Here in Medellin

The Botanical Gardens

Don't let a little rain stop you from visiting the Botanical Gardens.  The jungle canopy inside the Gardens will keep you dry.  To get there, take the Universidad exit on the metro just north of downtown Medellin.  The entrance is right across the street.  Admission is free.

At the Botanical Gardens you can relax on a park bench next to a lily pond, visit a butterfly exhibit or stroll through a bamboo forest.  There are plants from around the world at the Gardens, but the tropical fauna stands out.  Keep an eye out for parrots swooping down through the orchids and hibiscus.

The Downtown Plaza

Sightseers tend to congregate in the plaza just below the Parque Berrio stop on the metro in downtown Medellin.  Here amongst the statues and fountains, you'll meet local artists, street performers and musicians.  No one seems to be in much of a hurry.  The biggest crowds gather around the bands, which feature accordions, guitars and folk singers.  Some people watch from the steps leading up to the metro.  Others enjoy the music from tables on the metro station balcony.  It's like a small amphitheater.

There are also vendors selling colorful childrens' gloves, socks and toys.  The downtown shops offer clothes, electronics and all sorts of other gadgets.  At lunch you'll have your choice of restaurants.  It's better to visit this area during the day.  The crowds can get a bit surly after dark.

Public Art

Public art is ubiquitous in downtown Medellin.  This horse and rider have broken a path through the clouds to the open sky.

Museo de Antioquia Third Floor

The third floor of the Museo de Antoiquia is dedicated to Medellin favorite son Fernando Botero.  Here you’ll find room after room of Botero paintings, Botero sculptures and Botero admirers.

Botero creates vivid scenes with plump, childlike characters living in a comical world. 
He often draws on Colombia’s colorful history for inspiration.  One painting depicts the demise of former drug kingpin Pablo Escobar in a hail of bullets atop the red tile roofs of Medellin.

A couple of rooms showcase Botero’s oil on canvas interpretations of famous matadors and bullfights.  Other highlights include portraits of famous Colombian families and a number of still life drawings.  Botero paints incredibly lifelike houseflies.

With somewhat larger crowds, the third floor of the Museo de Antoiquia feels a bit like Botero’s own downtown gallery.  It’s easy to see why so many art lovers are drawn to the works of this incredibly talented and prolific artist.

Museo de Antioquia Second Floor

In April 2009, the Museo de Antoiquia featured an exhibit called 50 Years, 50 Works, The Art of Latin America and the Caribbean in the 20th Century.  Most of the works from this exhibit were displayed on the second floor of the museum.

It’s difficult to identify favorites from among such a vibrant collection, but the Kafka influenced art of Benjamin Canas Herrera of El Salvador caught my eye.  I enjoyed Argentine artist Emilio Pettoruti’s contributions to the cubist movement of the early 20th Century.

The exhibit included several works by the famous Mexican muralists Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros.  Murals also grace the walls of the museum’s auditorium, which has a balcony on the second floor.