THE FLAG OF URUGUAY
URUGUAY
THE FLAG OF URUGUAY
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3 February: This morning we bordered the Buquebus Ferry to Colonia. At the ferry terminal there, we were met by representatives of Punta who delivered our rental car. By approximately 12:00 noon, we began our drive to Punta del Este, a seaside resort approximately 300KM from Colonia. To say the least, it was an eventful drive. We were stopped for a traffic violation (no lights) and managed not to get a ticket after agreeing to bribe the officer (at his suggestion). Not a nice introduction to a new country. However, we met very many warm and friendly people en route as we stopped several times to find an ATM. Thankfully, we learned that US Dollars are accepted for tolls so it didn’t impede our journey too much. We eventually found an ATM as we approached Uruguay’s capital city of Montevideo. We also found a large market and stopped to buy some local wines. Eventually, we arrived in Punta del Este at 7:00PM. Our hotel was situated across a roadway from the coast and we had a great view of the seacoast. We also had cable TV and managed to see “Los Gigantes” (The Giants) win the 2008 Superbowl!! Terrific!
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The Buquebus
- Our |
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The views upon our arrival in Uruguay |
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Punta del Este |
4 February: Today we explored a bit of the town of Punta del Este. The weather was perfect – a bit breezy and in the mid-70’s. As long as you stayed in the shade, it was perfect. Punta del Este sits on a peninsula with great views of the sea from every high spot in town. It was our first day to really relax (we had our belongings; no travel required; no driving, etc.) so we savoured every moment. The city is very bustling this time of year since it is peak holiday season and Uruguay does celebrate Carnival. Oh well, we left the all-night partying to those much younger than us!
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A beautiful lighthouse |
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The beautiful and colorful Cathedral |
5 February: What can we say…. Another relaxing day in Punta del Este. Again, great weather, great views and the perfect way to unwind.
6 February: After a late breakfast, we wandered about town once again. First, we went to an older area of town where we photographed a beautiful lighthouse. Then, we joined the other tourists in the main shopping area of town until mid-afternoon. As this was our final day in Punta del Este, we had an early evening in anticipation of our departure.
7 February: This was another travel day albeit a short one. We left Punta del Este on the Rambla (seaside) road en route to Montevideo. It was a relatively short drive (less than two hours) although we did stop to do some grocery shopping in anticipation of having an apartment in Montevideo. We arrived at Punta Trouville Apart-Hotel mid-afternoon and were given a great apartment. The hotel is on a very quiet, tree-lined street which was a great contrast to the hustle and bustle of Punta del Este. We enjoyed our balcony till early evening when Ed prepared a gourmet dinner of fresh gnocci accompanied by fine wine, fine cheese and very fine olive oil from Uruguay. Great introduction to Montevideo!!
8 February: This morning we were met by our guide, Raquel, for a tour of Montevideo. Ed was our chauffer as we explored various parts of the city. We first visited a beautiful statute located along the Rambla called “The Fight” which is dedicated to mariners who didn’t return from duty. It was made by Eduardo Yepes. Then, we went to see a bronze work by Jose Belloni. It is called the “Monumento a la Carreta” which depicts early settlers using ox carts to colonize the land. Next we drove through the “Pocitos” neighborhood with fine old homes, many of which are now embassies. It also featured a beautiful church. Then we viewed another bronze by Belloni called “Monumento a la Diligencia” which depicts similar colonization of Uruguay except it features horse transportation rather than oxen. Both Belloni bronzes were excellent and amazingly large! We also stopped at the Parliament House, the capitol of Uruguay, and a final Bronze of the last family of native people of Uruguay. We were shocked to learn that there are no longer any native peoples left in Uruguay!
We next went to the area near the port. It has been transformed from warehouses into boutique shops and restaurants. We had lunch at one of Rachel’s favorite spots where we she and Lindy enjoyed grilled chicken while Ed had a dish of mussels and rice. It was delicious! Afterwards we wandered through boutiques and art galleries before we went to the Cuidad Vieja (Old Town).
In the Old Town we visited a major plaza which has a large statute dedicated to José Artigas. He was an important patriot leader in the war of independence against Spain and the efforts of Buenos Aires to assert control over current-day Uruguay. We then explored the pedways which were part of the old fortified town. We also visited a museum dedicated to the artist, Jose Gurvich. Gurvich was born in Lithuania but moved to Montevideo at age five. The museum highlights the different periods of his works: studies in Montevideo at the Taller Torres Garcia; his life in the kibbutz in Israel; and then his period in New York City. We finished our exploration by visiting Montevideo’s cathedral. It was very beautiful and the perfect way to end our introduction to Uruguay’s capital city.
