Montevideo

Greetings from the capital of Uruguay.  I honestly never in my life thought I would come here.  And before I became a midwife, I bet I didn't even know where Montevideo was....

Kate and I enjoyed a 2.5 hr bus ride from Colonia on an efficient clean and friendly bus service.  We were so shocked to have arrived earlier than scheduled, we were barely ready get off the bus.

As soon as I sat down in the tourism office, I could tell that the culture in Uruguay is palpably different-- a older woman slid into the office ahead of me in line and planted a big kiss on the representative's cheek.  Then she put her hand on my shoulder and apologized for cutting in front of me.  She explained she was just sending a kiss to her son via her daughter-in-law.  They had a sweet, short conversation peppered with apologies to me and then she left.  Friendly people, I tell you.

We're staying in Ciudad Vieja which juts out on a point into Rio de la Plata.  While the air in Buenos Aires betrays no evidence of the ocean and the water is generally either gray or brown, the water off of Montevideo smells salty and is deep blue.  Sidelong glances down streets in this neck of the woods almost always offer the opportunity to see a glimpse of the ocean.

We had lunch in the Mercado del Puerto which was literally vibrating with humanity.  It reminded me of a hotter, smokier, more crowded version of Faneuil Hall in Boston.

After lunch, we wandered the streets of La Ciudad Vieja, including along the water where folks were swimming, fishing and sunbathing.

[The Uruguayan version of my father-- listening to the radio outside his house]

[A city beach]

As we arrived back at our hotel at the end of the day, we noticed that the streets around Plaza Independencia were being closed off.  There were buses of adults dressed in costumes with sequins streaming onto the Plaza.  What was this strange practice?  

Carnaval (aka Carnival).... Uruguay-style.  No joke.  Pictures to come, I promise.