Let me get this out of the way right up front—Uruguay took me by surprise, and completely blew me away. This charming little country, tucked along the Atlantic between Brazil and Argentina, and which most Americans know little or nothing about, has the lowest crime rate in South America and is rated by The Economist as the most democratic nation in all of the Americas, topping even the U.S. and Canada. Who knew? I certainly didn’t. And here’s something else I didn’t know, and I’ll bet you didn’t know either. Uruguay’s official name is Oriental Republic of Uruguay. Yep, oriental means east, and that mattered when they named it (which is as much detail as I have time to get into in this blog post).
Moving on, Montevideo, the capital, is bright, modern, and seems to have a statue honoring someone or something everywhere you look. The most important statue, which dominates the city’s central plaza, honors Jose Artigas, who is best described as the George Washington of Uruguay. And, you can actually view Artigas’s remains, or at least the urn that holds them, even though he’s been dead for 173 years, because they’re on public display under the statue. I walked down under the statue into a large, fairly dark room, and my first instinct was to remove my hat and lower my voice. The urn is illuminated in the center of the room, and there are uniformed soldiers standing stiffly at attention on either side. It is truly a place of honor, and it says something about the country that it’s fully open to the public and you can walk right in without a ticket.
Montevideo has a population of roughly 1.3 million, more than a third of the country’s total population of 3.4 million, and we had a nice bus tour of the city before driving 45 minutes out into the countryside to visit one of Uruguay’s outstanding wineries. Montevideo’s downtown is an interesting mix of modern and post colonial architecture, with an occasional mural, and did I mention a lot of statues?
During the ride out to the winery our guide kept up a running commentary about the country and some of the things we were seeing as we went along. One of the most interesting things he pointed out was on the bus itself, when he showed us the bus driver’s maté basket. Maté is the national drink of Uruguay, and it’s made by putting dried yerba maté leaves in a hollowed out calabash gourd, pouring hot water into it, and drinking it through a metal straw. Why would one do this? Well, for one thing it’s loaded with caffeine. I’ve got a photo below that’s worth a thousand words. Look it up if you’re interested in more.
Uruguayan wines are starting to win international awards, and at the winery we were told that Uruguay and South Africa are the best places in the world to grow the tannat grape. We sampled a Chardonnay, a blush, and a merlot, and I thought they were all good, though I confess that I know little about wines. We were also served some tasty treats, including traditional empanadas.
Afterwards, there was a wonderful performance by dancers who demonstrated both traditional folk dances, usually to loud rhythmic drumming, and elegant tangos. It ended with a rousing opportunity for the guests to join in, and everyone had a great time. I can’t put videos on the blog, or I’d show Michele kicking up her heels in the middle of it.
All too soon it was back on the bus for the drive back to Montevideo and our ship. We sailed out a little after 5:00, and could probably have reached Buenos Aires, our next destination, and which is just a bit farther into the Rio de la Plata (River Plate) estuary, in a couple hours, but we aren’t scheduled to arrive until tomorrow morning. So, we headed back out to sea, and I assume the captain will probably sail us around in circles until tomorrow morning. All I’ll say about that is that sailing back out into international waters allows the ship to reopen the casino, shops and bars.
Tomorrow, as I said, is Buenos Aires, where we’ll be for two days. I can’t wait, and I’ll be sure to report back, so stay tuned.
The central square in Montevideo is dominated by a large statue of Jose Artigas, who is considered the father of his country. His remains are under the statue, and you can walk down and view them.
These are the actual remains of Jose Artigas, the George Washington of Uruguay. I felt honored that a common tourist like me could walk in off the street and visit this place of honor and importance to the people of Uruguay.
Honor guards stand stiffly at attention on either side of Artigas’s remains.
Our bus driver’s leather and wood basket to carry his daily maté. He keeps hot water in his thermos, which he pours over the dried yerba maté leaves. He then drinks the liquid from a hollowed out calabash gourd through the metal straw. It is Uruguay’s national drink, but I did not have an opportunity to try it while I was there.
Our tour guide describing how maté is prepared.
Michele sampling the Chardonnay out in the vineyard. We agreed it was delicious.
The blush was good too. A little later we got to try a merlot made with their tannat grapes.
The merlot. The winery was Spinoglio.
Tango demonstration. Very sensuous.
The folk dancers were a lot of fun.
The folk dances were accompanied by loud, almost deafening, rhythmic drumming.
This is a mural of Mario Benedetto, a journalist, novelist and poet who our guide described as the Mark Twain of Uruguay.
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