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Lindy and
Raquel in front of |
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The beautiful Monumento a la Carreta |
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Belloni's second bronze, the Monumento a la Diligencia |
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A bronze to the final family
of indigenous peoples in Uruguay, the last Indios Charruas |
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Our lunch is grilling! |
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The statute dedicated to Jose Artigas |
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The interior Montevideo's Cathedral |
9 February: We decided to explore our neighborhood on foot. It is filled with various shops and apartment (condo) buildings. Since it’s a block off the Rambla there is little traffic noise and all the streets are lined with large trees. It’s really beautiful. We also found a mall which was not too far from our apartment-hotel. On our walk home it decided to rain so we had a soggy afternoon. Oh well, thankfully it was a warm rain and we didn’t melt!
10 February: Today we were once again met at our hotel by Rachel. We started the day visiting a huge street market. We figured it was at least 10 blocks by 10 blocks and all the streets were closed to traffic. It featured everything from antiques to food products to pets. We wandered there for several hours and then took a break in a coffee shop near the market.
Then, we went by car to the Museo Municipal del Bellas Artes. The primary artists featured in the museum were Uruguayans Pedro Figari and Juan Manuel Blanes. We enjoyed Figari’s works which were primarily modernistic. We were blown away by the works of Blanes. The museum featured two huge paintings (the size of murals) which were particularly impressive. After spending time enjoying both artists, we went outside to the very impressive Japanese Garden behind the museum. It was the perfect way to end our time in Montevideo and we thanked Raquel profusely for sharing her insights into the city with us during our two days together.
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El Museo de
Bellas Artes |
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A bridge in the Japanese
Garden behind the Museum |
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A traditional rock sculpture in the Japanese Garden |
11 February: Today we returned to the port city of Colonia where we arrived in Uruguay some eight days earlier. However, instead of just passing through once again, we spent two days exploring its old city streets. Our Posado (hotel) was located just outside the city’s original old walls. Colonia was founded by the Portuguese in 1680. The Portuguese and Spanish both fought for control of this part of the New World. The Spanish settled what is now Montevideo and ultimately assumed control of the entire region. However, Colonia survived for many years by operating as a contraband port, evading the strict trade parameters imposed by the Spanish. Since it was already late afternoon, we decided to walk the city’s main avenue (General Flores) to window shop and get oriented in town. Afterwards, we returned to our hotel and enjoyed its rooftop terrace with its beautiful view of the Rio de la Plata.
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The remains of the original Governor's Palace |
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An unusual planter |
12 February: After a leisurely breakfast, we spent the balance of the day walking along the Rio de la Plata and exploring the small peninsula area of Colonia which contains the Barrio Historico (the Historic Neighborhood). Most of the narrow cobbled streets are closed to traffic. So, it was easy to explore without worrying about cars. Highlights of the day included the Puerta de la Cuidadela (also called the Puerto del Campo). It was the only entrance to the original city’s thick fortified walls. A drawbridge built in 1745 by the Portuguese governor allowed those inside to deny entry to unwanted guests, especially the Spanish. Another highlight was El Faro, the lighthouse, built in 1857. It was built using stones from the Convento de San Francisco whose ruins remain at the base of the lighthouse. After exploring town for the day, we once again returned to the rooftop terrace of the Posado del Flor to enjoy our final evening in Uruguay.
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The original
gate into the city, |
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The remains of defensive walls |
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Colonia's Cathedral |
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A typical street in the Barrio Historico |
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The beautiful El Faro
lighthouse whose base is the Convento de San Francisco |
13 February: (Happy 13th!! We celebrate each 13th as that is the day we met, the day on which we were engaged and the day on which we were married!) We had an early morning as we had to return our rental car and then take the Buquebus Ferry from Colonia back to Buenos Aires. After we collected our luggage, we walked about six blocks to the Manual Tienda Leon bus stop. There we took its bus to the Buenos Aires’ airport. We arrived in early afternoon (well before our scheduled departure) and, upon check-in, LAN personnel moved us to an earlier flight and also upgraded us to first class. Wow!! We enjoyed a fabulous meal (including great Chilean wines) and arrived in Santiago at 3:00PM. We transferred to the Diego Almagro Airport Hotel (always a great oasis) and enjoyed the balance of our evening there.