South American Adventure - Day 14
Day 14 - Friday, March 12, 2010: “Montevideo, or ‘Where Are We Now?’”
It was a bit of a nightmare waking up this morning, what with the clocks moved ahead one hour and actually having to be somewhere at a certain time. The Purser’s Office rang at 6:15 with an un-requested wake-up call. And my alarm didn’t go off at 7:00, because I forgot to set my phone clock ahead an hour. Add this to a bad night’s sleep and Allan having taken 15mg of Melatonin the previous night, and we were off to a less-than-rousing start.
By the time I looked out the window, we were already docked in Montevideo, Uruguay. A beautiful pink sunrise was starting to reveal the outline of the city, which was larger than I had originally expected. We met up with Tom, Bruce, and Daniel for breakfast at “The Trough” and were off the ship around 8:30.
The Port and Tourist authorities in Montevideo really had their act together. Everyone got a slick multicolor brochure with a map showing the best way to walk to the major tourist sites (around the Plaza Independcia) and what the top sites of the city were. From the port area, we crossed into the old historic part of town, with buildings of three or four stories in varying states of decay, the sidewalks devoid of more than a handful of people. It certainly made walking easy and relaxed.
As we progressed, it was clear that Bruce was the “alpha dog” of the pack, as he liked to take the lead and charge ahead. Allan was usually taking up the rear, as he was busy photographing and savoring the sites.
We went through several pedestrian-only streets that encouraged meandering. The day was starting to get warmer as the sun rose higher. While I fully expected a fairly bedraggled, run-down sort of city, it seemed vibrant with a good mix of young and old, business and casual dress and no one seemed in a hurry.
When we got to Plaza Independcia (about 45 minutes after leaving the ship), we saw some of its most famous sites: the classic Teatro Solís theater (established in 1856 and one of the oldest continuously operating theaters in the Americas), the strangely architected (and unattractive) skyscraper called the Palacio Salvo, and the surprisingly modern (and subterranean) tomb of General José Artigas. For the record, Uruguay became independent of Argentine and Brazilian control in 1829.
After consulting an article printed from the New York Times about things to see in Montevideo, we decided to leave the central city and walk several kilometers along the beautiful waterfront. Imagine Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive with a wide pedestrian sidewalk along the water and plenty of warmth and sunshine. Did I mention the water was brown? That’s due to the high amount of silt that flows into the area along the Rio de la Plata. The waterfront was lined with parks, beaches, high-rises, a Microsoft office, and the US Embassy.
When we got to the area of Pocitos, the buildings got nicer, the homes seemed grander, and there was more of an upscale feel. We also encountered more than several teams of dog walkers, two that must have had at least 20-25 howling beagles. It was quite a sight…not to mention sonic experience! I knew when we started seeing stores selling organic produce, antiques, and Bang & Olufson electronics that we’d reached a high-end neighborhood.
Bruce guided us toward the water again, this time to the Riviera-like Playa de los Pocitos. We were all in need of shade, refreshment, and a men’s room, so we stopped at a branch of the Yenny (pronounced Jenny) bookstore and café. It was nice to cool off, relieve ourselves, and drink refreshing licuados (juice and fruit mixed drinks). Each licuado was Uruguay Peso $48, which worked out to approximately US $2.50.
At this point, Tom and Bruce parted company and took the bus back to the center of town. Allan, Daniel and I continued walking around the lovely neighborhood (more friendly dogs!) before settling for lunch at a place recommended in the NY Times article: Pizzeria Trouville. There we sat outside in the shade, sipping cool drinks, and having the local sandwich specialty: chevitos. These are steak sandwiches served, even in plainest form, with lettuce, tomato, egg and cheese. It was a mouthful!
Instead of taking a cab back to the center of town (or even a bus), we decided to walk the several kilometers. This is the part of the day that provided the headline - “Where are we now?” We had a general route, but had to continually re-check Allan’s new map of Montevideo to ensure that we were actually heading the right way.
The neighborhood got less tony as we proceeded, and we had a hill to climb and descend. But the beautiful tree-lined streets provided ample shade from the blazing sun. And we saw a lot of the city up close we hadn’t originally planned on seeing. It was quite a hike, and Allan, who was starting to drag, got quiet. Not a good sign. He and I were wearing long pants (mistake!) and were wilting in the warmth. Daniel was wearing shorts and a tank-top and seemed far more energetic.
