Medellin brought with it a huge reputation as one of the best cities in the world to spend the Christmas period and we had decided to test this out. We arrived in this bustling city a few days before Christmas and had treated ourselves to a luxury hotel, featuring our very own jacuzzi bath. All this for 5 nights for less than £100. It was Christmas after all. Catching a cab from the north bus terminal proved more difficult than expected as we were refused numerous times before finally being taken to out hotel – 47 street Medellin. This may be due to the fact it was in El Centro and a very busy area for traffic. We had decided to stay here for a number of reason, one obviously being the cheap price for what we would get but also due to its close proximity to the historical sites. We arrived late in the evening so after checking in had a quick stroll around to get our bearings before diving into bed in preparation for the days to come. El Centro proved to be a crazy bustling mass of people, horns sounding, buses screeching and street sellers all trying to be heard over the buzz of the crowd. Intimidating is a strong word but it didn’t strike us as the best area to be staying. Not downhearted we were excited for the days to come. Our first of which was spent day tripping to the wonderful town of Guatape which you can read about in a separate post so we won’t go into any more detailed than that but start with day two instead.

When we returned from our day trip we realised that we needed to find somewhere to have Christmas dinner so we caught the metro to the Poblado area of Medellin where most travellers base themselves during their time here and we could instantly see why. The area is much more welcoming than the crazy area of El Centro. We had luckily met a Colombian couple during the day who suggested some restaurants so we made for them. On the way we passed a number small parks, adorned with Christmas lights and full of people, tourists and locals alike, drinking and relaxing. Coming across the lively ‘Parque Llaves’ we found part of the reason lots of people love this city. Full of lively bars, restaurants, street food stalls and more Christmas lights and people we spent some time taking in the atmosphere. Our search so far had come up short so we headed off up one of the steep hillsides found all over Medellin. This time we were more lucky. After a substantial hike we could smell the restaurant before we saw it. San Carbon is tucked away just off a main road and attracted us instantly. We swiftly booked for Christmas day after seeing a menu full of steak and wines. Before returning home we purchased crepes filled with Nutella and fruit and another with chicken from a street stall which satisfied the hunger in our stomachs after a long day. Upon our return we downloaded a Christmas film and relaxed in the jacuzzi trying to get into the Christmas spirit as best we could.

Our first official day in Medellin was therefore Christmas Eve. We rose early and had breakfast at the rooftop café of our hotel, with great views over the centre of the city. Lonely planet guide in hand we headed out to face the day. As some of you may be aware, but most of you probably not, Medellin is the proud beneficiary of an excellent metro system, the only one in Colombia. It not only spreads the whole city from north to south but also includes several cable cars which rise high above the city into the favelas and beyond. This would be our first stop. Jumping on the metro we headed north, past the bus station and to one of these said cable cars. Without exciting the barriers, therefore costing no extra money, you can join the queue and board a cable car headed for the area known as ????. As soon as the car leaves the station the view begins to change. From being in the bottom of the valley surrounded by buildings and not being able to see more than 20 metres or so to climbing above the city makes for some great photo opportunities. We peered round at the 360 degree view in awe and took advantage of this unexpected journey. Climbing further and further up the views only get better and it is possible to see all the way across the city. A quick stop of in the favela town we headed for stop number two of our sightseeing day.

All the sites suggested in the guide and by other travellers are in close proximity to the metro stations so with a few quick stops you can take in them all. We had read a forum in which one person suggests actually viewing these from the platforms of the metro and not paying to exit and re-enter the system every time. We thought this ridiculous but it actually turns out the best views of most sites are from the platforms themselves as the city is built up in these areas. Including in the sites were various cathedrals and churches as well as a number of squares. We spent most of the day seeing as much as we could do before heading out for some Christmas Eve drinks and a nice meal.

