Minas, Lavalleja

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We visited Minas and must say that we do not think it was easy to present as a guide for tourists attraction in this department in a way that justice is done. Perhaps most striking is the curious geography of the department, with wide green landscapes and stone, irregularly cut as the eye flies swaying between calm and distant hills. Wherever one goes one accompanying the mountains of hawks flown over the preceding horizon. Earth Heart mineral industry where there was reason for this population, although this was now leaving behind the large cement portland take the leading role in the economy of the department. Earth friendly and calm, of love of gastronomy and deep entrenchment of tradition in all its forms.

If you're arriving from Florida, before arriving we recommend a trip to Parque Salus (Ruta 8 km. 112) which is the bottling of mineral waters of the most recognized Uruguay. In addition to the spying operation of this plant, you can tour the park and see various species of plants native to or be the source of Puma from flowing water where high purity. This area of the road and park benches to rest in the shade. It also has a gazebo, a park, indigenous, a parador restaurant, lodging facilities and a playground with games of the trunk. A place to spend the day if you go with some time.

Twelve km. ahead on Route 8 will receive the city of Minas, with its Freedom Square where stands the first bronze sculpture made entirely in Uruguay. The monument shows the Lavalleja General Juan Antonio, a native of these military lands, taking his sword in the voice of the famous order "Carbine on back and sword in hand!" that, at the Battle of Sarandi (in 1825), painted in the history of the bravery of those men who fought for Uruguayan independence. The work is by sculptor Juan Manuel Ferrari and was inaugurated in 1902. The Freedom Square is beautiful by day and has sources in a row with colorful lights that are also very attractive at night. A block is the cathedral of Minas, near the noise but at the same time aloof and silent, welcoming the pilgrims through the wide alley that connects with the plaza.

Even in the center and one block from the Liberty Square is the Casa de la Cultura, neat museum erected at the site of Lavalleja and whose greatest attraction is the room with Eduardo Fabini instruments and personal effects of that donated by the Uruguayan composer widow and his brother. If you like open places (especially if you go with children) is recommended to walk Rodó Park Zoo. A small number of animals (goats, foxes, coatis, wild boars, birds, etc..) Cement tables and benches to make a comfortable picnic, two play areas for children, a trunk and other games of iron. They can also stroll through the rose garden and, in summer, cool off at the Municipal Pool.

Leaving the city of Minas Route 12 at km 347 is the holiday Park UTE - ANTEL a huge and very cared site. The park offers you the chance to stay in the cabins or hotel, a restaurant, games for children of iron, and heated outdoor swimming pool, a dairy farm where you can witness the typical tasks such as milking farms, areas with livestock (pigsty , etc.) or the nursery where you can buy more plants. In the park you can also do horseback riding or walking on foot through the streets surrounded by groomed gardens. For those not staying at the park you can pay a ticket at the entrance that allows them to enjoy the facilities all day.

After a good rest is what we recommend leaving Minas and enjoy tourism saw that only in this department. A 4 km. mine is the hill of Verdun, which each year and over 100 on April 19 receives tens of thousands of pilgrims climb a steep path to pray, to thank or to ask the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception difficult for some . The shrine is the most visited Uruguay. Beyond that date, you can climb with less company and serenity, and enjoying each stretch of the beautiful view of the city and the mountains that can be seen from the hill. At Verdun can be accessed by car, but halfway down the last mile can only be done on foot. The journey on foot more than 1000 meters of undulating and steep path, strewn with stones that it is not easy. For the faithful, are small monuments erected to the Stations of the Cross for prayer and rest along the road. Still fresh in days, it is best to bring a water bottle between rise and fall because it takes no less than 1 hour will be necessary.

Another emblematic place in Lavalleja is Hill and Park Artigas, where is the monument erected to General José Artigas, largest equestrian monument in the world, with almost 18 meters tall (10 m without the base) and 9 meters wide at a mole 150 000 kg of reinforced concrete. The sculpture was done by Stelio Belloni, son of José Belloni. This hill is the Night of the cookers where artists from all over the country congregate thousands of people in a ceremony of great artistic identity. This hill is accessible by car to the summit.

10 km far from Minas and consisting of two hills of volcanic origin is Arequita Hill, where the river is Saint Lucia. This hill is very attractive to naturalists and lovers of adventure tourism for its thick vegetation and the famed Grotto Colón, also known as "Cave of the Bats" by the large number of specimens of this species that live there. On the banks of the Rio Santa Lucia is known Arequita camping for those who want to stay at a campsite near a swimming pool open.

And before leaving the department, 8 km on Route 125 (there are poster), it's worth double to the right along the access road to the park to the Falls of the penitent who comes through a spectacular landscape of mountains, 18 kilometers certainly forces you to stop several times to watch and take multiple pictures in your camera. The route is ballast and is in good condition but can also be accessed through the route overview of 8 km (135 km coming in at right). This route is steeper than the previous one and is in worse condition, but guide us to make this the car traveled in a small family with little utility shocks. El Salto de Penitente is a protected area, and has a great landscape with a spectacular waterfall of over 60 meters long, in the days after significant rains and has a huge flow falls with a thump in the middle rocks. There also runs a hostel with good food and can be done hiking, horseback riding, bathing in natural pools, Canopy on waterfalls, bird watching, reading heaven, Rappel, etc.. A unique place in Uruguay also has a nursery and a graphical shelter can spend the night in sleeping bags.

If you still have time you can steer yourself to km. 145, Route 8 and take the road to Villa Serrana. This path of steady state, runs between the mountains and the Penitente Carapé, within a natural environment and countless places of high scenic value, along the road. And the nature was very generous with the department of Lavalleja, it is not possible to present here all the options offered by the tourism department. There are a huge variety of options to choose places more or less rough, more or less inaccessible, whether we like hiking, walking, riding or activities such as adrenaline charged into old gold mines, mountain bike in practice saws or climbing hills. And as the years do not allow as much adventure as you are mine to keep coming to enjoy the many events of the department as the pilgrimage to Verdun, Lavalleja Week, Minas and April, the Spring Festival or Christmas Serrana, all nationwide events.

Otherwise, time to time, run farther away from the noise, maybe on top of a hill to rest your soul in sight on the horizon and breathing clean air, closer to the sky.

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