Medellin Hotels and Tours - SuCasaColombia.com http://www.sucasacolombia.com Just another WordPress site Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:00:27 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 Medellin Christmas Celebration: Los Alumbrados http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/medellin-christmas-celebration-los-alumbrados http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/medellin-christmas-celebration-los-alumbrados#comments Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:00:27 +0000 Noah and Marcela Bleicher http://www.sucasacolombia.com/?p=1196 Continue reading →]]> Every year, Medellin comes alive with the Christmas spirit. The entire city participates to cover the landscape in millions of colorful lights and decorations. Nowhere is this more evident and magnificent than along the Medellin river where the city dedicates countless man hours and millions of pesos in electricity bills to create one of the most impressive Christmas light displays in the world.

This event is called Los Alumbrados and begins in early December and continues through early January but the locals are so enthusiastic about the tradition that the preparations often start in September. This year seems to be one of the most spectacular in recent memory, which is no easy feat because every year seems to be more impressive than the last. Each year a different theme is chosen for the celebration and this year’s features the various barrios (communities) of Medellin and highlights a specific facet of each.

The city goes to great lengths to give everyone a chance to see the Alumbrados up close by shutting down the highway that runs along the Medellin River. This creates a “boardwalk” type atmosphere with over a hundred stalls for food vendors, souvenir shops, and entertainers. Locals and visitors alike come down to the river to take in the millions of lights and creative decorations.

We took a video of the nearly 2 kilometer stretch along the river during the daytime to give you an idea of just how large, detailed, and creative the Christmas celebration is. We hope you like it!

(A description (in Spanish) of the Alumbrados can be found here.)

]]> http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/medellin-christmas-celebration-los-alumbrados/feed 1 Pics of Day: Funny Signs http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/pics-of-day-funny-signs http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/pics-of-day-funny-signs#comments Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:00:06 +0000 Noah and Marcela Bleicher http://sucasacolombia.com/?p=1156 While cruising the streets of Medellin we see plenty of signs that make us laugh; whether they are funny by accident or by design, the result is always the same. Here are a few of the best that we’ve seen:

These super sexy undergarments, called Fajas, are all the rage in Colombia. Note how you can choose which ''asset'' you'd like to enhance.

Speaking of assets, take care of those hemorrhoids with NewAss! Colombians are very blunt, and so are their product names.

This bathroom is specifically for women with holes in their torso.

Although there are many wonderful details on this cart, we really like the smog bit at the bottom.

Happy New Year!

What's a Japy Niu Yiar? That's Happy New Year spelled phonetically with Spanish sounds.

God posted several posters similar to these around the city giving good advice to his creations. This one says "If you're going to drink, don't drive...even I won't be waiting for you. God"

]]> http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/pics-of-day-funny-signs/feed 0 Pics of the Week: Tropical Flowers http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/pics-of-the-week-tropical-flowers http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/pics-of-the-week-tropical-flowers#comments Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:00:22 +0000 Noah and Marcela Bleicher http://sucasacolombia.com/?p=1131 Continue reading →]]> Thanks to Medellin’s tropical climate, we are constantly seeing bizarre tropical flowers that look as if they came from some fantasy world.  Most of them can be found in the city’s fabulous Botanical Gardens.  Here are some of our favorites; our apologies in advance for not knowing what any of them are called!

This crazy flower looks like an artichoke on an acid trip.

We're convinced that these flowers are straight out of the movie Avatar.

.

We don't even know where to begin in describing this flower!

Same goes for this guy, we think they're related.

This electric pink flower is certainly appealing to the butterflies.

These fuzzy flowers come in just about every shade of red, pink, yellow and orange. They are happiness in flower form.

]]> http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/pics-of-the-week-tropical-flowers/feed 1 Pics of the Week: Exotic Fruits http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/pics-of-the-week-exotic-fruits http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/pics-of-the-week-exotic-fruits#comments Mon, 19 Sep 2011 14:00:44 +0000 Noah and Marcela Bleicher http://sucasacolombia.com/?p=1147 Continue reading →]]> Colombia is home to a great variety of exotic fruits that we had never seen before.  One of our favorite tours to give is the fruit tasting tour because it’s so much fun to see our guests reactions to the various foreign fruits.  The following photos are of some of the fruit all-stars.

This colorful fruit has a similar flavor to passion fruit and is great for people who want some tanginess in their lives.

This mildly sweet fruit is known here as Pitayah, and dragon fruit in Asia. It's one of the rarest and most expensive fruits here because each one takes months to grow and ripen.

This frightening looking fruit is called Guanabana, one of the most fun words to say in Spanish!

The fruit in the tan bowl is Guanabana pulp (pictured above). The fruit with the orange shell filled with what looks to be fish eyes is granadilla and is one of our favorites. The white fruit with black dots is the aforementioned Pitayah. The bright orange fruit is Zapote and has the texture of a ripe mango with the flavor of cantalope.

Mangostino is our favorite fruit here, perhaps because it's one of the few fruits that isn't available year-round. Due to its limited availability it is the most expensive fruit in the markets, but arguably worth every peso!

