Overture To A Dance Of Locomotives

On Sunday morning, Leandro, the owner of our Buenos Aires apartment, came over early and surveyed the place to make sure no glasses were missing. Then we left our magical cocoon in BsAs with handshakes, kisses on the cheek, and several ciaos before taking the ferry three hours east to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. We rode over on Buquebus´ comfy Eladie Isabel and ate alfajores and ham-filled medialunas while listening to a guy sing tango tunes. Our second international border crossing by water.
Colonia is a popular vacation spot for people from BsAs who like to take a long saturday walking around the old town (UNESCO World heritage site count: 14) buying antiques and taking pictures of what, at one time, must´ve been an impressive place. I was unimpressed. I believe them, the place is probably very old, but it was also lifeless and, except for the few bored shopkeepers, devoid of human life.
So, after spending a morning strolling the admittedly pleasant (Kiima´s word) old town, we took the ABC Coop bus uptown to the old bull ring to see more. Bull fighting was outlawed two years after it was built in 1910, so it, along with several other buildings nearby, are slowly returning to the earth. Oddly, there´s a new Sheraton being built right next door. After some pictures with a pony next to the also-old racetrack, we walked the 6k back home along the beach and through the new part of town, a place filled with moto-scooters, mate, and lots of grilled meat.
We loved the grill stands dotting the town. We loved them several times a day. They were always hoppin´ and were our main refueling station. These places serve panchos (long hotdogs), hamburguesas, milanesas, chorizos, empanadas, and the chivito, an incredible expression of what it means to be alive. It´s a mountain of a sandwich made with grilled lomo (like four steakums put together), a few slices of ham, well done bacon, several pieces of mozzarella, an egg or two over easy, and a pile of "gustos" like mushrooms, sweet peppers, pickles and onions. Incredible stuff.
Another joy in Colonia is the abundance of small bakeries. We can´t seem to find these anywhere in the US (AND at cheapo-for-travellers prices!). They have a crazy selection of savory breads, sweet, colorful, chocolate-covered, dulce de leche-filled pastries. Example, the bizcocho, a sort of straightened out croissant that comes in sweet or buttery versions, was new for me.
Also a big hit in Colonia is mate, a bitter herb tea sipped through a metal straw and taken at any time of the day. And, really, these people seem to be drinking it pretty much non-stop. I´m not a huge fan of the stuff (It tastes like the love-child of seaweed and a freshly mowed lawn), but its cool to see people strongly embracing something that is so them. Kind of like how I want New Yorkers to love New York and to be a bit cold to visitors. There are no McDonalds in Colonia.
We stayed at El Viajero Hostel (B+, comfy common areas, pleasant rooms, but awkward bathroom, friendly staff).