Medellin Living

They pray. They party. That’s what happens in Colombia during Semana Santa, or Holy Week as it translates to English. It starts on the Wednesday leading up to Easter Sunday, when lots of people leave for their fincas. Thursday and Friday are holidays. There are events on both days, especially Good Friday. Many businesses, especially [...]

The story goes that a little town about an hour north of Medellín was the region’s first settlement, the place where Spanish fleeing the inquisition came to make their own way. Sante Fe de Antioquia was the department’s (state’s) first capital, perhaps the same way Philadelphia was once the first capital of the United States [...]

Walk down Carrera 30 in El Carmen de Viboral, toward Parque Principal, and look to your right after you pass Calle 32. Look for a tiny bar, about the size of a walk-in closet. If it’s open, you’ll get the chance to meet one of the town’s friendliest residents. They call him Flaco. The skinny [...]

My body hurts a little, but it’s a good kind of pain, the kind you get after doing something fun. This time, it was horseback riding in Guarne, a small town just north of Rio Negro. I had been looking forward to this trip for a few weeks, after my friend Mauro invited me. The [...]

One of my roommates made Colombian coffee on a recent Saturday afternoon, to help us wake up after a long night. As we talked, I saw someone out of the corner of my eye standing in the doorway. It was my friend Juanes. “I stopped by to invite you to a finca,” he said. “We [...]

This is part 2 of a 2-part series.  You can read the first part here. In the morning, I awoke to birds chirping, people stirring about on the ground floor of the finca, and the gorgeous mountain and valley views I can’t get enough of. I walked downstairs, and greeted Rodrigo, his parents, and others. [...]

This is part 1 of a 2-part series. My friend Rodrigo invited me to his family’s finca in Copacabana soon after I had arrived back in Medellin this past February. I was focused on the relaunch of Travel Blog Success the first month or so, but I finally decided to relax one weekend, and escape [...]

Girardota is a small pueblo in Antioquia, about an hour north of Medellin, Colombia. Due to its close proximity to the city, Girardota is a popular weekend destination for paisas who own fincas, or simply want to rent one for a night or two to get away from the big city noise. Situated at the [...]