Take a step back into history in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

Uruguay presents a great tourist destination surprise in South America (the Canadian): "I decided that despite all the fun to be had in Buenos Aires, I was hankering to do something more than visit old haunts in that great vibrant city. As such, the solution was a few days in Uruguay, and the discovery of an unexpected gem in Colonia del Sacramento."

Colonia del Sacramento is on the Rio de la Plata on Uruguay's coast and during its early years operated as a contraband port, evading the strictures imposed on trade by the Spanish crown. Today it is a resort city, a port, and the trade center for a rich agricultural region.

The historic quarter, Barrío Historico, on a small peninsula jutting out into the river, was named a UNESCO heritage site in 1995.