Uruguay: Montevideo

 Monday, February 27, 2023 Montevideo, Uruguay

When we docked there were two other very large cruise ships in Montevideo. They almost looked like the bows were going to hit each other. It was an easy walk from the ship through an unexpectedly attractive port area to the old part of Montevideo. There was vintage port equipment arranged artistically and painted bright colors. Charlie climbed up on one of them for a photo op. A visitor center was at the end of the path. It had A/C, wi-fi, walking tour maps, and an English-speaking agent.  Can’t beat that.

Charlie clowning on vintage port equipment

Our 2 large neighbors nose to nose

Pretty attractive for a port area

We proceeded with the suggested walking tour. Old Montevideo is a small peninsula and very easy to navigate. Many of the buildings need repair. It could be a gorgeous part of town—-and no doubt much more expensive—with more money put into restoring the colonial buildings. Along with the crumbling elegance, there is art everywhere. The sign for bicycle rentals is creative, the local bookstore is full of art, there are street musicians. I started thinking I wouldn’t mind being a snow bird here.

A local book store—lots of art here

Bicycle rental stand

We looked for a post office, and were directed to a gorgeous building that unfortunately no longer houses the main post office. No clue why. We eventually found the real post office. We bought some post cards and mailed them. 

Our host at Soul

No one seemed to have heard of a restaurant called Soul we found on Happy Cow, a plant-based web site. We found it anyway, and happy day for us—it was open and the food was excellent. Relatively new, it’s run by a young couple and their daughter. I hope they make it. 

We continued on the walking tour and came to another square. This one had a much larger artisan market than the one by the dock. We looked around and Charlie found a stone pendent he was interested in. 

Couldn’t resist photo op in front of this women’s clothing store

Old post office in Montevideo

Charlie contemplating a purchase

While he was thinking about it, we struck up a conversation with a couple of young men on a park bench who were sharing a cup of mate. One of them spoke fair English—not all that common in this area. Mate (also called Yerba Mate) is a South American drink traditionally served in a container called a gourd with a special metal straw that strains out the leaves. We saw it everywhere here and in Argentina, and I’d been thinking about buying some mate and accoutrements to take home. You can refill your cup with hot (not boiling) water several times using the same leaves. They believe it has health benefits. It is very common for a single gourd to be shared between good friends, although I think that changed some with Covid. These guys were sharing theirs, and offered us a sip (we declined). They were also sharing a joint (also declined). It’s fun traveling with Charlie. He’s not afraid to talk to people, and these guys definitely made me laugh.

Note one has a mate & the other a joint

Charlie decided to offer our last Uruguayan pesos to the pendant vendor, although it was less than she was asking. While he was negotiating, I sat on a bench in the square watching birds, and talking with a poet who spoke English very well. We talked about the economics and politics of Uruguay. Most of the money was being siphoned to the top of the food chain. It sounded familiar.

Close by was independence square, and the beginning of the regular downtown area. A large gate remained from the original fortification (or has been replicated—I’ve read both).

Gate up close

We considered finding a tall building we’d hear about with a great view of the city, but realized it was time to leave the party and head back.

On the way, I bought mate, a gourd, and a straw. Something new to try when I get home.

NOTE: We finally got semi-decent internet, so this is being posted 3 weeks late. We had no internet in Brazil unless we were more than 6 miles off-shore, which didn’t happen often. I promise I won’t whine about this again, but you would not believe how difficult it is to download photos with the internet system we have—even when it is working. Each photo can take 5-10 minutes. I have many more wonderful photos but there is a serious limitation when it comes to my patience!

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