Off to Montevideo

Saturday 5th March 

Breakfast same as yesterday, checked out at 11.00 and trundled my bag to the bus station. Started chatting to a German guy, 80 years old, who is on his way to Montevideo to get 27 hour flight to Philippines. He lives in US but tells me it is going to the dogs and wants to move somewhere else. Tells me Germany and Britain are overwhelmed by foreigners, Indians and Pakistanis. Makes me particularly nervous when I hear comments like this in a German accent. But he also tells me the US military are deliberately polluting the atmosphere with alumina dust and that the efficiency of internal combustion engines can be increased 10 fold by volatilising the fuel using a simple device which has been patented and "buried". Luckily I am not sitting next to him on the bus. 

Instead I am sitting next to a young Korean guy who is travelling the world and using the bus journey to study his Korean Spanish phrase book. He speaks good English but isn't very chatty. Maybe he was a bit miffed when I insisted on the window seat which was the seat assigned on my ticket. Not that it was a very exciting view. Once we left Colonia we drove through flat farmland all the way to the outskirts of Montevideo. Apart from the palm trees and clumps of pampas grass along the roadside, it could be any green flat fertile area in Europe. Mostly crops but also some cows, Black and white ones, Friesians, I think. The bus picked up and dropped off people along the way stopping at some little townships. One of them, Colonia Valdense, comprising neat, fairly modern, modest houses along both sides of the road, a few businesses and petrol stations. Libertad looked bigger but not as neat. Arrived in Montevideo bus station on time. South America has worked out how to do bus stations. Both Colonia's and Montevideo's are well designed, bright and clean. Montevideo's feels more like an airport with cafes, kiosks, clean toilets and an efficient taxi queue with two people assigning passengers to taxis; just like Changi airport. Taxi to thev hotel was quick and cost only 120 pesos (45 to the £)

Hotel Presidente is in a great location right on Avenida 18 de Juilio which is one of the main boulevards through the city. The room is better than expected, clean, comfortable with fridge, safe, kettle, tea and coffee. It even has a view over Plaza Libertad, the square outside where I could enjoy a coffee and a local version of a hot dog smothered with mozzarella cheese. Healthy fare!

Just down the Avenida 18 De Julio from the hotel is Plaza Independencia at the centre of which is another hero on a horse. Some interesting buildings around it including one with a tall tower, the Palacio Salvo which apparently was the tallest building in South America when it was built in the 1928, the modern office of the President and a fairly hideous 1960's slab. Just round the corner is a classical style theatre which reminds me of the pump room at Bath. There's a re-built "gateway" into the old city which has plenty of old and potentially interesting buildings but most of the area is run down and shabby. Many buildings are empty and bricked up. Others are desperately in need of TLC. To match the derelict buildings are a fair number of derelict people. A few streets have been tarted up and some trendy shops have opened but not enough to compete with the decline and decay. Beyond the old city is the port area, dominated by piles of containers, mostly bright red ones from "Hamburg Sud". Not an area I would want to walk round after dark.

Plaza Independencia
A hero, Artigas, on a Horse
Office of the President on the left and an ugly 1960's slab on the right

Plaza Independencia, Palacio Salvo

One of the few places open on a Saturday afternoon

Lovely Bookshop in the Old City

Old City in need of a facelift

Doorway in Old City

Canabis is legal in Uruguay.
But the shops close on Saturday afternoon

Back in the "new" city, on a Saturday afternoon, nearly all the shops are closed with graffiti daubed metal shutters pulled down over the windows so even though it is much smarter than the old city it doesn't look very inviting. Not much chance of weekend window shopping. Like Buenos Aires, Montevideo has a very “European” look and has kept more of its pre 1960’s buildings, probably because there hasn’t been the economic driver to redevelop.  Didn't see a lot of options for dinner. The chain La Pasiva, where I had my cheesy hot dog, seems to have a stranglehold in the area yielding only to MacDonald’s.

Another European Style Square

Back at the hotel I booked a flight to Sao Paolo for Monday and an "onward" flight as an insurance. From TripAdvisor I found a nearby restaurant, El Fogon, which gets good reviews so tried that. Very traditional, wood panelled interior  and it was quite busy. According to TripAdvisor they specialise in parilla but one of the comments was that their fish was good too. I ordered the sole but it was "off" so back to hake which was enjoyable in a slightly overpowering but tasty mushroom sauce. Thought I would have the mixed vegetables as a healthier option than chips but apart from being a weird selection, broccoli, pumpkin,carrots, green beans and beetroot, they were cooked to a soggy pulp. People complain about the English overcooking vegetables but never have I encountered such sad greens, and yellows and oranges and even purples.

