Lighthouse in Colonia del Sacramento

I live in a small town, so the slow pace of Colonia was right up my alley. It seemed our group doubled the population of the colonial city because the cloudy Sunday afternoon was keeping people inside. I did not even see the lighthouse at first it was so short. But as we walked through the center of town, we saw the tip of the tallest building in Colonia, probably still only three floors tall: the lighthouse. We meandered over to the entrance, where we were informed it was twenty uruguayan pesos to climb to the top. After paying the tiny sum, we started our trek to the top. The stairs were spiraled and narrow, and every time we passed another group everyone had to stop and shuffle by, holding on tightly to the flimsy wire railings on the side. 
I love heights; I love the feeling of looking over the side of a tall building or the side of a cliff and getting dizzy seeing endless space below me. When we got to the top, the first thing I did was look down, breathing in the crisp air of the wind coming in off the Río de la Plata. The top of the lighthouse allowed us to walk all the way around in a circle, seeing every angle possible. To one side was the city of Colonia, petite but strong, holding its place against the rocky shore. The other side was the wide Río, looking more like an ocean than a river. They had told us Argentina was on the other side of the river, but it was hard to believe since I could not actually see it. I feel like I walked endless circles around the lighthouse, trying to capture my moment of  invincibility that only comes from being high above the ground. I wanted to know that I had seen everything that I possibly could, that I had taken in every part of Colonia del Sacramento. 


Sources:
1. http://www.southamerica.cl/Uruguay/Colonia_Lighthouse.htm
2.  http://coloniaturismo.com/index.php/view/information/faro