Montevideo

We docked at Montevideo at 8:00 on what promised to be a wonderful day: clear skies, light breezes, and a forecast high around 80°F. While there was an around-the-world event scheduled for today, we decided to forego that because we really wanted to explore the city. We formed a general plan to walk to the Plaza Independencia, walk at least some of the Rambla on the river/ocean side (as opposed to the bay side), and grab some lunch. The old town area is very compact, so we wound up going all the way over to the Rambla from the port. We walked along there, seeing people fishing and having a beach day, the ferry coming in from Buenos Aires, and some nice birds. We then cut back up to the Plaza Independencia. This is a large square that is dominated by an enormous statue of José Gervasio Artigas, father of Uruguayan nationhood. We went down below the statue to his tomb, which features notable moments from his life written on the walls and two soldiers standing guard. Coming back up we took in views of the beautiful buildings surrounding the square. Many of the old buildings in Montevideo have been repurposed to serve as museums, restaurants, and shops. This works really well, as you get the nice buildings but you also get activity.

Leaving the square, we walked to a nearby bookstore. Montevideo is loaded with bookstores, which warms my heart. This one was in a beautiful old building with an old-fashioned elevator and marble stairs. We didn’t find any English-language books for ourselves, but we did make a purchase for someone back home and we enjoyed perusing the stacks.

After the bookstore we wandered over to a restaurant called Flora that we’d discovered online. It turned out to be an excellent stop. There were only locals inside, which I generally take as a good sign. The place was open and airy and very inviting. The waitress didn’t speak much English, but that was fine as we were able to muddle through with our Spanish. I’m far more comfortable attempting a conversation in Spanish than in Portuguese! The food was outstanding. Liz and I shared a falafel sandwich on focaccia and a vegetable sandwich that was like a panini. The boys had breakfast food: pancakes for DJ and French toast (which had a brûlée-like crust on it) for Thomas. All of it came with delicious fruit.

After lunch we took a pedestrian street back to the ship for a break. The boys had had enough walking, but after an hour or so Liz and I went back out to see what we might have missed and to get in a few more steps. We didn’t hit any major sights, but we really enjoyed walking around. In fact I have to say we really fell in love with Montevideo. It’s a capital city, but it’s also a beach city. It’s big enough to have a lot going on, but not so busy as to be overwhelming. The climate feels a lot like Southern California: warm in the sun, but get in the shade and you have a nice breeze cooling you off. If the American experiment fails in the next few years maybe we’ll flee to Uruguay!Okumaya devam et