Monday morning was wet and windy. We walked a short way to the ferry station where we caught a boat to Uruguay. Once on the boat, some of us chatted while others slept, and to our pleasant surprise, across the river, we found specks of blue and some sun. Profe. Levin crossed her fingers, hoping that the temperate conditions would hold for the day.
Colonia was founded in 1680 by the Portuguese, and for much of its history, the settlement has passed from one controlling power to another. In the 18th century, the Spanish and the Portuguese fought for its possession, and in the 19th century, Argentina and Brazil became its new claimants. Finally, in 1825, Uruguay, along with Colonia del Sacramento, gained its independence.
This history of hostilities had a hand in the settlement's design; the Portuguese surrounded the old peninsular town in a thick stone wall, whose battlements held cannons directed at whatever enemy the river might bring. We walked the cobble stone streets, which were designed according to whatever power possessed it at the time--the Portuguese set down the stone in mosaics, creating fan and circular patterns, while the Spanish laid down the stone end to end, giving roads a more linear, simple pattern.
Our students took turns guiding us through the small settlement. Brad talked about the town square and the ruined convent, Caiden talked about a former Portuguese home, and Atticus pointed out an old soap factory that sat at the peninsula's northern edge, overlooking the bay that swayed steadily under the greying afternoon sky. With an hour left before dinner, our students walked up and down the main street where some of the boys practiced their Spanish by asking Uruguayan girls for their social media or numbers. "Te llamas Google, porque tu tienes todo de lo que estoy buscando," and other pick up lines were exchanged over chicken milanesas and ravioles as they debriefed their immersive Spanish exchanges with these locals.
After dinner, we gave ourselves one final look at the river. And after a short walk through the evening drizzle, we boarded our ferry and made our way back to Buenos Aires.
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