Our spirits rose when we finally got to the main shopping street - Avenida 18 de Julio. The sidewalks were crowded with people, and it would have been nice to stop at the plentiful stores and street vendors along the way. However, we had to make it back to the ship by 4:30, and time was of the essence.
We let the pace slow down a bit when we got back to the Old Town, where Daniel and Allan bought a bottle of a Uruguayan Sauvignon Blanc from Bodegas Carrau. Allan was desperately looking for a nice straw hat the whole day, but they were either too expensive, didn’t fit, or were uncomfortable. He will look again tomorrow in Buenos Aires. (Alas, no hat for me there either… just lots of sun – Allan).
We made it back to the ship, fairly sticky and tired, at 4:00. Since we were sailing at 5:00, we had a little “Adios, Montevideo!” party on our balcony. Allan got sandwiches and cheese from “The Trough” and Daniel brought orange juice and vodka from his cabin. Tom and Bruce brought some more wine, and a merry (or was that “Mary”) time was had by all.
We watched several taxis of people pull up at the last minute, disgorging new passengers for the continuing journey, including one man with a mobility scooter. Daniel remarked in his charming Quebec accent, “If I have to have one of those things, I will stay at home”. I’m not sure what my approach would be, but for most of my life, travel has been current that propels my life.
We finally pushed away from the dock after 5PM and made our way into the muddy Rio de la Plata. Our course would be easterly for a while, then back west to go up the narrow channel toward Buenos Aires.
For a festive farewell, the “Gang of Five” had dinner in the Amalfi dining room, with highlights being a polenta with mushrooms, a garlic soup, and several yummy desserts. The main dishes were less than memorable, with a fairly bland pulled-pork being chosen by Allan and I. Dessert was taken at the ratio of virtually 1.5 dessert to each person, since several of us wanted to try a couple of different things.
We said our goodbyes to Tom and Bruce, and headed up to our cabin to write this blog and turn the clocks backward. Yes, one extra hour of sleep. Yippee!
It was a bit of a nightmare waking up this morning, what with the clocks moved ahead one hour and actually having to be somewhere at a certain time. The Purser’s Office rang at 6:15 with an un-requested wake-up call. And my alarm didn’t go off at 7:00, because I forgot to set my phone clock ahead an hour. Add this to a bad night’s sleep and Allan having taken 15mg of Melatonin the previous night, and we were off to a less-than-rousing start.
By the time I looked out the window, we were already docked in Montevideo, Uruguay. A beautiful pink sunrise was starting to reveal the outline of the city, which was larger than I had originally expected. We met up with Tom, Bruce, and Daniel for breakfast at “The Trough” and were off the ship around 8:30.
The Port and Tourist authorities in Montevideo really had their act together. Everyone got a slick multicolor brochure with a map showing the best way to walk to the major tourist sites (around the Plaza Independcia) and what the top sites of the city were. From the port area, we crossed into the old historic part of town, with buildings of three or four stories in varying states of decay, the sidewalks devoid of more than a handful of people. It certainly made walking easy and relaxed.
As we progressed, it was clear that Bruce was the “alpha dog” of the pack, as he liked to take the lead and charge ahead. Allan was usually taking up the rear, as he was busy photographing and savoring the sites.
We went through several pedestrian-only streets that encouraged meandering. The day was starting to get warmer as the sun rose higher. While I fully expected a fairly bedraggled, run-down sort of city, it seemed vibrant with a good mix of young and old, business and casual dress and no one seemed in a hurry.
When we got to Plaza Independcia (about 45 minutes after leaving the ship), we saw some of its most famous sites: the classic Teatro Solís theater (established in 1856 and one of the oldest continuously operating theaters in the Americas), the strangely architected (and unattractive) skyscraper called the Palacio Salvo, and the surprisingly modern (and subterranean) tomb of General José Artigas. For the record, Uruguay became independent of Argentine and Brazilian control in 1829.
