Barichara

On Sunday, Feb. 19, we left Socorro for Barichara. We took two buses, first to San Gil, and then another to Barichara. The whole trip was only 1 1/2 hours.

Barichara is one of the prettiest and quietest towns we've ever visited. And it is small; you can walk from one side of town to the other in about 20 minutes. Tourists come,
 and there is a selection of restaurants and small hotels, but not enough to spoil the town in any way. Walking around the stone-paved streets is a pleasure. Most of the antique houses are built with a distinctive warm, brown stone and then coated with white plaster. Flowers abound.



Above is the main church in Barichara. It shows the golden-brown stone that is characteristic of the town. Most often the stone is covered with whitewashed plaster, but the some of the stone may be left exposed, as in the handsome doorway below.


In Barichara we stayed for three nights at Tinto Hostel -- not in a dorm, of course, but in a double room with private bath. It was fine.

Left, the hostel's entrance courtyard; right, the pool area (You can just see a corner of the small pool.)

Our room; We liked the bird stencil in our bathroom.

View from the terrace where we had breakfast each morning, just outside the hostel's shared kitchen

More photos, starting with always-quiet central park, to show what a pretty town Barichara is.







There is a three-mile walk from Barichara to Guane, a nearby village, called the Camino Real. A network of footpaths linked the mountain villages in colonial times. This path was somewhat restored in the 19th century and is still a beautiful walk.





Below, we've arrived at Guane. It is a town where you can escape the hustle and bustle of Barichara!



Out the bus window on the ride back to Barichara

Back in Barichara, we found an area where there are a few craft shops and other tourist-oriented businesses. 

This sign at one shop says "Don't take Viagra; drink goat's milk!" The area is known for goat products.

This metal sculpture of a lion in one of the shops was not for sale.

In the craft shops there were several things that we both liked. 

Ceramic frogs made in Barichara by a French artist who has since moved to Bogota 

Beautiful stone objects, including a nativity scene, from a great shop named Solar

Barichara is bounded on the northwest by a deep valley with spectacular views. We walked in this area on our first afternoon and came back every evening.

Looking back toward town from one of the streets leading up to the miradores

At one of the miradores in late afternoon

View from one of the miradores, near sunset

Looking back at Barichara after dark