January 15- We were picked up by our tour guide and driven to Montevideo. It continued to rain. Upon arrival we yes again ate lunch, sampling the local cuisine of Chivitas, which is beef or chicken with ham, cheese, bacon, egg, vegetables, and with the platter comes fries and potato salad. A gastronomic treat.

Then we toured the city. We began at Independence Square where a statue of Jose Artigas (general who liberated Uruguay from Spain) stands along with his mausoleum, then we walked to the old city area. The main street is 18 de Julio, which is date of first constitution in 1830. The city was originally built with a wall around it, and a small section still remains. The Cathedral was over 200 years old. We saw the Solis Theatre, from the 1800’s, toured a French Gothic church, passed the current President’s residence and also their version of the White House, the Presidential Palace, complete with a guard in a turret. The soccer stadium was built in 1930 and was the first World Cup Stadium. The contemporary telecommunications building was designed by Carlos Ott, who also designed the hotel of sails in Dubai.

There are 4 parks inside the city all with renowned sculptures. One sculpture commemorates the last 5 native Charruas Indians that were taken to Paris and displayed as savages. The legend is that they all died of loneliness in France. The other bronze sculptures were the covered wagon and the stagecoach, by artist Joseph Bellini. Sycamore, Jacaranda, and Paradise trees line all the streets in Montevideo.

The Congress Building was built from 1908-1925, and is made of over 50 different colored marbles, and 12 types of wood. Of course it was Sunday and the building is closed on the weekends. So, I guess we will have to return someday to tour the magnificent interior.

Since it is still raining we opted to stay at the hotel for dinner. Did you know—that in Uruguay elections are every 5 years and the President and Vice President can not renew a sequential term. There are 30 Senators and 99 representatives. The new term began last March 1. Their 3 primary issues are poverty, education, and healthcare. The main exports are beef (it’s what’s for dinner!), timber, leather goods, wool products, rice, corn, and wheat. Soon, the timber will be processed at a paper mill in Uruguay.