Montevideo
Friday, November 4. At sea
My last Pilates. A lecture by Robin on 'Off to school we go', then I washed my hair and listened, in the cabin, to Charlotte's lecture on Plant Communications. Lunch in the Terraza before 90 minutes of bridge. Then a lecture by Carlos on the History of Argentina before Trivia and a swim. Recap and Briefing before having dinner with Seb and Jade in the restaurant. Enjoyed Jonathan’s show of Love Songs
Poetic, worldly, and jam-packed with historical intrigue, Uruguay’s refined capital is a city of culture, creativity and beachfront bliss. Just shy of half of all of Uruguay’s population calls Montevideo home, and the city is enjoying a resurgence, as its reputation as one of South America’s essential destinations burgeons. Glorious colonial architecture has been re purposed to house cultural treasures - while glassy skyscrapers, modernist museums and twisted artworks spring up regularly across this vibrant, energetic city, which stands across the Río de la Plata from Buenos Aires. Recognised as a UNESCO Creative City, there’s rich intellectual history here, not to mention sultry tango - a dance form that the Uruguayans claim as their own.
With bright and breezy tree-lined streets, and refreshing salty sea breezes cooling its endless beaches, Montevideo is an incredibly livable seaside city. La Rambla, the long and wide waterfront path, provides a welcome partition from the city’s buildings and is a wonderful place to wander and relax on benches and sea walls. Having changed frequently between Portuguese and Spanish rule at the height of their colonial powers, the city and country is littered with fortifications and historical relics. José Artigas, whose statue & mausoleum are in the Plaza Independencia, is known as the father of Uruguayan independence, which was achieved in 1825.
In WW2 the damaged German Pocket Battleship entered harbour at Montevideo, but was forced to leave after 72 hours ++ , under neutral port rules. Rather than have all his crew killed, the German Captain scuttled his ship just outside Montevideo harbour . Its anchor can be seen at the port gates
Saturday, November 5th. Montevideo. Spinoglio winery
Started packing after breakfast. Left by coach for our trip Create your own brew to the Spinoglio winery. Our guide Betty was very good. It was about a 45 minute journey. Once there we were shown around, including the cellars where they hosted wedding receptions.The Spinoglio winery dates back to 1898; bought by the Spinoglio family in 1961, today the estate is run by the 4th generation of the family making wines in Uruguay. Then we sat on a table with Ben, Cindy, Anike, Sylvain and Pippa to blend Tannat, Merlot and Cabernet Franc to our mutual liking, via three prior attempts. We ended up with a third of each in our preferred blend, having started with one having 80% Tannat. Then we were served a winery blend costing $25, but with considerably older vintages. Alongside this there was a gorgeous plate of cheese, ham and nuts. It was Cindy’s birthday.We then got a bottle (supposedly) of a wine made to our final spec to take home. A nice idea an we later enjoyed our bottles in Moraira
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Click on any thumbnail photo and get a larger photo
Back aboard, I discussed genealogy with Pippa, had a swim, wondrously calm and nobody on deck, finished packing one suitcase, had a siesta and then went up to the Panorama lounge for a coffee and chocolates before Trivia, Recap and Briefing and Captain's farewell, minus Captain!!, and crew parade. Ate in the Terraza, lots of problems!. Then listened to the start of 'Name that tune, Broadway Style'
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