Montevideo is a two-day sail from the Falklands/Malvinas, two days and a complete change in seasons. As we walked down the gangplank, we entered into summer once again. Montevideo was a warm 78̊ on a clear day.
The city converted a number of streets into pedestrian walkways with vendor space in the middle. We got off the ship about 10 am, and the vendors were just beginning to set up their tables. The offerings were eclectic from Uruguayan T-Shirts made in China, household products, leather goods, antiques, handmade ceramic marijuana pipes, to soap made with cannabis, which is legal in Uruguay. It was advertized as guaranteed to relax you and heal a host of maladies.
In addition to marijuana, Uruguay has legalized same sex marriage and abortion. Its former president, “Pepe” Mujica Cordano, was billed as the humblest president in the world. Don Pepe lived his own home rather than the presidential place, donated 90% of his salary to the poor, and drove his old, beat up Volkswagen. He was last seen walking on water.
We did about a four-hour walk around old Montevideo. My sister and her husband are thinking about retiring to Uruguay and for some strange (and/or masochistic) reason they wanted my opinion. One tourist brochure called the old Montevideo “the epicenter of Uruguay’s cultural life.” If so, it is an epicenter with a pulse rate in the low 20s.
One of the newest buildings appears to be an apartment imported from East Germany before the reunification. Montevideo is worn and lackluster, or what we would call down at the heel, particularly when compared to Buenos Aires. If Buenos Aires can be compared to New York or Paris, Montevideo might best be compared Buffalo.
Of course, my sister moved from New York City to Upstate, so she might not be looking for excitement. They bought a farm in Phelps, a city whose main claim to fame is the Annual Sauerkraut Weekend (http://phelpsny.com/sauerkraut-weekend/), which this year falls on July 31st to August 3rd. Their motto is “Come for the Kraut, Stay for the Fun!” It just doesn’t get any better in Upstate New York.
We chatted up one Montevideo local, an optometrist. I had broken my glasses and stopped by a local optica to get them fixed. So we asked her if Montevideo was a good place to live. Her only complaint was the high cost of food in Montevideo. Otherwise, Montevideo was very comfortable and did not suffer from violent crime like Mexico City. Toni had been misidentified once again as a Mexican because of her accent, whereas I had been correctly identified as Sanskrit speaking wombat because of my accent.
We stopped at the Museo de Arte Precolombino e Indígena, which was housed in a beautiful old Colonial era home. They had one room of Uruguayan pre-Columbian art without any folk art. But they did have a traveling exhibit of Mexican folk art four times as large as their pre-Columbian collection. Mexico may be violent, but it produces great art.
On the positive side, The Economist chose Uruguay as the country of the year in 2013. My questions would be: Does the title come with a tiara? Or just a sash? Do other countries say nasty things behind your back? Did you really sleep with Brazil to get the title?
As they say in Buenos Aires, Ciao! 
Larry, this is your funniest one yet. I laughed out loud about the sauerkraut and the sash and your accent. No. I wouldn’t want to live there…. Thanks, Diana
If that modern looking building is on the Piazza Artigas, then it was the one back in the 1960’s (yes, you have the time frame right) was in a perpetual state of incompletion due to all the worker’s strikes. This was besides the entire country going on strike on the 4th of July (damned Americanos holiday)!!
Uruguay is today (since they got through the turbulent ’80s much like Argentina) the most democatic nation in the world. Everyone turns out to vote because it is required! They have had several leftist or even communist presidents too. So I guess the workers got what they wanted and eventually finished that building.
We stayed down by the port, could see it from our windows. The country is like New Mexico in rivaling us for the most beautiful sunsets.
I would recommend another visit with more time as they are very cosmopolitan too, like the Argentinians.
Well cat just barfed so got to go….
Ciao, as they say in Uruguay too!
love
Mary Clare
This seems to be a trip of many contrasts! All very interesting.
XX,
Carla
I agree with Diana. In need of relief from a most irritating day in the office dealing with my Singaporean dictator of a boss who is afraid of women, I turned to your blog and it didn’t disappoint. “Sanskrit speaking wombat because of my accent” – Mic drop.