Medellin, City of Eternal Spring

Medellin's reputation of old - cocaine and murder capital of the world - has changed in the past 20 years and this city of over 3 million has become a travel destination.

We are staying with our friends Maria Velez and Carlos Londoño, who are here on a sabbatical from the University of Regina. They live in the neighbourhood of El Poblado, one of the most modern, upscale and safe areas of the city.

On the day of our arrival we met Maria's family at a weekly family dinner. The following day we met Carlos' father's side of the family at a weekly family lunch. Many families in Colombia gather together for a meal once a week, which helps them maintain very strong family ties. We have been welcomed warmly by our Colombian hosts, and introduced to delicious traditional and typical foods. We have been enjoying the variety of fruits and fruit juices available here, including many fruits that we have never had before because they only grow here.

Carlos, Maria, Carlos' Aunt Carmen, Kathy at the Garden Center

 

Breakfast with Tia Carmen

 

During our first week we did some sightseeing and some shopping. There are huge modern shopping malls in Medellin, but they are filled with clothes for rich, sexy, skinny Colombian women, so we have had little succes in finding anything to fit us. And you should see the shoes! We' d kill ourselves or at least break an ankle if we tried to walk on the very steep hills in such footwear.

A shopping mall full of plants and trees and a living wall. Most malls have two or three courtyards open to the outdoors.

 

Landscaping outside the Santa Fe shopping mall

 

We visited the botanical gardens, the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Antioquia, and the Sculpture Park which contains many sculptures by Colombian artist Fernando Botero.

Sculptures outside the Museum of Modern Art

 

Some of the wild life in the Jardin Botanico - a tree climbing iguana

 

One of the huge trees in the Jardin Botanico

 

We were happy we spotted the Sloth that lives in the Jardin. It was quite active - for a sloth.

 

Evanna next to a Botero sculpture in the sculpture park. The Museo de Antioquia is the Art Deco building in the background. It is called a museum but it is really an art gallery.

 

Botero's sculptures and his paintings are of voluminous people and animals, and sometimes fruit and books as well.

 

In the Parque Berrio, near the Museo, we cam across this group of musicians busking. They were very good and played old time music from the north of Colombia.