Bogota, Colombia
After our amazing adventure and
the equatorial temperatures of the Galapagos we arrived at El Dorado
International Airport, March 10, 2014 and much cooler weather. Our Hotel de la Opera, located in the
historic “La Candelaria” district, had sent a driver to meet us. We had beautiful accommodation, with a
view from the window of Monserrate.
The hotel is adjacent to “Teatro de Cristobal Colon”, the National
Theatre and Opera House, inaugurated October 27, 1892. Unfortunately, during our stay in
Bogota, it was closed for renovations and reopened in July, just four months
after we left. It had been closed
since 2008. On the opposite
side of the road is the Palace of San Carlos, built in 1585. It has had many different occupants,
but is now The Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Map of La Candelaria with Hotel de la Opera
“La
Candelaria” is the historic downtown neighbourhood of Bogota and is home to
government, museums, old churches, universities, libraries and other old
buildings, in architectural styles of the Baroque period, Spanish Colonial and
Art Deco. The cobbled streets are
narrow, with very colourful buildings and were not built to accommodate
motorized vehicles. In the Botero Museum housed on 11th
street you can view the paintings and sculptures of world-renowned artist and
sculptor, Ferdinand Botero, along with his collection of Picasso’s, Chagall’s, Monet’s
and other celebrated artists.
Botero’s art is all somewhat satirical and many of his paintings seem to
be very obese people. However,
these people were not fat, we were told that he painted them with “voluminous
disproportionalism” in order to make us, the onlookers, laugh. He most certainly achieved that goal. He also painted “his” versions of other
famous paintings such as the Mona Lisa and her enigmatic smile. Botero began his artistic career, after
his father died of a heart attack when he was just four years old. At the age of six, we were told, he started
drawing and selling pencil portrait sketches of patrons at the local racetrack,
to help out with the family finances.
From his humble beginnings he developed his own style, which is now highly
prized and sells for millions of dollars.
Ferdinand Botero, is at this juncture almost 84 years old. In an adjoining building, across the
courtyard, is housed the Museum of the Mint, a numismatic collection of coins depicting
the history of Colombia and the place where the first gold coins were
struck. There are many museums in
Bogota, but one of the most important and truly amazing was the Gold Museum,
Museo del Oro. This museum houses
the largest collection in the world of Pre-Hispanic gold work, including the
famous Muisca’s Golden Raft, found in Pasca in 1969, which represents the El
Dorado ceremony. This ceremony is
where the heir to the chieftaincy assumed power with great offerings to the
gods. He stood in the centre of a
raft adorned with gold, surrounded by the principal chieftains who were also
adorned in gold.
La Candelaria is the vibrant heart of the old
city. It is now considered a safe
neighbourhood with throngs of university students coming and going to classes,
or visiting the libraries. There
are many tiny “hole in the wall” places to eat here called Aguapanelarias or
Mecateaderos (a place to meet with friends for an Aguapanela and a snack) that have exceptionally
good food. La Puerta Falsa, of
course, being the most famous for its Aguapanela (a drink, be it coffee, hot
chocolate etc., with a base made from sugar cane) with almojabanas (Colombian
Cheese Buns), which are eaten for breakfast or an afternoon snack. La Puerta Falsa was the only Aguapanelaria
to survive the fire of April 9, 1948, which destroyed all the others in this
same block. There is very little
room to sit in any of these establishments, especially during the day. When I say very little room, I mean
that the establishments themselves are like the very small front room of a very
tiny row –house, which are packed wall to wall with people, but it is worth it.
We dined at two of these places in
the evening, in the same block, the food was delicious and the cost very
reasonable. Ajiaco, a chicken,
corn and potato soup/stew is famous in Bogota, very, very, delicious and
filling. The ears of the corn, are
cut into pieces and cooked whole, the kernels are not removed. In September, after our visit, Anthony
Bourdain met Hector Abad at La Puerta Falsa for ajiaco, tamales and hot
chocolate with cheese.
A very short walk down the hill
from the Hotel de la Opera is the main square of Bogota, “Plaza de Bolivar”. In
the centre stands a statue of Simon Bolivar (a Venezuelan Statesman who led
South America’s independence from the Spanish). On the north side of the square is the Palace of
Justice, housing the Supreme Court.