After consulting an article printed from the New York Times about things to see in Montevideo, we decided to leave the central city and walk several kilometers along the beautiful waterfront. Imagine Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive with a wide pedestrian sidewalk along the water and plenty of warmth and sunshine. Did I mention the water was brown? That’s due to the high amount of silt that flows into the area along the Rio de la Plata. The waterfront was lined with parks, beaches, high-rises, a Microsoft office, and the US Embassy.
When we got to the area of Pocitos, the buildings got nicer, the homes seemed grander, and there was more of an upscale feel. We also encountered more than several teams of dog walkers, two that must have had at least 20-25 howling beagles. It was quite a sight…not to mention sonic experience! I knew when we started seeing stores selling organic produce, antiques, and Bang & Olufson electronics that we’d reached a high-end neighborhood.
Bruce guided us toward the water again, this time to the Riviera-like Playa de los Pocitos. We were all in need of shade, refreshment, and a men’s room, so we stopped at a branch of the Yenny (pronounced Jenny) bookstore and café. It was nice to cool off, relieve ourselves, and drink refreshing licuados (juice and fruit mixed drinks). Each licuado was Uruguay Peso $48, which worked out to approximately US $2.50.
At this point, Tom and Bruce parted company and took the bus back to the center of town. Allan, Daniel and I continued walking around the lovely neighborhood (more friendly dogs!) before settling for lunch at a place recommended in the NY Times article: Pizzeria Trouville. There we sat outside in the shade, sipping cool drinks, and having the local sandwich specialty: chevitos. These are steak sandwiches served, even in plainest form, with lettuce, tomato, egg and cheese. It was a mouthful!
Instead of taking a cab back to the center of town (or even a bus), we decided to walk the several kilometers. This is the part of the day that provided the headline - “Where are we now?” We had a general route, but had to continually re-check Allan’s new map of Montevideo to ensure that we were actually heading the right way.
The neighborhood got less tony as we proceeded, and we had a hill to climb and descend. But the beautiful tree-lined streets provided ample shade from the blazing sun. And we saw a lot of the city up close we hadn’t originally planned on seeing. It was quite a hike, and Allan, who was starting to drag, got quiet. Not a good sign. He and I were wearing long pants (mistake!) and were wilting in the warmth. Daniel was wearing shorts and a tank-top and seemed far more energetic.
Our spirits rose when we finally got to the main shopping street - Avenida 18 de Julio. The sidewalks were crowded with people, and it would have been nice to stop at the plentiful stores and street vendors along the way. However, we had to make it back to the ship by 4:30, and time was of the essence.
We let the pace slow down a bit when we got back to the Old Town, where Daniel and Allan bought a bottle of a Uruguayan Sauvignon Blanc from Bodegas Carrau. Allan was desperately looking for a nice straw hat the whole day, but they were either too expensive, didn’t fit, or were uncomfortable. He will look again tomorrow in Buenos Aires. (Alas, no hat for me there either… just lots of sun – Allan).
We made it back to the ship, fairly sticky and tired, at 4:00. Since we were sailing at 5:00, we had a little “Adios, Montevideo!” party on our balcony. Allan got sandwiches and cheese from “The Trough” and Daniel brought orange juice and vodka from his cabin. Tom and Bruce brought some more wine, and a merry (or was that “Mary”) time was had by all.
We watched several taxis of people pull up at the last minute, disgorging new passengers for the continuing journey, including one man with a mobility scooter. Daniel remarked in his charming Quebec accent, “If I have to have one of those things, I will stay at home”. I’m not sure what my approach would be, but for most of my life, travel has been current that propels my life.
We finally pushed away from the dock after 5PM and made our way into the muddy Rio de la Plata. Our course would be easterly for a while, then back west to go up the narrow channel toward Buenos Aires.
For a festive farewell, the “Gang of Five” had dinner in the Amalfi dining room, with highlights being a polenta with mushrooms, a garlic soup, and several yummy desserts. The main dishes were less than memorable, with a fairly bland pulled-pork being chosen by Allan and I. Dessert was taken at the ratio of virtually 1.5 dessert to each person, since several of us wanted to try a couple of different things.
We said our goodbyes to Tom and Bruce, and headed up to our cabin to write this blog and turn the clocks backward. Yes, one extra hour of sleep. Yippee!
Comments