We have not yet figured out the Medellín mass transit system, so we hail a taxi on the street. When we tell the driver that we want to go to Parque Barrio he keeps saying something about the Metro. With our limited Spanish we do not understand. Originally I think he is going to take us to the nearest Metro station providing service to the Parque, but eventually we realize he is advising us that the Metro is a better option. Regardless, he delivers us to the pedestrian walkway in Centro which leads us to the Parque. Along the way we see block upon block of small businesses in Centro, passing through the textile and auto repair blocks is just a start. When he drops us off we tip him 3,000 pesos on a 7,000 trip and he is very happy.
We start by exploring Palacio de la Cultura, a gothic revival building from the 1920's originally used for government offices. Today it does art exhibits and contains a library. We wander through the rooms enjoying the art of Yolanda Perez and others.
The outdoor space of Botero Plaza contains 20+ bronze statues of the artist Fernando Botero, who was born in Medellín. We are told that Botero donated the statues in an effort to draw the people of Medellín into public spaces and to interact with art. His art is a unique style, people and animals with exaggerated volume (I.e. "fat").
After enjoying the sculptures and doing some people watching we enter Museo de Antioquia, located across the plaza from Palacio de la Cultura. Most of the art on the top floors was donated by Botero and we delight and giggle at some of the paintings and statues. As with all good artists he is providing commentary and perspective on people and events. Given the impact of the drug lord Pablo Escobar on the city of Medellín as well as the county and the rest of the world he did a painting about Escobar after his death which I stare at for 10-15 minutes.
The metro station is right across the plaza, and it it mid-afternoon so it shouldn't be too crowded. We walk into the station, examine the map and plot our course back to the apartment. It is very simple, we just need to take the A line 4 stops to Industriales and then walk about 1km. The fare is only 2,250 pesos (72 cents US) per person. We find the metro stations and trains to be very clean and relatively easy to navigate.
The metro station is right across the plaza, and it it mid-afternoon so it shouldn't be too crowded. We walk into the station, examine the map and plot our course back to the apartment. It is very simple, we just need to take the A line 4 stops to Industriales and then walk about 1km. The fare is only 2,250 pesos (72 cents US) per person. We find the metro stations and trains to be very clean and relatively easy to navigate.
RSS Feed