Bogota - Salt T
I was up early so I took care of a few things that have been on my “to do” list for a while.
After another massive spread for breakfast, we met Veronica in the lobby for our tour of the Salt Cathedral located 50 km outside of Bogota.
I was getting a headache, so I closed my eyes and tried to nap along the way.
We arrived at the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá or Catedral de Sal de Zipaquirá shortly after 10am. The underground (200 m) Roman Catholic Church was built within the tunnels of a salt mine. It is a popular tourist attraction and is a functioning church that receives as many as 3,000 visitors on Sundays.
The temple at the bottom has three sections, representing the birth, life, and death of Jesus. The icons, ornaments and architectural details are hand carved in the halite rock. Some marble sculptures are included.
Years before the underground church was built (around 1932), the miners had carved a sanctuary, as a place for their daily prayers asking for protection to the saints before starting to work. In 1950, the construction of a bigger project had begun: the Salt Cathedral which was inaugurated on August 15, 1954 and dedicated to Our Lady of Rosary, the Patron saint of miners. However, as the church was carved inside an active mine, structural problems and safety concerns led the authorities to shut it in September 1992.
The new cathedral was designed by Roswell Garavito Pearl and construction lasted from 1991 to 1995. The main sections of the building are the 14 chapels with the Stations of the Cross. Each station has a unique cross and kneeling platforms. The Dome which represents the heaven, earth and the underworld. And the three naves connected by a small channel that symbolizes the birth and death of Christ. The four large cylindric columns in the middle nave represent the four evengalists.
We walked down the corridor where they were selling souvenirs and we bought a small mask to remember our trip to Columbia. We also checked out the salt waters that is made to look like a mirror to reflect the ceiling and the trees carved into the salt at the end of the mine shaft.
The tour was very good and we were glad that we were able to include it in our trip to Bogota. I was starting to have a sore throat and coughing fit at the end, so I was glad to be above ground after a couple of hours.
For lunch Veronica took us to Restaurante Sanalejo in Cajica. We had some traditional BBQ columbian food, churrasco - beef, pechuga - chicken (served on the grill it was cooked on), and we tried cuajada with arequipe - cheese with caramel for dessert. It was a very neat spot and had an eclectic decor. It was quite during the day, but is a very popular restaurant for locals and tourists on the weekend.
Veronica and our driver were kind enough to drop us at our new hotel. It is on a very busy street and the room was small, but it was clean and will be good for one night.
We decided to find a good restaurant for dinner and Bill found 2 great options on Eater that were only a few km away. After buying some more cough medicine for me, we walked to the restaurants. Along the way we spotted BBC - Botoga Brewing Company and stopped for a refreshment.
When we arrived at the two restaurants Bill refused to help me decide which one we should eat dinner at. After much deliberation, we decided to have a couple of cocktails and a starter at Black Bear and the rest of our meal at The Local Rauches. Both spots were great.
The vibe at Black Bear was very modern and upscale. I liked that most of the seating was along the outside of the building that had a glass wall and ceiling and was surrounded by shrubs, flowers and trees outside. Such a great way to bring the outdoors into a space.
The bartender at Black Bear took great care of us. He made me a tea with a side of whiskey and honey so that I could nurse my sore throat and croaking voice. He was even kind enough to offer to plug in my phone, without me even asking! Bill really enjoyed a couple of their house cocktails. We ordered grilled octopus to start and like any black bear would have been, we were thoroughly satisfied.
We crossed the pretty tree filled courtyard to The Local for some modern Columbian cuisine. It was decorated with beautiful bright murals of dancers. We ordered local meatballs and crab salad on plantain chips. Both dishes were very good!
I would come back to Bogota to eat at either of these restaurants again!
It was another early evening for the Humphreys. It sucks to be getting so old!
Poem on the trees in the courtyard: Poetry can never die; the world will end, the last man will die and poems will continue to exist