Advertisement
Published: January 31st 2011
Edit Blog Post
[youtube=DeJjICyak5w]
Estadio Cenetario
The national stadium in Montevideo hosted the first ever World Cup. Montevideo is the Capital is Uruguay and its population of about 1.5 million is about half of the country's total population. Located on the southern coast of the country on the bank of the Rio de la Plata (arm of Atlantic Ocean), the city developed as a result of its importance in maritime commerce and proximity to Buenos Aires. There is a European feel about the city, as many of the immigrants that settled here and contributed to the development of the city were Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French and British. Today Montevideo is a commercial and educational hub, a beautiful city that is well laid out and easy to get around.
For Sarah and I, Uruguay was going to be our introduction to Spanish speaking Latin America since Portuguese is spoken in Brazil. We found a Spanish school in Montevideo called La Herradura which we booked a week’s lessons with. If we were going to be travelling in Spanish speaking countries for another 6 months it would make sense. The school was great and we would recommend it to anyone considering learning Spanish. They even sorted out our accommodation in Montevideo in their historical house building.
Football game at Estadio
Centario
The first ever FIFA World Cup was hosted and won by Uruguay in Montevideo. Thirteen teams participated in the tournament which Uruguay won by beating Argentina 4-2 in the final before a crowd of 93,000. The US also played in the tournament. I was delighted to be able to watch a live game at the stadium where all these historical matches took place. The Estadio Centario is located right in the middle of Montevideo, so it was a short walk for us to get there. Myself, Sarah and our new Dutch friend, Mark, were going to watch a mini-tournament involving four teams: Velez (Argentina), Libertad (Paraguay) and the Uruguayan rivals of Penarol and Nacional. The fun night involved two entertaining 2-2 draws that resulted in penalty shoot outs. Perhaps the most entertaining was provided by the rival fans of Penarol and Nacional however. In typical South American style they chanted, played drums and set off flares and fireworks throughout the games. Nacional eventually won the tourney.
No Reservations
Sarah’s got a thing for Anthony Bourdain. For his Travel Channel show, ‘No Reservations’, Tony heads off on fun visits to new countries and cities, meets friends and acquaintances,
La Herradura
Our Spanish Class. eats, drinks, and has it all edited into a 60 minute program. So before we even arrived in Uruguay, Sarah had been talking about the big ‘Chivito’ as featured on Tony’s Uruguayan show when he visited Marco’s Chivitos. Not recommended by cardiology specialists, this sandwich is the national dish of Uruguay: Take one thin slice of steak (churrasco beef), layer on bacon, ham, green olives, peppers, mozzarella, tomatoes, beets, hardboiled eggs and a lick of mayonnaise, surround it with a bun and now try getting your mouth around it. French fries are optional! It was delicious, although I am grateful to have survived. Mercado del Puerto also featured on the show. This is a great place to sample Uruguayan cuisine and by that I mean meat, served with meat, garnished with meat. Great Chorizo, Morsilla, Churrasco and if you are adventurous you can order the Molleja.
Murga
Murga is a type of musical theatre that we found out about. It is performed in Uruguay during Carnival season (January to March). A group of 15 – 20 men harmonize and dramatize a musical play that lasts about an hour. Sarah and I happened upon one of these Murgas one evening
Murga practice
Sarah and I happened upon this Murga practice, and met a cool guy who explained it to us. as we walked back from Marco’s Chivitos. It was cool to experience not only the show but the sense of community as a few hundred men, women and children enjoyed it. We also got chatting to a local man who explained to us what was happening. Between our bit-speech in Spanish and his English we had a good chat! He helped me understand my favourite part of the show also – a song about the Uruguayan national team’s heroics in the 2010 World Cup. Check out the video attached. We also experienced some Candombe in Montevideo which is similar to Murga as being a Carnival season ‘street performance’, but centered on drums and dance.
Sarah and I had some fun nights out in Montevideo also. Most notable was our last night which started with another Murga rehearsal show in the Ciudad Vieja and finished at a Latin dance club on Saturday morning via a string of cool bars. I blame the Brazilian twins from our class 😉
All in all there is a lot to do in Montevideo; a nice, relatively compact city where the locals will go out of their way to be helpful. If you just
Marcos Chivitos
The best in Montevideo. want some fresh air or to burn off some of that meat, you can go for a walk or jog along La Rambla, through some of the beautiful parks, or along the beach. If you want some culture you could check the Plaza Indepencia, the Gaucho Museum, one of the art museums or Cathedral Metropolitan or even take some Tango lessons. There are also some good shopping options at the local malls or just off the high street.
Well….that’s about enough done for the Uruguayan Tourist Board. We’re off to learn more Spanish in Buenos Aires.
Much love,
Bref & Sarah-
Advertisement
Tot: 0.17s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 12; qc: 52; dbt: 0.0812s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
MAREE
non-member comment
LOVELY PHOTOS AND COMMENTS
HI BREF AND SARAH, AMAZING HAPPY PHOTOS AND COMMENTARY. YOU WERE BLESSED AMONGST WOMEN AT YOUR SPANISH CLASS, BREFF TAKE CARE OF YOUR SELVES.....ALL WELL AT HOME LOVE AND GOD BLESS, MAREE AND TOM 2/2/2011