Happy New Year

On Wednesday we left Buenos Aires and headed to Montevideo, Uruguay. We woke up early and taxied to the ferry terminal after checking out of the apartment in Recoleta. We checked in after a long wait in a cramped room, quickly went through immigration for both countries and boarded the ferry to Uruguay. After an hour and a half we reached the city of Colonia. From there, we took a bus for about two hours into Montevideo. The bus was a surprise, as we thought that we had booked ferry tickets for the entire journey. The bus was very nice, though, and it was pleasant to ride through the countryside of Uruguay. We were all surprised at what we saw. During some sections of the journey we passed lush evergreen forests and in other areas we passed vast, golden fields. It was a great way to see a bit more of the country! After arriving at the bus terminal, we took a taxi to our hotel, checked in and went out for dinner. We went to an excellent grill restaurant walking distance from our hotel. Fred, Kevin and Holly all enjoyed beef and I had delicious chicken. After we were stuffed with meat, wine and mashed potatoes we headed back to the hotel for an evening drink.





Thursday morning we woke up and headed to the beach. We walked along the beachfront for a while and enjoyed the warm weather. After that, we took a city bus to the 'old city' section of Montevideo. We stumbled upon a nice market there and picked up a few souvenirs. We then strolled along a pedestrian road and took in all the sites. In the afternoon we stopped for sandwiches at an outdoor cafe. We then cleaned up at the hotel and had pre-dinner drinks at a fantastic place. It was called 'The Old Man and the Sea.' We sat outside right next to the ocean. It was very relaxing and peaceful and reminded us all of Maine. For dinner we went to another wonderful restaurant, La Perdiz. Again, we feasted on steak, chicken, mashed potatoes, salad and Uruguayan wine. The restaurant even gave us each a glass of champagne! It was a great meal that we will never forget.

















The old city


'The Old Man and the Sea'


Iced tea or whiskey?


Friday came and went quickly. Fred came down with the flu unfortunately, so we spent most of the day relaxing in the hotel. Kevin and Holly explored the city and did some shopping. The three of us also relaxed on the hotel rooftop as Fred rested. For dinner, the three of us went out to a place near our hotel. Though it wasn't our favorite meal of the trip, we still had a good evening. On New Years Eve we all headed out on a tour to one of the most popular beaches in the country, Punta del Este. This area is known for its resorts and its beautiful outdoor scenery. We toured an area filled with celebrity houses, went to an overview lookout point, saw a famous artist's cliffside house and had free time near the beach. The weather was warm and sunny. It was a great way to prepare for the New Year. Unfortunately, I came down with the flu at the end of the day. Once we were back at the hotel I rested and Fred, Kevin and Holly had drinks and dinner at the hotel. Fred woke me up at 11:50pm and I joined them on the rooftop for Montevideo's firework display. We were all amazed at what we saw. There were fireworks everywhere! I had never seen anything like this. Everywhere we looked we saw the sky exploding in color. It put some of our Fourth of July celebrations to shame. The main fireworks lasted for at least a half hour, however many continued until morning. It was a great way to welcome 2012!





























On Sunday we woke up and took a ferry straight from Montevideo to Buenos Aires. This ferry took around three hours. It was nice to avoid the bus leg of the journey. The ferry was huge, full of snack bars, Duty Free shopping and lots of areas to relax in. When we arrived back in Buenos Aires it was time for Kevin and Holly to head to the airport. It was very hard to part with them after eight wonderful days together. We made sure that they got a ride to Ezeiza, said our goodbyes, then headed back to San Telmo. Fred and I were so happy that we had the opportunity to spend some time with them on this trip. They were really fun travel companions and it was so nice to see some familiar faces. We enjoyed talking and experiencing everything with them. Thank you so much for visiting us!


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Location:Montevideo, Uruguay