Bogotá from the sofa

1. Two visits online

In 2023 the National Museum of Colombia will be 200 years old, although it was not always where it is today. The panoptic structure of its current building should not surprise us, since for 72 years the space was a prison, until in 1948, and after a renovation, the museum was installed here. Its collection of around 2,500 works of art and historical, archaeological and ethnographic objects provides a cultural and historical overview of Colombia, from crafts to contemporary painting. While we await its reopening - it closed last March due to the pandemic - Google Arts and Culture has generated an exhibition that explains in detail several works exhibited here by one of the most famous Colombian painters: Fernando Botero.

For its part, the nineteenth-century Bogotá theater offers a virtual tour of its spaces and a selection of shows to enjoy temporarily from home. The space is today a national monument and Colombia as a whole boasts elements as iconic as its curtain, painted by the artist Annibale Gatti, who created it in Florence in 1890 and sent it to the city a year later. In addition to the artistic value of its Italian-style building (built between 1885 and 1895 by the Italian architect Pietro Cantini), the theater is an important part of the history of Colombia, since the peace agreement between the Government of the country and the FARC guerilla.

2. A documentary

A city like this, where nature is so present — all you have to do is look up to see the imposing eastern hills in the background of the Colombian capital — you couldn't forget its "other" inhabitants: animals. In order for us to keep them in mind, the Bogotá city hall produced in 2019 the documentary Vecinos unexpected , directed by Mauricio Vélez. In it, in addition to witnessing spectacular panoramic views of the city at various times of the day and night, we get close to the abundant wildlife that we did not know was walking (and flying) through the city: foxes, hummingbirds, squirrels, butterflies and many other species that inhabit the hills and in any corner where they find a refuge and something to eat. The documentary can be seen on the YouTube channel of the Ministry of Culture of Bogotá.

enlarge photo Ajiaco santafereño. Getty

3. A typical dish

The Colombian capital is very soupy and its most famous spoon dish is the ajiaco santafereño, a powerful and tasty soup. Its history is pre-Columbian: the chibchas, local inhabitants, ate mazamorra corn and potatoes with ají. The Spaniards added chicken and milk cream, and then it continued to evolve to the current comforting stew. Its ingredients are:

• 800 grams of Creole potatoes, 500 of pastusas and 500 of sabaneras.
• 800 grams of chicken breasts.
• 2 tender ears.
• 2 chive bulbs.
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 bunch of guascas (herb mixture substitutable for tarragon and parsley).
• Coriander leaves.
• 250 ml of milk cream.
• 100 g of capers.
• 2 tablespoons of oil.
• 2 peeled avocados

Chicken is sautéed with coriander, garlic, pepper and salt. When browned, add the ears, onion, and Creole and pastusa potatoes (which melt). Add water to cover the chicken and as the potatoes cook, add more water. When the chicken is soft it is removed, and when the corn kernels are tender add the potato sabanera, parsley and tarragon. Let cook until desired thickness is achieved. Finally it is decorated with shredded chicken, diced avocado, capers and cream.

enlarge photo Aerial view of Bogotá and the Torres del Parque (on the right of the photo). Getty Images

4. A building

Bogotá is steep, marked by hills and hills. Rogelio Salmona, the architect of the Virgilio Barco Vargas library and the Museum of Modern Art in Bogotá (Mambo), was aware of this when he projected his Torres del Parque, three tall brick-colored buildings next to the plaza in the late 1960s. Bulls. Its presence is powerful in the bohemian neighborhood of La Macarena, which attracts visitors and locals for its colorful houses, cafes, restaurants and cultural spaces. Despite being a residential area, Salmona's interest was for anyone to visit its squares and gardens. Others may consider that the Corferias Tower, being taller (196 meters) and illuminated for celebrations, is the true architectural icon of the city. But there is no reason to choose.

5. A song

Fortunately, the soundtrack of a city is portable: we can wear it on our ears and as soon as we listen to it, the evoked place will reappear in our imagination. As a song that will immediately bring to mind Bogotá we have Santa Fe , by Andrea Echeverri, soloist of Aterciopelados, an essential band from Colombia today. This eulogy for her venerated city --its title refers to one of the downtown neighborhoods— contains verses such as: “I love you more because you are 2,600 meters from solitude”. The song reminds us that Bogotá requires a great effort from our lungs due to its height above sea level, but it is only a matter of getting used to and preventing altitude sickness.

Other songs also very cool (that's the informal name of Bogotá for good) are: Hola rola , by Grupo Niche; Oh what a pain , from La Derecha; Bogotá , from Ondatrópica; My city is fresh , by rapper Ali, and La gata golosa , by Fulgencio García. These five themes can be seen and heard on the city's official website.

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