Saturday 16 June 2018

Montevideo you are pure MAGIC.

I woke to a gorgeous sunny day and wished I had a coffee to drink while admiring the view from my window out to Rio de la Plata. Rather gorgeous.

I had to go to breakfast to get a coffee and while I was there had some toast!!!! What a treat. While I ate I was watching people piling up their plates of goodness, eating half of it then leaving the rest on their plate, like they just have to get their money’s worth. The lady next to me loaded 4 sachets of splenda onto her fresh fruit then covered it with dulce de leche. Now I do sweet but goodness me. The fruit is so sweet here how you could load it up like that I don’t know. 
I came to Montevideo knowing very little about the place and am really only here as I wanted to go to Colonia del Sacremento as I heard they have greta food. Since I was going to Colonia I may as well see Montevideo as well, so here I am. Mr Wiki tells us:  "Montevideo is the capital and largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of 201 square kilometres (78 sq mi). The southernmost capital city in the Americas, Montevideo is situated on the southern coast of the country, on the northeastern bank of the Río de la Plata.
The 2017 Mercer's report on quality of life, rated Montevideo first in Latin America, a rank the city has consistently held since 2005."
Off to a reasonably early start I got on a very squeaky bus to the central city. Its quite a hike so I had plenty of time to take in the sights. A guy sitting behind me gave me a running commentary of all the places we passed and told me what to take photos of. Ive never had a free guide like that before. 
It immediately struck me as being a pretty modern and clean city but nothing prepared me for what I would see once I got further downtown. 
I stopped for a coffee (and a good one at that accompanied with a glass of water - now that’s a first). Coffee shops are crammed with people watching Argentina vs Iceland. So far 1-1 I’m not sure if the locals are hoping the Argentines wont get through or do they support them as another South American country. The support wavers. There’s no love lost between the two countries. They both lay claim to mate, tango and alfajores. Who knows who is right but like us with Australia they might bicker over those things but are dead serious when it comes to futbol. 
People are so polite, smile and make an effort to understand my pitiful repertoire of spanish words. I walk through the main street of the city. My jaw starts to drop as I see one magnifcent building after the other. The streets are half empty (everyone is watching futbol). It’s quiet, peaceful, shops are warm, exciting but empty. The tree lined streets merge around pretty squares and avenues. It must be stunning in the summer. 
I walk across Plaza Independencia to Theatro Solis, the second largest theatre in South America (I’m picking Theatro Colon in Buenos Aires is the biggest). No tours today so I keep walking, taking it in, feeling euphoric for the first time on this trip. I’m lost for words as it is so gorgeous. Neither words nor photos can do it justice. 
The main street is set in the knoll of a rise. Each side street end up at the ocean and through the trees, past the most beautiful buildings you can see the harbour. MAGIC. At the entrance to the old town stands what looks like a concrete block arch.  In fact it is a concrete block arch that has been built on the back of the original archway as a support.
Through the older part of the city the magic continues, one glorious building after another.
I walked to the end of the street then turned back to the old market place ‘Mercado del Puerto’ now pretty much bereft of stalls but taken over by a pile of Parilla (here pronounced Pareeya) restaurants, all buzzing and displaying the food slowly cooking above the fire. 
I stopped at the busiest figuring busy meant good. La Chacra del Puerto.  
Yay a copa (glass) of wine. Haven’t had a single glass in a while. I sip as I wait for my pork chop with apple sauce. Next to me a couple with two kids. Mom n Dad on their phones. Older kid (mid teens) sitting quietly. Younger kid (about 8) running round, kicking people, screaming. No one seems to care or try to stop him. Even once the food comes along nothing changes. I got annoyed which seems to be my thing. The waiters try to keep him amused so he doesn’t annoy everyone. Mom and Dad google on. 
Most of the other people are watching Peru vs Denmark. Its quiet but every now and then there’s an oh oh oh. Its still 0-0
Then my pork chops and apple sauce arrived. I forgot the kid and the futbol. Perfectly grilled tender juicy pork, tasting of and smelling of the smoky BBQ and the yummiest apple sauce ever.  
