Ciudad Vieja – The oldest part of Montevideo … [Uruguay]

Unfortunately, all I got in Uruguay was rainy days 🙁 Despite the rains,  tried to sight-see as much as I could.

IMG_20180529_180811
A taxi in Montevideo … They are pretty reasonable and easy to catch.
IMG_20180530_062029
Uruguayan Peso … (UYU). 1 UYU == 2.16 INR. Uruguay has a GDP of only around 80 Billion USD. Their currency looks solid though 🙂
IMG_20180530_120317
Palacio Salvo … This 330ft tall building, was once upon a time, the tallest building in South America!
IMG_20180530_120341
Plaza Independencia is dominated by this huge statue of Jose Artigas Arnal …
IMG_20180530_120903
Jose Artigas Arnal’s remains are guarded 24/7. Artigas was an Uruguayan Independence Hero …
IMG_20180530_122420
Joaquín Torres-Garcia. The great man at work … He did his work in Uruguay, Spain, USA, France and Italy …
IMG_20180530_122832
Torres-Garcia painting …
IMG_20180530_123456
One of Torres-Garcia’s paintings … Torres Garcia was a famous Spanish/Uruguayan Artist/Sculptor/Novelist/Teacher/Etc. (Man, he did a lot of things!) … Torres-Garcia had quite a few folks he did not admire. He made weird paintings of those folks, like this one.
IMG_20180530_124829
There were a lot of book shops, like this one, in the Old City … Of course, almost all of them were empty. Maybe the rains …
IMG_20180530_125040
Teatro Solis … The shows are pretty nominally priced. The government is doing all it can to encourage people to patronize Performing Arts over movies … They invite folks from various towns of Uruguay, all expenses paid, to visit Teatro Solis.
IMG_20180530_130044
A beautiful, but water-less, fountain … 🙂 At Plaza Matriz.
IMG_20180530_130206
Metropolitan Cathedral from outside …
IMG_20180530_131033
Inside Metropolitan Cathedral … Near Plaza Matriz.
IMG_20180530_132100
An interesting building … During the walk (In heavy rains!) through Ciudad Vieja … (“Old City”)
IMG_20180530_132727
An intricate candle stand … At Palacio Taranco, Montevideo, Uruguay.
IMG_20180530_132816
Now, that is a painting I really like …
IMG_20180530_132946
The full view of the interesting painting at Palacio Taranco … This former private residence of a wealthy family is now an Architectural and Decorative Arts Museum.
IMG_20180530_132953
The central portion of this interesting painting at Palacio Taranco … This former private residence of a wealthy family is now an Architectural and Decorative Arts Museum.
IMG_20180530_135341
Mercado del Puerto … From outside.
IMG_20180530_140816
I settled on a Chorizo for 1st course … Had some red wine as well. Eating meat, while being surrounded by a lot of meat 🙂
IMG_20180530_141702
Lunch getting prepared. @Mercado del Puerto. They had various cuts of meats and fish …
IMG_20180530_142513
This Paella vendor (Remember, Uruguay has a strong Spanish influence) kept looking out longingly at each passing person … He did not have a SINGLE customer during the 1hr I took for my lunch … And it was peak lunch time! Man, business needs thick skin … 🙁
IMG_20180530_144223
Inside Mercado del Puerto … The indoor food court and market. I bought several souvenirs from here. It was nice to be indoors from all that rain.
IMG_20180530_145424
The Port of Montevideo … By now, it was pouring and I was shivering 🙂 But the workers of the port were going about their business as if it was a sunny and warm day!
IMG_20180530_151208
Alfajores … Popular in Uruguay also. I am all sweetened out for now (Not a huge sweets/desserts person and have already had one too many Alfajores in Argentina) … Skipped this store.
IMG_20180530_151658
It was a real lousy day, weather-wise. The rain never let up! After hanging around in the hotel till noon (As I have a cold/cough), I had enough and ventured out with an umbrella. The old city in Montevideo has very interesting buildings …
IMG_20180530_162055
Inside Teatro Solis … The theater was getting ready for a show later in the evening. There are 7 levels in the theater.
IMG_20180530_162257
The students (Tour Guides) at Teatro Solis. As an amateur, it appeared that Teatro Solis is no way comparable to Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires. The male student was really funny and made us all crack up several times. There were people from India (Yo), Germany, Brazil, USA and Columbia for the tour.
IMG_20180530_164832
Uruguayan flag in full glory … “Solis” (Sun) apparently holds a lot of significance for the country. There is a theory that Teatro Solis is named for the Sun.
IMG_20180531_120747
The waiting hall at the Bus Depot cum Shopping Mall at Montevideo (Tres Cruces) …
IMG_20180531_135943
Had this bad boy during the bus ride …
IMG_20180531_152853
The Buquebus bus which brought us to Colonia del Sacramento from Montevideo. The bus just flew as if going for some speed record.

 

 

Adios!

Leave a Reply