Medellín, the modern and enthusiastic daughter of Colombia
We let ourselves be seduced by graffiti , by Botero's sculptures , for eternal spring and for a fair dedicated to flowers. With the best transportation system in the country, a avant-garde spirit without losing its mountain roots and a wide cultural, natural and leisure offer, Medellín is a tourist gem that you should already have on your list of next destinations.
the second city of Colombia she is innovative, warlike, captivating and delicious. It has managed to reinvent itself through culture and entrepreneurship; the transformation is evident wherever you look.
El Poblado, our base camp
He left behind the violent stigma that he dragged for years thanks to Pablo Escobar (inevitable not to name him) and preferred to face the world betting on its landscapes, its gastronomy as sybaritic as it is traditional, its culture and tourism which, even today with the numbers of foreign travelers on the rise, has not made it a crowded city.
After 10 hours of flight from Madrid , Medellín welcomes its visitors with a mountainous panorama like no other: a green mantle covers the peaks that surround the valley where the city is located.
It takes us half an hour to get to the Commune 14 - The Village, one of the 16 in which it is divided and the ideal area to stay , with hotel chains such as Marriot, Ibis, Holiday Inn or NH, hostels and boutique hotels for all kinds of pockets.
The first exploration of this cosmopolitan city is done in the provence district, near the hotel. Among the varied selection of bars and restaurants, we recharge our energies at ** El Social ,** a neighborhood store of all life, with brass tables and disparate chairs, in which to the rhythm of salsa you can taste **chorizo, black pudding, empanadas with chili and pork rinds (torreznos)** between sips of cold beer or aguardiente, Antioquian that is.
In the area, the most gourmets will drop by the avant-garde restaurants ** Carmen , Oci Mde , El Botánico , Ammazza or El Cielo **, the latter a bastion of Colombian signature cuisine and run by renowned chef Juan Manuel Barrientos. .
INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY
The morning, hangover or not, we start it off on the right foot, that is, with the most aromatic coffee on the planet, followed by a exotic fruit juice (passion fruit, lulo, soursop, guava…) , arepa (grilled corn tortilla) with fresh cheese, scrambled eggs, yucca bread and the distinguished paisa (Antioquian) kindness of the waiter, who with his “a la orden” cantadito brightens anyone's day.
The variety of fruits for breakfast is proportional to the diversity of trees and flowers that house the 14 hectares of the Botanical Garden. The cornerstone of this immense green lung is its orchid branch , where nature and architecture seem to come together without getting in the way and in which they coexist orchids, anthuriums, ferns and palms, turning it into a great tropical paradise.
Located across the street and unmistakable for its four huge red concrete blocks, ** Parque Explora .** Inside, one of the largest aquariums in Latin America and more than 300 interactive science and technology experiences will delight the little ones.
To this area of the city (the north) you arrive by subway, the only one in Colombia and pride of its more than 3.5 million inhabitants who take care of it as if it were a child.
Positioned there, we approach the imposing building of the Route N Corporation, synonymous with sustainability and revitalizing education, innovation and entrepreneurship; also to Planetary and to Wish Park , where they project films in the open air.
After ten minutes on the subway we arrived at the center of Medellin which, without being the most touristic area and through which you have to go with caution, is a delicious hive of street vendors, food stalls, shopkeepers, greengrocers...
We taste a mango (still green) with salt and lime, before embarking on the impeccable Ayacucho tram. Inaugurated in 2016, this work has a special meaning for the city: it has improved the quality of life of more than 80,000 people, it is example of sustainable mobility and returned to Medellin 113,174 square meters of new public spaces and green areas.
A gastronomic market, a little flower square, colorful graffiti and two lines of the Metrocable, the first cable car-type system in the world to be used as urban transport, give life to this road corridor located between Communes 9 and 10.
Medellin Metrocable
CULTURAL EFERVESCENCE
The city of eternal spring, with its perfect thermal sensation, decided to stand up to the violence and erase the stigma of a dangerous metropolis through culture in all its facets.
The music –Paisas understand tango, vallenato, salsa, merengue, reggaeton, joint, cumbia–, art, theater, dance, graffiti and even the preservation of its roots. Its most important festival, the Flower Fair , seeks to highlight the work of the peasants who produce stunning flower arrangements and that they carry on their backs in the summit event of the fair, the Silleteros Parade, which this year is celebrated on Sunday, August 11.
One of the most emblematic initiatives of neighborhood culture is the Graffititour. Ten years ago several young people, inhabitants of the Commune 13 and members of the Casa Kolacho social collective, dreamed of transform your neighborhood into a showcase of art.
Thanks to hip hop and graffiti, this area, years ago the most dangerous in Colombia, is today one of the most visited by tourists and locals. Avant-garde art that washed the most violent face of a community and became an example of transformation in Latin America.
Botero Square
More classic but just as emblematic is the work of master Fernando Botero. The turgidities of his sculptures, which have traveled around the world, masterfully adorn the square that bears his name, guarded by the Museum of Antioch. Located in a building declared an architectural heritage, this art gallery also houses a careful selection of works donated by Botero.
Across the square, the spectacular Culture palace , which serves as an art gallery and historical archive of Antioquia, completes the overview of the area. The views from its terrace give a glimpse of the Coltejer building , a symbol of the city's textile industry and the emblematic Hotel Nutibara, which with its 70 years of history has established itself as one of the greats.
You have to say goodbye to Medellín in style, tasting another leg of its culture: his famous paisa tray. A light festival of beans, rice, fried egg, avocado, chorizo, pork rinds, fried plantains, arepa, ground beef and ripe plantain slice.
In the restaurant ** Hatoviejo ,** in the little rancher or in Tax authorities , three of the most traditional places, we taste it accompanied by mazamorra (corn cooked in milk) with panela, another great legacy of the peasants. Because in the capital of Antioquia the gastronomic culture is just as avant-garde as its architecture, but it never forgets its roots and its muleteer tradition.