March 4th, 2006

Even though Uruguay and Argentina share a border and some cultural features like Tango and Mate, they definitely don’t share the same schedule. Buenos Aires and Montevideo, the capitals, could not be more different. We did hear that Uruguay is laid back, but we could not even start imagining how much. While in BA every day of the week every place around would be open till dark and many restaurants into the wee hours of the night; here, in Montevideo, we could barely find an open place to eat or shop on a weekend afternoon.

However, we did find one place that was open. Mercado del Puerto, a wrought-iron superstructure, shelters an impressive amount of parillas – open grill with any sort and kind of meat your heart might desire. It is an extremely loud and vibrant place with several independent bands with everything from guitars to drums and even dancers. To say the least, this place was a great contrast to the rest of Montevideo.

We didn’t stay long. Mercado del Puerto was cool and all, but we had already decided that we need to see as much of Montevideo as we can handle without falling asleep, and get out. The rain was present, but only in a barely noticeable dribble, so we explored the nearby streets and found a few gems. In an art gallery I fell in love with a Hanukiah. It was a beautiful, functional ceramic oil lamp rising about a meter off the ground. I wanted it so much, but its price (US$700) and weight was above and beyond our travel budget, so I had to wave it goodbye. Walking around some more we found a pedestrian street. It stretched along 6 or 7 blocks and on it were these huge, interesting, and strange art pieces freestanding right in the middle of the street. Some better than others, we saw them all, and in the end of this outdoor gallery was another, I suspect more soccer related then artistic, statement – a very friendly powder blue poodle.

Tags: art, dancing, food
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