Is it the meal of the trip? Does it beat Anthony Bourdains suggestion at La Cevicheria? Not quite but nevertheless the BEST parilla I’ve had yet. Looking over my shoulder at the beef on the plate behind me it looks as though this place knows how to cook a steak. Maybe I need to come back to restore my faith in the South American specialty parilla beef! So far I have been bitterly disappointed. 
 I finished my meal and watched the waiter serving a provoletta, deftly chopping it into pieces with two spoons, like an artist moving the pieces of creamy goodness round the plate. I wish I had room. La Chacra del Puerto you done me good. 
As I was leaving I noticed that the building had filled with smoke and as I look up I see a guy holding a fire extinguisher climbing some rickety stairs above the parilla that the smoke was coming from. It seemed the vent for the extractor had a blockage which had caught fire. Below the guys continued to cook their steaks, creating more smoke and the public all stood round and watched. I took off, there was no way that I was going to be stuck in a burning building with a pile of crazy people.
I set off walking, I hear music and follow the sound. Three guys playing Candombe drums, a guy playing the sax (I think - I didn’t take too much notice) and a guy and a girl dancing. Although they were candombe drums it wasn’t their traditional music or dance but great to see. One if those gems I just love. 
By now everything was closed, the game was over, the shops had closed and the museums and galleries were having a Saturday break. So I walked. It took ages to go a short distance as I kept seeing another amazing building and of course stop, wait for a gap in the traffic, click and move on. 
I eventually caught the very same bus I was on this morning, same driver too. The ride took me among part of the rambla, so pretty and somewhere I must investigate before I leave. I got off the bus at the same stop as I hopped on this morning and desperate for a cold drink I went to the mall I was in last night. The building (built 1911) used to be a prison and for some time only housed political prisoners. It was refurbished as a prison in 1992 and later converted into the shopping mall. It is a rather gorgeous building with some fun stuff outside. 
So sick I am of the polar fleece and jersey I have worn most every day since I left home I wandered the shops to find a replacement. No luck so feel sorry for the poor sod that draws the short straw and sits next to me on the plane. There have been days when I have been so cold that I have worn 6 or 7 layers and it has been very seldom that I haven’t worn at least one of the two I am desperate to dispose of. Oh I wish there was a Uniqlo here. 
I wander home along the rambla and notice that the sun is setting. A pretty brisk walk to the end of the road and there I see it. The most glorious sight. The bright red sun slowly dipping down behind the palm trees and the buildings. How stunning is that?
Back at my room I was checking out a bus trip for tomorrow and came across the following piece of information I found necessary to share. "At each of the stops in detention for a few minutes, to allow the rise and fall of the passengers if any, or without movement of people."  I haven’t found many crazy gaffes this trip but I think that one takes the cake. 
While my phone was charging in my room I went to supermarket to get water. Total bedlam and none of the queues were working so I returned my bottle of water to the shelf and left. All day long in the city I have encountered lovely cheerful, laid back and polite people. They must have left the building because this lot in the supermarket were frenetic. Like NZ on Xmas Eve. 
That mission aborted I was on my way to see if I could swallow a Burger King grease burger and I remembered that the hotel restaurant had spag. and meatballs on the menu. Dare I risk another Italian meal? Yes why not. It couldn’t be worse than BK. 
As I was entering the restaurant there were a few stragglers from the high tea leaving. Very posh ladies who pushed and shoved and left the place looking like a bomb had gone off. I waited till the place was put back together and ordered my taglioni and meatballs. 
The meal got off to a good start with a basket of hot fresh bread rolls, which is unusual as the bread most places serve is often stale and very seldom warmed. With it came a bowl of Baba Ganouch which was so good I spread it thick over the bread and gorged myself. Soon comes the main course and boy was it good.  
No fear of it moving into no 1. place but very good anyway. It doesn’t beat the great gnocci I had in L’astarria in Santiago. While I ate my fone was charging in the little table top charging stations they have here. Real cool.
Stuffed to the brim I’m back in my room finishing this as I suspect there will be plenty to write about tomorrow too.

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