Connecting with Friends in Montevideo

Day 4: Montevideo, Uruguay

Our first night on board took us across the Rio de Plata, a huge estuary formed by the network of rivers that flow together into the sea at this point. The fresh water is filled with river silt, and is navigable by large ships only in the the deep channels. Our overnight trip from Buenos Aires to Montevideo was 134 miles, which gives you a sense of the size of the estuary.

In 2009, Lloyd visited Uruguay on a hunting trip with a group of friends. Their local hosts were wonderful people, and we were fortunate to be able to arrange to meet with two of them while in Uruguay. Gaucho and Mario were up at 5:00 a.m. to drive three hours into the city from the town of Delores. The guys went for coffee while I joined the tour group for a bus tour of the city.

Our first stop was at the city center - the Plaza Indenpendencia, I think. This photo shows a remant of the wall that once surrounded the old part of the city. It is backed with cinderblocks to maintain its stability. This was the gate of the citadel.

The cosmopolitan streets of Montevideo

Like the Argentinians, the Uruguyans feel strongly about their national heros, and we saw many monuments to their achievements. The statue and mausoleum honoring Artigas, known as the liberator of Uruguay, was the focal point of the square.

We were overwhelmed with information about the history of the countries we visited - wonderful stories but hard to remember all the details now.  We'll have to do some reading about these lively histories.

More views of the area around the square.

Lovely buildings with a European flavor

The opera house

We were also impressed with the many large sculptures in parks throughout the city. Several of these honored the gauchos who had settled the countryside with their families. They were very well done.

Detail of the previous sculpture

Another by the same artist at a second site.
They were so lifelike, you could almost hear the sounds of the struggle.

A vendor had set up a small display of mate (pronounced mah-tay) cups for sale. Some were covered as we had a few quick showers. Mate is a very popular drink in both Argentina and Uruguay. Yerba mate leaves are dried, chopped, and ground into a powdery mixture called yerba. The silver straw or bombilla acts as both a straw and a sieve. The submerged end is flared, with small holes or slots that allow the brewed liquid in, but block the chunky matter that makes up much of the mixture. You could buy cups made from gourds, pottery, wood, etc. I found the taste unpleasant, but then, I don't like coffee or tea either!

Mate cups

Kapok tree

This beautiful tree is called the kapok tree. I included it because I remember my mother using the kapok fibres to stuff pillows and stuffed toys in the 50s and 60s. A nice memory.  

From the internet, of course.

I joined Lloyd, Gaucho, and Mario for lunch. They were starving, as our tour had, of course taken a little longer than anticipated. Gaucho and Mario took us into the covered area of the market across from the port for lunch. It was a fascinating area of bars and restaurants, most of which featured local barbecue. The kitchens were open to passersby, and the aromas of cooking meats were wonderful.

I get hungry just remembering the aromas!

BBQ served at our table, ready to eat.

 
We were served the local specialty drink – a ‘half and half’ – half white wine, and half champagne, which was wonderful, fresh salad and an array of sausages, chicken, ribs and a few interesting cuts of meat from parts of the animal that we were not too keen to try.

It was great for me to be able to meet these two charming men, and know that Lloyd loved the chance to have a longer visit. I appreciated the fact that they had studied English, enabling us to have a good conversation. After a brief walk through the outdoor stalls, we said a reluctant goodbye, and sent them on their long drive home.

We strolled up the street for a bit, enjoying the market and small shops before returning to the ship.

Desserts were fantastic everwhere we went.

A few shipmates here too.

The day was overcast but pleasantly warm.

The port of Montevideo was another busy one. As we pulled out of the harbour, I got a few nice shots of the city. Again, it was fascinating to watch the big cranes at work.

One story of the origin of the name, Montevideo, is that it was named
'scenic mountain' for the high bluff where the 18th century fortress
was built to guard against the Portuguese.

If you made it all the way to the end of this post, congratulations! Extra points if you're one of our kids! The next one will be shorter, I promise. (If you find a typo, it's because it was put there for you to find, honest.)