On the south side is the National Capitol building, seat of the Columbian
Congress. To the east is The Primary
Cathedral of Bogota and the Holy Chapel and to the west, a French style
building, “Palacio Leviano” which is the Mayor’s seat. Situated in the northwest corner is
a small 16th/17th century colonial building, Casa del Florero, also known as
the “vase house”, from where, on July 20, 1810, Bogota patriots took to the
streets to declare their independence.
In the southeast corner is the Colegio Mayor of San Bartolome, formerly
a Jesuit university, now a secondary school.
The Palace of Justice is the
third and current building on this site.
The first built in 1921 was destroyed by fire in 1948, the second was
destroyed by the guerilla movement M-19 in 1985, during the Palace of Justice
Siege and the site was left untouched until 1989 when the third building was
erected.
The National Capitol building was
started in 1846 but not completed until 1926 due to political instability.
The Primary Cathedral of Bogota
was built between 1807 and 1823 and the Holy Chapel in the 17th
century.
Iglesia de San Ignacio is a beautiful
Jesuit Church, adjacent to the Colegio Mayor of San Bartolome. Construction began in 1610 and was
completed in 1691 and has recently undergone renovation. The church is very famous for its Holy
Water. While not directly
attributed to San Ignacio de Loyola who founded the Jesuit Church it is widely
assumed that Jesuit Holy Water is more potent than regular Holy Water for its
curative powers.
Iglesia San Agustin is a Colonial
Church with a magnificent Baroque interior.
Iglesia del Carmen was built in
1927 and architecturally probably the most striking church, in Bogota. It is Gothic in style and was declared
a National Monument in 1993.
A stroll down 7th
Avenue brought us to the more modern part of the city. Nestled among these new buildings are
some more old churches, Iglesia de la Veracruz being one of them. This church is quite plain and its interior
somewhat austere, not elaborately decorated as most of the churches in
Bogota. It was built around the
mid 1500’s and is probably the oldest building in the city. It is also known as the National
Pantheon for all the heroes buried within.
Emeralds are a major symbol of
Colombia and it has, without doubt, the most beautiful in the world, therefore,
it would be remiss not to visit the Emerald Museum, located at the top of The
Avianca Building. This is not a
Museum as such, but rather a private collection of emeralds both cut and uncut
with some still embedded in rock.
The start of the tour is in a small theatre where you watch a video
showing the different mines and mining techniques, followed by some tableaus of
mine excavation. After this a lady
tours you around the various showcases and explains more about the emeralds
themselves. There is also a shop
where you can purchase the gems.
Seventh Avenue, once known as
Royal Street, was constructed in the 16th century to connect Plaza
de Bolivar with Plaza de San Francisco.
Many important buildings were constructed along this avenue until they,
along with the tramway, were burned in 1948. The destruction and burning was due to retaliation, of the
assassination of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán. In the second half of the 20th
century another resurgence in building took place. 7th Avenue is pedestrian only in many parts,
where families and tourists alike enjoy the vibrancy of the street vendors,
clowns, musicians, actors and dancers, in this now safe environment. Peaceful political demonstrations still
take place here, from time to time, and from here they head to the Plaza de
Bolivar. We walked along 7th
Avenue several times during our week in Bogota and at no time felt
uncomfortable. However, caution
should always be taken in any big city, anywhere in the world, especially late
at night.
Of course, a trip to Bogota would not be complete without a visit to
Monserrate. We walked from Hotel
de la Opera, through the streets of Bogota, arriving at Avenida de
Jiménez de Quesada and followed the Eje Ambiental, which ultimately leads to Monserrate.
Avenida de Jiménez de
Quesada is built over The San Francisco River and was transformed into a
promenade, with native trees, a brick paved Plaza and the Eje Ambiental running
through the centre. The “Eje Ambiental”(environmental axis)
looks as though it has a purpose, maybe part of the river underneath, but it is
purely ornamental as it gently cascades, meandering along its sloping course, with
its only purpose being to please. We
finally came to the end of the promenade and then climbed a steeper part of the
hill before we reached the funicular to take us to the top. There was a long queue for tickets but
it moved reasonably quickly.
