Gate 1 Tour

My Gate 1 Classic Colombia tour started this morning. We met our excellent tour manager, Leon (on the right in the photo). There were 28 on the tour, all Americans except for three Canadians, with a number of younger people as tour mates. We had local guides in the cities. The man on the left of the photo is Diego, our excellent local guide for Bogota.

Plaza de Paloquemao

This morning we went on Bogota city tour,  with our first stop at the Plaza de Paloquemao market, where I was yesterday on my photography tour. We were here earlier than I was yesterday and today was a Saturday, so the market was crowded. This photo is of the outside flower market.

Plaza de Paloquemao

Inside the market. It was quite big, selling meats, vegetables, fruit, lottery tickets, household supplies, etc.

Gold Museum

Our next stop was at the Gold Museum in the old colonial Candelaria neighborhood. The Gold Museum has about 6,000 pieces of pre–Columbian art and gold work on display at one time. Gold work began about 2,500 years ago in Colombia and the pieces show great skill.

Gold Museum

Pre–Columbian pottery was also on display at the Gold Museum.

La Candelaria

We next took a walk around the Candelaria area, here on a pedestrian street.

Plaza Bolivar

We walked to Plaza Bolivar, the main square in Bogota.

Lunch

My tour group ate a different restaurants on the street leading to the Plaza Bolivar, where I had eaten the last two days. I chose the restaurant that I had eaten at yesterday but this time had the trout, which was more than excellent. The Colombians do know how to cook well.

Street Vendors

Today was Saturday and the street vendors were out.

Colonial Street

After lunch, we walked past these Colonial buildings.

For the photos up to this point on our city tour, see

http://www.peggysphotos.com/bogota–city–tour/

(Slide Shows, South America, Colombia–1, “Bogota: City Tour”).

Botero Museum

Our next stop was at the Botero Museum. Fernando Botero is a living Colombian artist who is known for his round, bloated, oversized people, animals, and other representations of the natural world. Here is his smiling Mona Lisa.

Botero Museum

Another Botero painting.

Botero Museum

There was also a collection of paintings by other famous artists, such as this painting by Picasso. The Botero Museum was the end of the city tour. The options now were to stay in this area of Bogota, return to the hotel, or go on an optional tour to Monserrate, which I chose to do.

Monserrate

At the funicular and cable car entrance to go up the Monserrate Mountain. We took the funicular up and the cable car down.

Monserrate

On the pathway up the hill to the church was sculptures depicting the Stations of the Cross.

Monserrate

The 17th century church at the top of Monserrate Mountain.

View of Bogota

View of Bogota from the top of Monserrate Mountain. The photos of the Botero Museum and Monserrate are on a slideshow. Go to

http://www.peggysphotos.com/bogota–botero–museum–monserrate/

(Slide Shows, South America, Colombia, “Bogota: Botero Museum; Monserrate”).