Since we’ve been planning this trip, John has been talking about going to Uruguay based on its proximity to Buenos Aires and something he read on a city there. To be honest, Uruguay has never been on my radar, and I realized as we were heading there, I knew absolutely nothing about the small country. But, it was close, and the transit to get there cheap, so yeah, let’s go! Turns out, we fell in love with Uruguay. Hard. Like, when can we go back? We’re basically having a threesome with Uruguay. 🙂

We took the ferry from Buenos Aires to Montevideo across the huge, I mean huge, Rio de la Plata. From one side of the river, you can’t see the other side, which makes it seem more like a bay or sea than a river. I, of course, was nervous about yet another boat trip. Even though we sprang for the more expensive, high-speed ferry that would only take 2 hours and 15 min., I was still nervous. As we headed to the ferry terminal in the Uber, I checked to make sure I had my dramamine with me.

We’re On A Boat

As we boarded the ferry, I was struck by how big it was. By far the biggest boat I’ve ever been on, including the high-speed ferries in Greece. This thing was like a mini-cruise ship, with nice carpeting (we noted this because they made us cover our shoes with booties), a grand staircase, and a duty-free shop the size of one you’d find in an international airport. The ride there was so smooth, you couldn’t even tell you were on a boat. Amazing!

The ferry docked in the Ciudad Vieja in Montevideo, a few blocks from where our AirBnb was located. If I’m honest, our first impression of Montevideo wasn’t great. The streets we walked were pretty deserted and all the shops and restaurants were closed. After we settled into our apartment, I googled and confirmed what I feared. Most restaurants are closed on Mondays here. We were able to find a couple places open on the map though, and started walking in that direction. Our second impression was much better as we walked through the Plaza de la Constitucion which looked magical lit up in the dark. It made us more excited to explore the next day!

Hello, Montevideo!

The following day we did a free walking tour of the Ciudad Vieja to learn a bit more of the history of this country, and did some online research ourselves as well. Some brief facts for others who also are ignorant of the wonders of Uruguay!

• The area has been fought over by Spain, Portugal, Argentina, and Brazil.
• Its economy is thriving, as we can attest based on the US-like prices we paid, and extreme poverty has all but been eliminated.
• Main economic drivers are beef, sheep, tourism, etc.
• They’re also one of the most socially progressive countries in the region, having legalized gay marriage, abortion, and pot.

So many reasons to love this country! Plus, friendly people! After experiencing customer “service” in Chile and Argentina which make DC “service” look good, Uruguayan customer service was so refreshing!

Anywho, back to the tour! We started in the Plaza de la Independencia at the tomb of Artigas, who fought for Uruguay’s freedom. Fun side note – I learned from my mom that my grandfather had been to this same spot during WWII when he was in the Navy. Crazy to think about walking in the same spots!

From the Plaza, you can see the Palacio Salvo. John had noticed that it looked like a larger version of the Palacio Barolo that we’d seen in Buenos Aires. Apparently the two buildings were made to be very similar, and the hope was that you’d be able to see the lights from the other city’s building from this building. The tour then took us through the various sites of Ciudad Vieja, including the old wall that used to form the fortress around the city, the old Catholic church in Plaza de la Constitucion, a cute pedestrian street, and the old Mercado that now has a lot of parrillas (grilled meat restaurants).

After our tour, we apparently hadn’t had enough walking, so we proceeded to start wandering down the Rambla, the 10km street that lines the river. We walked from the Ciudad Vieja about 2 miles to the beautiful Parque Rodo. The weather was perfect, as it was for most of the days we spent in Uruguay. Did I mention we love it here?

We ended the day at a parrilla eating delicious steak, grilled vegetables, and the Uruguayan wine tannat. Delicious!

Punta del Este

The next day we took a day trip to Punta del Este. It was an easy 2 hour bus ride that dropped us off right at the beach! Punta del Este is the point where the Rio de la Plata ends and the Atlantic Ocean begins. There are beaches on both sides of the point, so you can pick which body of water you’d like to hang out at.

We’d heard that Uruguay’s Atlantic beaches were beautiful, but most things we’d read were pretty against Punta del Este, comparing it to Miami and a playground for the rich and famous. After spending the day there though, we can’t agree. It was great! Maybe we were just there at the right time, a Wednesday at the start of the slow season, but the beaches weren’t crowded and we weren’t hounded by vendors. In fact, finding lunch was a bit of a challenge! There were high-rise apartments, but nothing too extensive or crazy. Overall, we thought the place was great! Though I’ll say I’m glad we weren’t going to be there over the weekend when the Formula-E race was going to take over the streets.

While there, we of course snapped a shot of the famous fingers coming out of the sand, took a nap on the beach, and strolled looking at shells. We didn’t actually get in the water because the breeze was enough to keep us cool, and would’ve been too cold if we were soaked. Also, the rip tide must’ve been pretty strong because we watched three lifeguards rescue an adult man who was struggling. No thanks!

Our Current Favorite Restaurant

The next day we were sad to leave Montevideo. We decided to have one last lunch there, and were so glad we did! We had one of the best meals we’ve had on our entire trip at an amazing spot called Sin Pretensiones. The atmosphere was so cute – a cafe with a bunch of vintage plates, cups, etc. for sale. The food was so fresh and well-prepared.

At the end of the meal, we ordered the mate service so we could experience this drink we’ve seen some in Buenos Aires and everywhere in Uruguay. Throughout Uruguay people carry their mates (the cup) filled with yerba and a thermos of hot water. I mean, it’s everywhere. Walking down the streets, in the parks, on the buses, etc.

I imagine it must be an acquired taste because it tasted like grass to us. But, it was so much fun to partake in this cultural experience! The server was great too, explaining to us the mate process, giving us a written guide on the steps of the mate ritual, and letting us flip through a coffee table book on the history of mate in the region.

As if this hadn’t already been an amazing experience, on our way out the door the chef yelled at us to wait and gave us each a large chocolate cookie for the road. Customer service, friendliness, great food! I love this restaurant and I love Uruguay!

Colonia del Sacramento

Sad to be leaving Montevideo, we boarded a bus for the one hour 15 minute trip to Colonia del Sacramento. This is the town John had heard of that spurred our trip to Uruguay. The town has an old city that’s been declared a UNESCO site. We enjoyed exploring the town, wandering the cobblestone streets, viewing the river, and climbing up the lighthouse. Overall a very relaxing day of just strolling around taking in the sites in perfect weather!

An Unexpected, but Needed, Rest Day

The next day we took the hour bus to the town of Carmelo where we stayed in an AirBnb in the city center. And to be honest, this was our first misfire of the entire trip. Looking online for things to do in Carmelo, it appears that the options are the beach along the river or visit wineries located outside the city. Well, we didn’t stay at any of the beach resorts because they were expensive and we weren’t keen to swim in the river. And we didn’t venture out to any of the wineries because our next stop is Mendoza, and that seemed like overkill.

So we walked the town (nearly all of which was closed on a Saturday!), and spent the rest of the time in the apartment watching NCAA basketball, resting, and catching up with family. Overall, a perfect down-day to recharge and refresh.

What’s Next?

The next day we boarded the bus back to Colonia and took the hour-long ferry back to Buenos Aires. We spent two nights in Buenos Aires before heading over to Mendoza.

We’re sad to say goodbye to Uruguay. It was such an unexpected surprise! Hopefully the wine of Mendoza will help us forget our sadness. Check back next time to read about wineries!