We were transported up the mountain, Monserrate,
which has an elevation of 3,152 metres above sea level (10,341 ft), by the funicular.
After alighting we passed by a garden of torch lilies where numerous
hummingbirds, of different species, were drinking the nectar. From here we walked up the hill passing
many sculptures depicting Christ’s walk with the cross. At the top is the Church and Shrine to “El Señor
Caído” (The Fallen Lord), which was built in the 17th century and is
a pilgrim destination. Most pilgrims choose to climb up the mountain. It is an awesome site, both inside and
out, with magnificent views of the surrounding mountains and overlooking the
city. Atop one of the mountains sits
Santuario
de Nuestra Señora de Gualdelupe which has no funicular, an unpaved road, sits
at an elevation of 3,300 metres above sea level (10,827 ft), but unfortunately
we did not have time to visit.
Apparently, it has a simple sanctuary, originally erected in 1656, but
destroyed four times by earthquakes.
A specialized guide is recommended for this trip.
This was not the end of our visit in
Bogota. We spent one of our days
at Guatavita and Zipaquira which will be covered in the next blog………………….See if
we get out of the salt mine……………………………..!!!!!
Teatro de Cristobal Colon - The National Theatre
Hotel de la Opera adjacent to Teatro de Cristobal Colon
Hotel de la Opera - Internal Courtyard
Barbara & Jim - the roof top restaurant
Hotel de la Opera
Hotel de la Opera
Palacio de San Carlos - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Opposite Hotel de la Opera
Schoolchildren opposite Hotel de la Opera on an outing
Typical street in "La Candelaria"
Iglesia de la Candelaria
View from "La Candelaria" to Plaza de Bolivar
La Puerta Falsa Plaque - The False Door - "Cafe"
The False Door - Mecateadero (Cafe)
National Capitol Building
National Capitol Building
Colegio Mayor San Bartolome
Primary Cathedral & Holy Chapel
Simon Bolivar Statue
Palacio Leviano
Plaza Bolivar - Llama Rides
Palace of Justice
Iglesia de San Ignacio
Colegio Mayor San Bartolome - "School is out"
Courtyard garden - La Candelaria
Barbara with a Presidential Palace Guard
Presidential Palace Guards
Iglesia de San. Agustin
Iglesia de San Agustin
Santuario Nuestra Señora del Carmen
Santuario Nuestra Señora del Carmen
Pre-Hispanic Mask - Gold Museum
Huge Uncut Emeralds - Gold Museum
Gold Museum - Pre-Hipanic artifact
Gold Museum - cat
Gold Muisca Raft
Barbara with young girl in National Costume
Botero Museum - Courtyard
Jim at the Botero Museum
What a body!!!!
The Thief - Ferdinand Botero
The Workshop - Ferdinand Botero
Mona Lisa - Ferdinand Botero
The Bathroom - Spot the Peeping Tom
Terra Moto - The Earthquake - Botero
Botero Museum Courtyard
Botero Museum Courtyard
View of Montserrate from Botero Museum
7th Avenue - Street Vendor selling Mamoncillos -
a tangy tropical fruit
7th Avenue - Street Vendor selling Coconuts
Iglesia de la Veracruz
View from The Emerald Museum, Avianca Building
Jim alongside the (Environmental Axis)
Eje
Ambiental de la Avenida de Jiménez de Quesada
Street art - Avenida de Jiménez de Quesada
Church and Shrine of El Senor Caido - Monserrate
Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Gualdelupe
Torch Lilies and Hummingbirds at Monserrate
Torch Lilies and Hummingbirds at Monserrate
Torch Lilies and Hummingbirds at Monserrate
Torch Lilies and Hummingbirds at Monserrate
Crucifiction Sculpture - Monserrate
Crucifiction Sculpture - Monserrate
Crucifiction Sculpture - Monserrate
Crucifiction Sculpture - Monserrate
Barbara at Monserrate
Inside the church at Monserrate
Inside the church at Monserrate
View of Bogota from Monserrate
View of Plaza de Bolivar and La Candelaria from Monserrate
Monserrate
Monserrate
Monserrate
Monserrate
Monserrate
Funicular at Monserrate
Crucifix at the Base of Monserrate
