Republica Oriental
del Uruguay

 

 

This winter's escape finds us again in southern South America, this time for three of their temperate summer months.

In choosing illustrations for these pages, I am as usual tilted toward the old and quaint images that in some small way  help offset the shiny new digital images that we create with our trusty electronic camera.

Remembering last years Hawaii Journal  where we used  vintage images - this year, I chose as the heading this rather odd photograph of the German traveler Carl Nemelka  who in 1904 visited South America . His setting in the semi-tropical foliage holding a paper struck me as the way I wanted to feel while wintering way down here in this less known  land of exotic adventure and beauty - at ease,  yet in touch (more on that later).
The image at the top of this page is from a 1887 Uruguayan one pesos bill, showing the crest.
 
Now that that bit of idiosyncrasy  is out of the way, We'll get on with our journal:

For January and February, we are staying here in Montevedio the capitol city of Uruguay. A pleasant and quiet city of 1.3 million across the wide Rio De La Plata from Buenos Aires the bustling capitol of Argentina where we will spend the month of March - the  equivalent of  September above the equator.
Here is a satellite view illustrating well that 50+ mile wide river and it's plume of sediment that I suppose is slowly building a delta.
We have a very nice apartment on the 8th floor of the Piazza Ducale , next door to the Palladium Hotel and one block from the "Puerto Del Buceo"- Buceo being this section of the city. We are within a 3 minute walk of the Viaaqua spa where we exercise and swim .

   The highway that rings the city's  coast is generally signed the "Rambla" - more specifically in places : Rambla President Wilson, Rambla Mahatma Gandhi,  Rambla  Gran Bretana , Rambla F.D. Roosevelt...etc. Here is also a long series of small and large beaches called "Playas". What a pleasant location for a capitol city !

Montevideo has a efficient  and inexpensive bus system that makes getting around a treat. Although it is walking that we like best. We have explored many of the neighborhoods within hiking range.

  Evening is often the best time as this culture hits its social peak after 9 pm. During the week it goes easily to mid-night and on weekends till 2-3 am. This makes for a late rising, and breakfast is closer to noon than our usual time.

 

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