Medellin is famous during Christmas period due mainly to its lights display. These are usually spread along the river but due to construction and development the past few years have seen them along the streets instead. We took the opportunity and strolled slowly along those streets, joining the hundreds of other people doing the same. They are impressive and make the place feel Christmassy even in the heat, which we had not yet experienced. The roads are closed for pedestrians which is a nice touch and make the visit more worthwhile and relaxing.

We had decided to go back to the busy Parque Llaves but when we arrived it was like a ghost town. One small bar and a Greek restaurant was all that was open much to our disappointment. Complete contrast to back home when Christmas Eve is a big night for a lot of people and companies alike.

Christmas Day arrived and Santa had been.

The minimal presents we had manage to get each other spread out over the small table in the room but we resisted the urge to open them and had breakfast as fast as possible. Due to the time difference with the U.K. it was already midday at home so we organised various face times and settled down to ring home. First up was Jonny’s mum and brother who were having the morning together before heading off to separate celebrations. We chatted for a good hour and had a brilliant catch up. Steph even managed to hold back the tears until the goodbyes! Well done mum!!

Next was Jonny’s dad, step mum and brother (again, as he is the only one with iPhone from theses three so FaceTime is impossible without).

Another great catch up, shared stories and Christmas well wishes done and Hayley’s family got their turn. They had friends over for Christmas so it became a FaceTime with about 8 people on the other end. After struggling to appear on their screens and being teased with examples of home comforts and food we wished them merry Christmas and began our Christmas Day Colombia style.

This took many hours and by midday we had only just showered.

We were surprised to find many stalls and people out of the streets as we took in some fresh air. We had decorated our room with balloons and bought Christmas hats so listened to some Christmas tunes and got as dressed up as we could for our meal. We took the metro back to Poblado and had a few drinks in a very quiet Parque Llaves before making our climb to San Carbon again.

Seated with a nice view over the city we order a steak each, a cocktail, beer and wine and began our mini celebrations. The food was amazing, and portion sizes very generous. After demolishing the food we chatted for a while, discussing mostly Christmas traditions at home and what food we missed the most. Hours passed swiftly and the drinks flowed until the next thing we realised it was getting late and we bundled ourselves into a taxi and back to the hotel for more drinks and finally passing out into a Christmas food and alcohol sleep – it was like Christmas at home after all. Minus roast potatoes!

Boxing Day brought slight hangovers and extreme tiredness so most of the day was spent watching films, eating and recovering from the previous day. We did manage to psych ourselves up for a trip to the botanical gardens and made a picnic for the journey. Another short trip on the metro and we found a nice spot to sit in this welcome break from the big city. Karate groups and young families can be seen all around as well as couples like us taking a break from the hustle and bustle of Medellin.

Medellin is somewhat infamous for one reason – Pablo Escobar. Colombia and Medellins most famous and powerful son caused havoc here during the 80s and it was a no go area for most people as he waged war against the authorities, police and the government as he bid to avoid extradition to the US. The worlds most notorious drug dealer – once listed as Forbes 7th richest man in the world – headed up the Medellin cartel from here arms made millions of dollars every day from the cocaine trade. He not only killed policemen and government officials but also innocent civilians during a torrid time for the country. He eventually met his demise on a Medellin rough top in December 93 and Colombia and Medellin has been in recovery ever since to make itself what it is today. Many locals and members of the poorer community idolise Pablo as he was generous in helping them when at the heights of his power but nonetheless this money was at the cost of other people’s lives.

We had been looking forward to taking a Pablo Escobar tour and learning more about one of the most famous villains of all time but however, due to the Christmas period this was a no go. We were extremely disappointed in this but urge anyone visiting to take one of these tours as we have heard nothing but good things.

Medellin had been a good spot to spend our Christmas and we had enjoyed our time in the city. We would advised any visitors to stay in the more touristic area of Poblado though and visit el Centro and the rest of the city from there and would do this ourselves if we ever return. Next stop was in the small town of Salento en route to Bogota and we left Medellin in high spirits ready for our next adventure and the build up to New Year

Jonny & Hayley 🙂