Uruguay

 

This week we ventured to our second country on the trip, Uruguay. A short boat ride across the Ria de Plata, it was a must-see. We started in Colonia del Sacramento, a small colonial town at the junction of the Rio Plata and the ocean. It was like walking through the streets of Portugal and was very charming and beautiful if not terribly exciting. We mostly enjoyed walking by the seaside and seeing the sunset because the daytime was too hot for anything more than a nap.

We followed this by a few days in Montevideo which, after being in the heat and noise and bustle of Buenos Aires, was a calm respite. Our first day we toured the Teatro Solis, one of the oldest and most popular in South America. State owned, they put on regular shows at an affordable price point but were closed for repairs in January, much to our chagrin. Sunny was super excited about our Air B&B though, being in the historic Palacio Selva, a prominent building on the central Plaza de Independencia. I have to admit it was neat to be in such a beautiful and historic building.

On our city tour the next day we also learned that this Plaza houses the presidential palace, a mere 50 or so meters from where we were sleeping. The guide explained that anyone is welcome in, just bring your passport! As an American this was slightly astonishing but does indicate how relaxed and safe this country is. For lunch we went to the popular tourist haunt the Mercado Central for some traditional parilla (BBQ) and to try some Uruguayan wine. The Tennant grape varietal was a great thing to sample alongside our meal.

For the afternoon we walked along the coast and were able to go up some free elevators for a birds-eye view of the city. Hot, but the sea breeze was satisfying.

Our final day in Montevideo we had the smart (?) idea to rent bikes and set off along the rambla, a pedestrian walkway that skirts the ocean for 22+ kilometers. What we did not think through properly was the midday sun, which left us an unfortunate shade of red. To seek respite, we ducked into a shopping center for some AC. One of the coolest things I saw in Uruguay is that they had official bicycle parking including chain and lock entirely for free! What a brilliant system. Anyway, Sunny was lured in by the movie theater so we decided to enjoy Avatar, which was a great decision until we realized we’d be biking back after dark. Luckily, the pedestrian way was well lit and well used by locals, and ended up being one of our favorite experiences in the country.