]]> http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/pics-of-the-week-exotic-fruits/feed 0 Pics of the Week: Churches Galore! http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/pics-of-the-week-churches-galore http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/pics-of-the-week-churches-galore#comments Mon, 12 Sep 2011 14:00:27 +0000 Noah and Marcela Bleicher http://sucasacolombia.com/?p=1122 You can’t go to South America without seeing churches, churches, churches everywhere.  Medellin is no exception; below are some of the more notable churches that can be found downtown.

Iglesia de la Veracruz is one of Medellin’s oldest churches. The original structure was completed in 1712 and was demolished and rebuilt nearly 100 years later.

La Catedral Metropolitana de Medellín is the largest brick church in the Americas.

Construction on La Catedral Metropolitana began in 1890 and took 40 years to complete.

French Architect, Charles Émile Carré, designed the cathedral.

Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús was completed in 1930.

]]> http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/pics-of-the-week-churches-galore/feed 0 Pics of the Day: Futboooooooool!!!!!!! http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/pics-of-the-day-futboooooooool http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/pics-of-the-day-futboooooooool#comments Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:00:14 +0000 Noah and Marcela Bleicher http://sucasacolombia.com/?p=1114 Continue reading →]]> We have the great fortune of being a 5 minute walk from the local futbol stadium, so we love to attend the games with our guests.  You haven’t truly experienced Colombia until you’ve seen their futbol fans in action.  Their spirit and dedication puts all fans in the United States to shame.  Football fans sport body paint.  Futbol fans show their commitment with tattoos.  BIG ONES.

This past Sunday we went to one of the first futbol games of the season; check out our pictures below to get an idea of what it’s like to attend a game with the fanaticos!

These giant police horses are a fixture at every futbol game. We secretly want to become mounted policemen just to have one of these gorgeous creatures to call our own.

These peace-keeping Robocops can also be found at every soccer game. Here they are making sure the Cali fans are behaving themselves.

We sat with the "fanaticos" on the northern side of the stadium. The view of the valley from the stadium is gorgeous.

Our fellow "fanaticos" sang and danced for the duration of the game. They're a fun bunch, but when their team scores a goal, run for cover!

]]> http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/pics-of-the-day-futboooooooool/feed 2 Pics of the Day: San Alejo Artisans http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/1102 http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/1102#comments Thu, 08 Sep 2011 14:00:12 +0000 Noah and Marcela Bleicher http://sucasacolombia.com/?p=1102 Continue reading →]]> We always love it when we have guests during the first Saturday of every month, because that means we can show off the handy-work of Medellin’s artisans. The monthly San Alejo Artisan Fair is a great place to buy hand crafted souvenirs and to peruse their wares with the locals. Below are some pictures from this weekend’s fair and some of our favorite finds. Enjoy!

The San Alejo artisan market is a jewelry fiend's dream.

Looking for the gift for the person who has everything? How about a gun rack made of genuine deer hoofs?

The most bitchin, magical boombox that ever existed.

A little close up to fully appreciate its 90s glory

]]> http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/1102/feed 0 Pics of the Day: Medellin’s Artistic Epicenter http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/pics-of-the-day-medellins-artistic-epicenter http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/pics-of-the-day-medellins-artistic-epicenter#comments Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:00:40 +0000 Noah and Marcela Bleicher http://sucasacolombia.com/?p=1094 Continue reading →]]> Medellin is the home to many renowned artists, the best-known being Fernando Botero with his signature “voluptuous” style. There’s no better way to experience Medellin’s abundant artistic talent than with a visit to the Museum of Antioquia and surrounding areas. Here are some pictures of the iconic Botero Plaza, located outside of the museum.

Botero Plaza is one of Medellin's most popular attractions.

The Palace of Culture, one of Medellin's most recognizable buildings, is located next to Plaza Botero.

The Museum of Antioquia is home to one of the largest collections of Fernando Botero's work.

]]> http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/pics-of-the-day-medellins-artistic-epicenter/feed 0 Pics of the Day: Animal Encounters at the Finca http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/pics-of-the-day-animal-encounters-at-the-finca http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/pics-of-the-day-animal-encounters-at-the-finca#comments Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:00:25 +0000 Noah and Marcela Bleicher http://sucasacolombia.com/?p=1080 Continue reading →]]> One of our favorite places to take our guests is to our family’s finca. The home and property are gorgeous, second only to the incredible vistas in every direction. Wild birds, macaws, iguanas and turtles can be found exploring the grounds, and they make for great photo-ops. Here are some pictures from our most recent trip to the finca.

Linda likes totugas, tortugas like Linda. Everybody wins.

Scott give the resident Macaw, Iago, the stinkeye.

The view from the finca is nothing short of spectacular.

A bad picture can't be taken of the place!

]]> http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/pics-of-the-day-animal-encounters-at-the-finca/feed 0 Pics of the Day: Farm Life http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/pics-of-the-day-farm-life http://www.sucasacolombia.com/blog/pics-of-the-day-farm-life#comments Fri, 02 Sep 2011 20:06:27 +0000 Noah and Marcela Bleicher http://sucasacolombia.com/?p=1073 Continue reading →]]> Today’s pics feature our Rio Negro Tour, where you can visit a real Colombian farm and even milk some real Colombian cows! Crops of corn, potatoes, and strawberries can also be found on the farm. Nothing tastes quite as good as a fresh-picked strawberry!

Diana milking her first cow!

Ezra returns the favor and feeds a 2 month old calf.

Cows are happier in Colombia--it's science.

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