For a window into the soul of the city, walk along the waterfront: think of Sein sidewalks In Paris Copacaban Promenade in rio or Charles River Esplanade in Boston. Or almost 14 kilometer tape called La Rambla, Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay.
One of the longest sidewalks in the world, La Rambla meanders along the glittering mouth of Río de la Plata, past beaches, wine bars and Fiala-blooming trees of Jacarand, statues and sculptures, football matches and friends in conversations over Yerba Mate cups.
If you go in the summer – how you are cold in the northern hemisphere – you can find yourself part of the mass migration of locals who have taken the folding chair into the promenade, and basically turn it into an outdoor living room in the city.
Together, the stitches of the stitches together different pieces of Montevideo, the city of about 1.3 million, socially and geographically. On this you will find Uruguayans from all social strata. He is a “urban thermometer” like Natalia Jinchuk, a native of Montevideo and authorHe described it.
With my own thermometer of immersion and my imagination, I planned an extended weekend in Montevideo, a city with a florist that melts the old world and modernist architecture to strengthen my spirits with my own crazy on La Rambla.
Where friends come together
On Friday morning I went on foot from my home base, Palladium business hotelon the edge of the fashion neighborhood feeling and headed to Park ParkThe city gem of the park a few kilometers west along La Rambla.
The promenade with a red and white stripe runs between the busy road and Río de la Plata, a wide waterway separating Uruguay and Argentina. The journey follows roughly the western Eastern axes, changing names when it winds from the neighborhood of Capurro, northwest of the Old Town to the Top CARRASCO area in the east. The most popular section leads from the Old Town to Sights.
Head west to La Rambla, I saw the sailboats swinging The Uruguayan Yachty Club. Women sat on a grassy knoll and their little children turned. Two friends on the bench seemed to be deep in an interview over bread and strawberries. The couple sipped a cup of Maté, a caffeine drink ordinary in South America, from the same metal straw. Near the busy skateboard park I went through some trucks, including I’m PEPE King Tortafritas (A translation causing laughter: I’m pep, a king of fried bread). On Playa de Los, a handful of shirts without shirts played football on the sand. I stopped in front of the granite plaque to read the “Sonnet on the palm” Poet Juany of IbarbAnd his last Stanza comparing palm to the eternal homeland was moved.
Park ParkThe goal on this leg of my opinion includes an amusement park, a lake where you can rent a paddleboat, a “castle” placed a small children’s library, The National Museum of Visual Art And a modest flea market. I became a small square with benches ringing the octagonal water fountain; Both drilled tiles adorned with Arabesque patterns that reminded me of the Middle East. I was resting on the bench, enjoying the feeling of tiles, hot under nice legs, and thinking of the winter winds back in the United States.
Exploring the gallery “in the open air”
La Rambla Stringes with common ties shops with different architectural styles as well as with places and parks of heritage. With dozens of sculptures and other works of art, it is a preliminary candidate for the UNESCO World Heritage List – entry It calls “a real open -air gallery”.
Some described La Rambla as a line that combines the past, present and future of the country; Uruguayan artist and writer Gustavo Remedi told the promenade ties together A city that “has a tendency to disintegrate”. Marcello Figueredo, author of the book on Literature “Bouquet“, Which offers a detailed view of the sidewalk on the waterfront, he told me that the promenade was” limit and escape “, the border between Montevide and the rest of the world.
Back on the streets of the city, I headed to the neighborhood of feeling, traveling in the garden similar to stripes rich in architectural details: contrasting lines and curves Art Deco, Veneto and Oriel Windows and red roofs. I saw hand -painted floor tiles and smelled of caramelized sugar open doors ChamomileWhere I enjoyed lemon cake and cortado in a small, sun -running courtyard.
On the way back to La Rambl I stopped in a small second -hand shop, 3b good cheap pretty nice (Good cute cheap). Although it was narrow and crowded, I found several gems, including pink bolero -embroidered wine vine and orange, yellow and blue flowers, triggering Jacarand Blossoms, which accumulated outside on the sidewalk like caring.
Just down the street, DalicaKitschy Bar and Tapas Restaurant, I was attracted by the eyes with the slogen “There is nothing more unreal than reality” and everything inside was: When someone ordered a Jamaica cocktail, Bob Marley’s “Is this love?” yellow and green drinks; Everyone joined and eliminated the lyrics. The waitress also offered to read Tarot Tarot using a deck replica Salvador Dali created. I drew a magician, which, as she told me, signaled that if I believe in my own strength, I show my dreams. And I thought I just stopped on a drink.
After the scent of the sinking steak
In Montevide, you can’t go far without feeling smoke from many steakhouses of the city or parril, grilling meat over a wooden fire. Much of this scent comes from Port marketMaze of restaurants and bars in the hall with a roof of dug iron made in Liverpool and transported to Uruguay in the 60s of the 20th century.
The market, wedged between La Rambla and the Old Town, would be a seven -mile walk to the west from my hotel along the winding promenade, so when I went on Saturday, I portrayed the shortcut through the city streets, with plans to re -connect to the market.
Near the city center I was pleased to find that the Uruguayans practice their tango movements for an improvised audience on Juan Pedro Fabini Square – named for an engineer designed by La Rambla to the city in 1922. Even passing tables depicting local artistic and handmade jewelry along the main sidewalk for pedestrians connecting the old city and La Rambla.
Then I heard the sound of Candomb, the style of Afrouruguay’s music, coming from the side street. Men appeared decorated in white and blue and women wearing white turbans. The men were banging the drums, and the women went through their flowing white skirts back and forth to the rhythm. CandomBe is ubiquitous during Montevide’s carnival, which runs from January to March.
In the end, I arrived at the port market, which Mr. Figueredo, the author of “Rambla”, calls the “smoke temple”. Although the meat on the market is really God, even vegetarians will feel a sense of respect. Dinner sits the elbow-to-ellbow near the bars that circle the grills under the decorative iron arches, the sun filters through the skylights. In the cathedral space it was difficult to recognize the difference between the interior and outdoors.
Sand celebration
After two days, I fits more than 50,000 steps in two days, I decided to spend Sunday relaxing in the La Rambla section along the well -healing area Punta Carretas, which protrudes to Río de la Plata near the Old Town.
On Baco wine and bistroI tried Crostini with local goat cheese next to a glass of Uruguayan Tannat, the country’s national wine. Dark red, rich in fruit, wine packs with every sip of stuffed tannin.
Back to La Rambl I couldn’t withstand logging out ArcticRestaurant with Rychly Saste in the style of a café directly along the coast full of delicatessen, such as Quinoa with shrimp, Galician octopus and inventive, spicy pumpkin pioneer filled with tuna, cream cheese, arugula, bell, onion and black olives- all weight prices.
La Rambla was in full swing: it was a weekend before Uruguay’s elections and a festive mood won. Music wrapped under the canopies and politicians supporters from all sides gave away the same passers-by: blue-and white Uruguayan flag with a small sun in the corner. When they went through, the cars claimed; Everyone waved and smiled.
Below on the beach people played football and volleyball, sellers sold candy candies and candied apples and clusters of friends, many sit in the ubiquitous folding chairs, have passed around bottles of wine. I put a towel on the sand and peeled off my clothes to reveal a modest one -piece piece that I bought in SESSOS, and I requested the main place in the outdoor living room Montevideo.
