Parque Bolivar might be exactly how you imagine Colombia to be if your impression is still largely based on a Gabriel Garcia Márquez novel.
Time seems to stand still as soon as you take a seat and watch the comings and goings of an assortment of characters.
Kids, students, artists, wrinkly old men with top hats and pigeons laze around the park, which acts as a small cocoon protecting people from the chaos of the surrounding streets.
With trees providing welcome shade from the midday sun, Parque Bolivar is also a perfect spot to read a book or smoke a cigarette and enjoy the friendly yet slightly mysterious atmosphere.
Don’t forget to wonder over to the spectacular Metropolitan Cathedral at the north end of the park which holds a record for one of the buildings in the world with the most number of bricks.
On the first Saturday of every month Parque Bolivar hosts a fair called San Alejo, where from 8:00am to 8:00pm you can buy art, collectibles, handcrafts and antiques.
Every Sunday morning people flock to Parque Bolivar to listen to the free concert outside Teatro Lido by the University of Antioquia's Symphony Orchestra.
While on Sunday evenings
up to 300 people wait in anticipation for, La Dany the transvestite, who puts on a vulgar and spontaneous street show.
At night, Parque Bolivar can turn a little seedy and you will likely encounter transsexuals, drug addicts and other creatures of the night. |
