It was noon on Saturday, March 15, 2014, when the port authority finally had everything in order and we docked the ship. The tour buses had been waiting all morning for some action and because of our late arrival, tours had been shortened because we had to leave for Buenos Aires that night. We re-scheduled from a longer tour to a half-day one and when we met the guide we learned that she had come from Punta del Este earlier in the morning The drive down to Montevideo by car took only 1.5 hours. She laughed as she joked with us about how much easier it would have been for us to drive down with her. A groggy Mrs. Gym agreed.
The guide's name was Maria and as we got settled into her bus, she immediately provided the conclusion to the storey about the German pocket battleship, Graf Spee. After taking on some serious damage in the Battle of the River Plate, the German Ship limped into the port at Montevideo and tied up near where the Regatta now sat. Uruguay was a neutral country, so Captain Hans Langsdorff was hoping to get Uruguay to help with repairs. Uruguay was only required by international law to offer a few days of respite for the ship. That wasn't enough time to get the repairs done and more British warships were on the way. After conferring with superiors in Germany, Langsdorff gave the order to scuttle his proud ship. The Regatta had just past the site of the wreck of the Graf Spee on its way into the harbour.
That was the end of Langsdorff's proud ship. Montevideo became its last port of call. In addition, Montevideo also became the final resting place for 36 German sailors who died in the battle. This was not the end for the Captain though. Langsdorff and his crew crossed the River Plate and landed in Buenos Aires with the help of some german Argentinians. I will finish the story about him later.
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| In the middle part of this photo is a grey object which is a rangefinder from the Graf Spee |
Our first stop on the tour was Plaza Independencia (Independence Square), just a few blocks from the pier, in downtown Montevideo. Montevideo is not a resort area like Punta del Este but it is not just another big ugly city either. I was very impressed with the city. The best way to descibe it is an eclectic mix of modern glass towers and beautiful art deco buildings. There are the striking buildings which were completed in the early twentieth century when Uruguay was referred to as the Switzerland of South America and the nouveau buildings and sculptures of the last 25 years of prosperity in the country. And every few block there is a nice park, each with some impressive public art piece. Independence Square is no different, there are important modern and art deco buildings surrounding the square. There is also an important shrine there.
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| A piece of the old Montevideo Wall that used to surround the city |
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| This is actually a gate to the city wall of Montevideo at Plaza Independencia |
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| Palacio Salvo: I want to ramble about this art deco oddity but I am forbidden. An art deco extravaganza on Plaza Independencia. Do you think Italians might have designed it? |
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| Teatro Solace on Plaza Independencia is a world renowned Opera house. It dates from 1856. |
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| This modern building also situated on Independencia Square contains the offices of the President of Uruguay |
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| This is Estevez Palace which is next to the building shown above. As you can imagine to winning candidate will stand on the balcony of this building to ring in a new government. |
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| This is the statue of Jose Gervasio Artigas, the hero of Uruguay, situated in Indepencia Square. Underneath the massive statue is his mausoleum which is below the statue. Later his likeness is in another photo. |
We traveled a little farther to the Palacio Legislativo (Parliment Buildings). From the outside they don't look like much but I was really impressed with the interior. The myriad of different colours of Uruguayan marble and granite, as well as the ornate sculpted bronze and hardwood, with the outstanding Italian stained glass is awe-inspiring. The floor alone has at least ten different colours of marble that were hand-cut and pieced together in a design that looks like a persian carpet when viewed from above. I don't know if our pictures do it justice.
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| Palacio Legislativo exterior |
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| Mrs. Gym with a Uruguayan guard |
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| The central male figure in this huge beautiful painting just inside the front door of the Palacio Legislativo is Jose Artigas the hero of Uruguay |
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| This painting represents the working of the land which is an important theme in a country where cattle and sheep outnumber people by a factor of six to one. |
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| Here is the floor that is a patchwork of at least six marbles from Uruguay. |
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| a comfy marble bench |
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| this shows sculpted bronze and wood on a marble and granite column that also shows samples of each colour of marble used in the floor |
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| look at the gold leaf on the ceiling and the marble pattern on the floor |
We continued on and viewed some chic neighborhoods and some more beutiful parks. We made a big clockwise circle around the city and ended coming back to the port along La Rambla, the spectacular riverfront drive between the beaches and the waterfront condos.
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| This is one of the most spectacular works of art in Montevideo. Monumento la Carreta |
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| Scenes from La Rambla. Note that there is a golf course behind this park. |
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| Waterfall on La Rambla in Montevideo |
It was a windy day as the last vestiges of the big storm blew away from the River Plate. We boarded the ship for the last time. Later that night the Regatta left Montevideo to cross the river where we would end our cruise in Buenos Aires. Then the plan was to see most of Argentina in 3 days. We will need to go back to work to get a rest.
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