El viaje

Because of the pleasant springlike climate all year, Medellín is known as “La Ciudad de la Eterna Primavera” or “City of the Eternal Spring”. Being located at 1,500 m in the Aburrá Valley, surrounded by mountains ranging up to 2,700 m, its climate is not as hot as other cities located at the same latitude near the equator, the city’s average annual temperature is 22 °C.

The city has an estimated population of 2,5 million but as a municipality Medellín has an area of 382 km² and with the neighboring nine cities , that are practically indistinguishable from one another , this metropolitan area is the second largest urban agglomeration in Colombia with an estimated population of 4,5 m.

At least to me, the history of the city is not really all that interesting but you still have to mention Pablo Escobars grim reign over the city in the 80s and 90s. Cocaine is still omnipresent but is mostly regarded as a dark patch in the past by the majority of the locals.

Medellín is important to the region for its universities, academies, commerce, industry, science, health services, flower growing, and festivals.

While being quite progressive for Colombia , the city is rather dangerous still and apart from a few selected spots like the Centro Historico

you usually stick to the commune of El Poblado. There is a lot of expats living here. It has the beautiful hipster party Parque Ileras at its heart and is also known as “Las Manzanas de Oro” or “ The Golden Blocks” because it is the main center of the industrial and commercial life of the second largest economy of Colombia and because it truly is a beauty, remember we are in the middle of a massive city here. You can spend hours just walking and around looking. Which, of course we did.

When you enter one of the local malls, here the Santa Fee mall in El Poblado , you get an idea of what the flower festival in Medellín must look and feel like. These are all real flowers.

After a long day of missioning around it was finally time to meet the lovely Veronica and the mighty Federico for dinner. We did so at El Botánico.

And since it is impossible to meet Federico and NOT get a proper introduction to Aquardiente, we did not resist to do so

These two are dear to my heart! The fact that Luisas instant feeling was mutual and vice versa, went down even better than the alcohol. We made plans for the coming days and had another one.

I think it is very safe to say that :

More to come 🙂