride across the Rio de la Plata (the widest river in the world)  to Colonia  del Sacremento, the oldest town in Uruguay.  It was founded by the Portuguese in 1680 and is utterly charming…   In its early days it changed rulers often, going back and forth between between the Spanish and the Portuguese until it was incorporated into Brazil in 1816 and then in 1828 became part of the independent country of Uruguay.

The Barrio Historico is the oldest section of the city. This is where the colonial history of the city can be seen in the architecture.  Winding streets of 17th century cobblestone are  laid out in the Portuguese style,  a pattern different from the perpendicularly laid out streets found in Spanish colonial cities.  Ancient homes of colorful weathered adobe and of stone are everywhere.   When the first settlers built their houses, one could distinguish the wealthier owners by the thickness of their roofs;  the more layers of tile a roof had, the wealthier the owner.  Below are some pictures of the houses and streets of the old quarter.

Roof with 3 layers of tile

Roof with 2 layers of tile

Notice the absence of sidewalks. The street goes all the way to the house.

This street has a sidewalk and is lined with beautiful sycamore trees.

Gloriously painted pink house

Gargoyle rain spout

Amongst the charming ancient houses are areas of verdant green space concealed behind thick walls and dotted with huge old sycamores.  One imagines that once upon a time cows, sheep or goats grazed here.  There are also charming courtyards glimpsed through iron gates or open archways…Of equal interest is the fact that it was in the dead of winter when these pictures were shot!  Can you believe how green everything is?  Look at the oranges on the trees in the square (last picture).

Walled green space behind a house.

Look at the beautiful green front garden behind the gate.

Here is a lush court yard.

Light house overlooking the main square. Note the orange trees!

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