On a sunny Saturday afternoon we arrived in Villa de Leyva, a beautifully preserved colonial village in the Colombian Andes, about a 3-hour drive from busy Bogota. With its proximity to Bogota it is also a popular weekend retreat for Colombians escaping the city so the little alleyways were busy with people, a marriage was held in the old church and children were flying their kites on the Plaza Mayor. It was such a peaceful and beautiful atmosphere up there on the main square in the sun, young and old gathered, people sitting on the stoops and benches enjoying a beer or some empanadas and watching the little ones flying their colorful kites that were dancing in the clear blue sky. We were relishing in the moment, the warming sun on our faces (it was a few degrees warmer than in Bogota), a cold beer in our hands and a few spicy empanadas to sample. Traveling at its best!
The views from our first hostel which was, alas, apart from the views, pretty disappointing. We changed to Hospedaje El Fuente for the next two nights which was such a lovely place run by an equally lovely old couple.
On our way to town, we passed the cemetery...
...and this cute fella...
The next morning we hired a driver together with two other Germans to embark on a trip through the district of Boyaca. Although there are quite a few buses circling between the colonial villages it would have been impossible to visit more than one or two in a day so we opted for the flexibility of a driver that also allowed us to adapt the schedule to our gusto. For example, to stop on the middle of the road when the sun was breaking through the clouds at six in the morning...
For breakfast, with our few bites of Spanish, we ordered some local treats and some nice strong coffee.
Driving through endless green hills and forests...it was a great pastime, just watching the landscape, spotting a few children playing in the distance or a few horses grazing.
Sunday morning leisure...
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