Downtown Medellin: Things to See in La Candelaria

I had heard that La Candelaria in downtown Medellin was an attack on the senses – ever bustling, ever crazy, sometimes beautiful, a little dangerous. I was keen to see it for myself.

I walked down the hill to Poblado station, and caught the train to Parque Berrio. It was a fast train ride.  The view once you get off the train is amazing.  It is a bird’s eye view of the area.

I headed out of the station.

It was a crazy hive of activity downstairs. However in 2 minutes I could see the most majestic building. I knew this one would instagram well. 🙂

It was next to a garden area as well.

I was glad the sun was shining.

It was time for a coffee, so I headed to one of the most recommended coffee spots – El Labratorio de Cafe.

El Labratorio de Cafe

It was packed out, and they had a great view onto the square, and very limited seating.

Luckily a kind staff member, moved a table out of the direct sun, and inside so I could sit down.

They had a coffee/ breakfast deal of cappuccino and panini with mushroom and cheese for COP$7,500. The sandwich was very small though, but the coffee was really, really good.

There was a sculpture exhibition set up in the garden area. The bronze was really well done.

I headed off in search of a certain Cathedral.

It was fascinating to see how the Medellin people lived.

I must admit, at times I didn’t feel 100% safe in this area, so I was a bit cautious on using my phone/ camera. I finally found the park I was looking for.

I even tried to look grumpy to blend in, but being nearly 6ft and blond doesn’t really help.

When I finally found the cathedral, I was glad I did. Sadly it was locked and bolted so not really possible to see inside.

If this park looks….. familiar to you, then it’s likely you’ve seen the Narcos season 2 finale.  Sometimes you just need an ice-cream…

Then I headed into the mall for some lunch.  It felt a lot safer once I was in the mall.

I had a good look around, but it was clear the clothes in Colombia are definitely for shorter people.

I picked up some chocolate cake from the local famous Astor bakery.

I dedicated to walk back to the San Antonio metro station.

Sometimes, the city felt like a grungy, retro Miami.

It was well set up for tourists though, with maps scattered around.

These guys REALLY like decorations.

I squeezed through the markets.

Popped into the basilica.

And squeezed through more markets.

There were some really beautiful buildings downtown.

There were so many people, I started to feel overwhelmed.

I snapped a few pics of the street art.

I then reached the train station, so I jumped back on to head back to Poblado.

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