Medellin is not a movie. It's a life.

Last time I went to Medellin my time focused primarily on the touristy things to do in the city, such as the Botero museum, Botero Plaza, riding the MetroCable and walking around the center of the city.

This time, Medellin was more of a stop over on the way to and from Rio Claro, so we did things a little differently. We stayed in the Poblado neighborhood, which is in the south of the city and definitely in the wealthier part of Medellin. Located about a 15 minute walk from the restaurant and bar center of the neighborhood, our hostel, Black Sheep, was an excellent choice for the weekend. Comfy beds, super clean, friendly and full of very relaxed travelers, it was definitely a good choice for our post-jungle sleeping!

When not enjoying our lovely hostel and early morning re-runs of Friends and The Big Bang Theory, we spent time strolling around Medellin. Here are some of the highlights:

Tres Cordilleras Brewery Tour

Ever since I first tasted the beers of Tree Cordilleras in Medellin last year, I knew they would be my favorites of Colombia. Primarily dominated by larger brewing companies that make up 99% of the beer consumption, Colombia is a country without a strong beer culture. The people here for the most part drink the same dull tasting pale ales (think of the beer you drank in college...that's what it's like). Therefore the idea of a local microbrewery is pretty unique so I was psyched to check out the actual place!

However, the words brewery tour are really used loosely here, because what I thought was a time & date change to the weekly brewery tour as a result of Holy Week was actually a time & date change for the Copa del Rey. An annual soccer match between the two best teams in Spain, this year's game featured Barcelona versus Real Madrid. These are definitely the two most popular teams (outside of South America) for people in Colombia to watch, so by the time the game came on we were sitting in a full house! Watching the game turned out to be super fun and we still got our souvenir glasses as well as five beers for the $15,000 COP ($8 USD) entry fee, so overall - WIN. I may or may not stolen us an additional two glasses in typical I-am-my-grandmother's-granddaughter fashion, but I ended up breaking one (oops). But at least now we have an extra!

My two favorite Tres Cordilleras flavors - Blanca (left) is an American wheat ale while Mulata (right) is an amber ale. Not pictured is the Mestiza - a typical American pale ale.

We figured out the brewery tour wasn't going to happen right around the time we saw people using markers to write bets on the office windows of Tres Cordilleras...

Enthralled by the game!

Pablo Escobar's Grave

After reading Killing Pablo by Mark Bowden and learning a lot more about the life of Pablo Escobar in Colombia, Kelsi and I both wanted to checkout his grave site located in Itagui, a small suburb of Medellin. We took the metro to Itagui, hopped in a cab and had him point us in the right direction. Since we were on Holy Thursday, the cemetery was pretty busy. I felt a bit weird being there since Pablo Escobar and his legacy is still a pretty controversial topic in Colombia. However, I did manage to snap these photos. We pretty much just went to the cemetery, looked around and left, but I am glad we went. He is a fascinating part of Colombian history and in a way it kind of gave me a nice sense of closure to reading the book...

The entrance to the cemetery built on a hill overlooking Medellin. In the end Pablo's "wish" came true as he is often quoted for saying, "Better a grave in Colombia than a jail in the United States."

Pablo's grave. A small emblem in the lower left-hand corner says "Don Pablo" as he was known by friends and associates.

Coffee, Coffee, Coffee!

Located in the Eje Cafetero, or Coffee Axel, of Colombia, Medellin is a city filled with Juan Valdez locations and also some cute cafes, which are a rarity for whatever reason.

Juan Valdez in Parque Lleras

Le Bon Cafe in Parque Lleras

Great sign in the cafe! I wanted to take this home with us :)

"With our hands full of love, we are free to toast more than just a good coffee."

Shopping

Home to many malls and a busy center of town, Medellin is a great place for shopping. I found a super cute jacket/blazer thing in olive green than I basically didn't take off for the remainder of the trip...yet oddly have no photos of. Oops. Anway... so ends our Medellin trip. Hooray for week-long break from school!

Around the Plaza Botero and the Parque Berrio metro station.

Santa Fe Mall - super modern looking both inside and out - also home to delightful stores like Zara, Stravidarius and Bershka :) LOVE!