Sad Vegetables

Sunday 6th March

Excellent breakfast in solitary splendour: breads, two sorts of ham, salami, cheese, several juices, Danish pastries, fruit salad and several yoghurts. Then to the Theatre Solis where the tours get a good write up in TripAdvisor. At some time after 10.00 the doors had been locked so after a gentle walk around arrived just in time for the 11.00 tour. Bought my ticket for 60 pesos and joined about 20 people in the lobby who were divided into Spanish and English tours. Only one English speaker, me, so I got a personal tour by Maria, an intern, born in Uruguay but spent most of her life in USA before returning to Uruguay to benefit from free university education, studying international relations. She was very informative and did a brilliant job. Two clowns livened up the tour doing parodies of Shakespeare, Brecht and Don Quixote but rather lost on me since it was all in Spanish. The history of the theatre isn't any more exciting than that of many old theatres in England but the tour brought it all to life. According to Maria, the three impressive chandeliers, the one in the main auditorium weighing over a ton, were bought in 1909 from a company in Birmingham that closed after being bombed in WW2 and are "irreplaceable". Can't help feeling that a few photos and specifications would get you several competitive quotations from China, the current workshop of the world. Maria told me that Uruguay is the most progressive country in S America in terms of social attitudes. Both gay marriage and marijuana are legal.

Theatre Solis

Maria in Theatre Solis

Back in Independence Square discovered that beneath the Statue of Artigas on his horse there is a mausolaum where his ashes are kept and guarded by two soldiers in quaint "toy soldier" outfits, the "Blandegues de Artigas".

Artigas Mausoleum

Blandegues de Artigas

After visiting the mausoleum, I set off for the Ramblas which I had convinced myself was on the North side of the city, prompted by a street named Rambla Sudamerica shown on the map. But I found myself in a deserted run-down industrial area. There was the long disused and boarded up Central Railway Station, a new station built just along the line that looked equally dead, and old industrial buildings along the shore. I could see the sea but it was disgustingly polluted and a couple of ships had been left there to rot. But on the highway running along the shore I am sure I saw a sign pointing in the direction of "Las Ramblas" so I continued, fully hoping and expecting the industrial landscape to transform into one of cafes, restaurants and happy people enjoying themselves. After a few km, seeing an oil refinery ahead I realised something was wrong. I'd walked off the end of my map but Google told me precisely where I was and then I realised that there were other "ramblas" on the south side of the city! 

Ex Station

Ex Station and Signal Box

Left to Rot: Rusting Hulk

So had a long walk back, this time through the residential areas of the city, before finally getting to the hotel and a much needed shower and coffee. Later I found the real ramblas but not at all what I had expected. There is a six lane highway running along the coast and on the seaward side, a wide pink granite promenade. If the promenade goes the full length, supposed to be 22km, of the ramblas then there must have been an enormous granite quarry somewhere. The sea isn't as polluted as on the North shore but it's still a dirty muddy brown and I wouldn't want to swim in it. There were people jogging, walking and even a few brave souls sitting on the cold granite benches defying the wind. But where were the cafes and restaurants? Not here. Blocks of apartments, an Ibis hotel but not much else. Which was a shame because I was feeling quite hungry. After about 2.5 km I came to a fairground at the side of which was a pizza and parilla place. Couldn't see anywhere else to eat so I had a reasonable beef stroganoff and a beer. I can only conclude that the fun part of the Ramblas is several km further away from the downtown area.

Plaza Libertad Lit Up

Monday 7th March

Another excellent and filling breakfast, not quite in solitary splendour this time, two other people occupied a table. Do people not eat breakfast or is the hotel almost empty? All the tables look immaculate; no sign of them having been used earlier in the morning. Made use of the Wi-Fi in the room and wrote some cards before checking out at midday. Walked back to the old city which looks so much better than on Saturday. People are about, the shops are open, vendors are selling stuff from stalls or pitches on the pavement and the sun is shining. Some police are patrolling on Segways and when they rendezvous with another group on foot I witness the surreal sight of a police kiss-in. It wasn't like that on Z-cars or the Sweeney. Made my way towards Mercado del Puerto where both Trip Advisor and Wikitravel suggest that lunch is a must, and it's my last chance to try Uruguay steak. Inside the old market building are dozens of restaurants, all grilling steaks. Selected one that looked popular and ordered a petit entrecote and a glass of house red. Thought I was seeing double when two substantial steaks arrived. "Petit entrecote?" "Si senor!" They were good steaks but not exceptional. Certainly an incredibly substantial lunch. Close to the Mercado is the Carnival museum so thought I'd have a look since it was only 100 pesos. It gave a bit of the background to Uruguayan carnival in English and Spanish. The exhibits were mostly carnival clothes. Pretty,   but not something I can get very excited about.

Old City at Monday Lunchtime

It isn't all run down

Pretty part of the Old City

Carnivore's Delight

Grilling

Petit entrecote

Headed slowly back to the hotel for 3pm since the receptionist had told me I needed to check in three hours before the flight, and the airport is quite a way out of town. The taxi was 900 pesos and I got there well before 4pm. Check in was fast, with no questions asked about onward or return flights. It's a new airport, about as pleasant as an airport can be. There can't be many capital cities where the only airport has just eight gates. Maria yesterday was telling me that Montevideo has 2 million inhabitants, over half of Uruguay's total of 3.5 million. Had a cup of coffee and a brownie to while away the time.