Disclaimer: Yes, the title of this post is absolutely taken from an Entourage episode. ;)

the time i went to medellin & saw lots of fat statues and drank pancake flavored tea

As I said in my quick post before the weekend, I spent Valentine's Day weekend with some friends in the city of Medellin, north of Cali in the central Andean mountain range. I have heard some about Medellin from friends and students at school, so I figured it was time for me to discover it for myself. Prior to heading to Medellin, here is what Lonely Planet: Colombia had to say about the city:

"Forget everything you've read about Medellín - it's probably old news by now. Yes, the city was the headquarters and principal killing grounds for Colombia's cocaine cartels. But the world press forgot to report Medellín's remarkable turnaround. Today, it's one of Latin America's safest big cities, and also one of its most pleasant. Although Medellín may lack the sophisticated edge of Bogotá or the sumptuous languor of Cartagena, it has its own unique set of guiles to win over the traveler. Surrounded on all four sides by rugged peaks, there seem to be stunning views wherever you look. With mild temperatures year-round, Medellín deserves the nickname 'City of Eternal Spring.' A dynamic economy, driven by the huge textile industry as well as very brisk business in cut flowers, helps support a lively cultural scene. The narrow streets of downtown, safe once again, are supercharged with pedestrian life. Above all, it's the people who will win you over. Even in ultra-friendly Colombia, they are known for their graciousness and warmth. Life isn't perfect by any means. The slopes around the city are crowded with makeshift slums, a constant reminder of the inequality that plagues not just Medellín but all of Latin America. Still, the city's residents have a special knack for enjoying themselves, and they're more than happy to have you join in."

Sounds pretty sweet, huh? We were excited to get there and even despite some annoying airpot delays still made it to Medellin in high spirits! Our hotel, Prado 61, was a European style boutique (well, boutique for Colombian standards) hotel in the Prado neighborhood of Medellin. The owner spoke English, the rooms were huge and we were served delicious breakfasts each morning of fresh fruit, eggs, fresh juice, coffee and bread for only $3 each. Mmmmmmm. Kelsi & I shared a double room with a massively over-sized bed, twin bed, and a gorgeous bathroom with his & her sinks! :)

Our room.

Dual sinks are so efficient.

While in Medellin, we took out the guidebooks and played tourists for the weekend - checking out all that Medellin had to offer! After a weekend of exploring I could not agree more with my guidebook when the quote next to Medellin on the maps says "Classy Medellin is a city with something to prove." The city is definitely trying to make its way in the world by putting forth an image of modernity. From the fancy Metro (only one in Colombia!) to newly fashioned parks & plazas, the city definitely feels like it is out to make a statement. Here are some highlights from the weekend:

Plaza Botero - home to about 15 sculptures by Medellin-born artist Fernando Botero. I saw his museum in Bogota a few months ago & became fascinated by his style of painting chubby people. Final verdict - sculptures are even cooler than the paintings!!

Caleb & Angie mimic Adam & Eve.

Tara, Angie, Kelsi and I with the (somewhat naked) statue of a winged woman.

Museo de Antioquia (Antioquia is the state that Medellin is in)

View of Plaza Botero and the Palace from the Museum window.

Kelsi & I with one of the Botero sculptures.
Friends standing outside the cathedral in Parque Bolivar.
Kelsi admiring some of the headstones in San Pedro cemetery in central Medellin.
Entrance to the botanical gardens from the Metro stop.

Enjoying the botanical gardens.

Lake in the middle of the botanical gardens.

My FAVORITE picture from the gardens. I LOVED these pink puff ball things! This one it totally getting framed :)
Metro Cable cars in Medellin - to provide city access to those who live on the hillside.
Touristy photo while riding the Metro Cable and listening to the others in our car debate if it is harder to learn English or Spanish as a second language. Awesome.
Enjoying some Sunday relaxation time at Cafe Le Bon in Parque Lleras, Medellin.

After many months I finally found a place to serve me a tea macchiato, sort of like a tea mocha...only they made it first with fruity tea....with coffee...which just tasted weird. Next I got this gem. Took one sip before I placed the distinct flavor of my second cup of tea. Pancakes. Actual pancakes. I am not kidding and of course I made Kelsi and Tara try it to verify and yes they agree, so there. Tea can taste like pancakes apparently.

Outside of the photos our other main activity in Medellin included eating all types of delicious food that we cannot get in Cali. This of course included some beers from the micro brewery, Tres Cordilleras, as well as delicious spring rolls and thai food. Mmmmmm.

I hope everyone had a fabulous Valentine's Day weekend!!

Medellin-bound.

Hi friends! Just a quick post to update everyone:

Today is our last day of school for the week, as our mid-year break gives us a long weekend! Hooray! No school on Friday means plenty of travel time, so a group of us are off to Medellin tonight. Medellin is the last of the three big cities in Colombia (Bogota, Cali, Medellin) and I have been wanting to visit for quite some time. We found some cheap airfare, so off we go! I hope to find time in the three days to check out many Fernando Botero sculptures, the Medellin metro (only one in Colombia!), the Medellin micro brewery, botanical gardens and maybe even Pablo Escobar's gravesite??? We will see what time allows!

Back late Sunday night, so look for updates on Monday! Have a great weekend :)