s/v Nine of Cups Uruguay

Return to Home Page

May - October  2006

Republica Oriental del Uruguay Capital City:     Montevideo Land area:         68,039 sq miles...about the size of Missouri Population:         ~3,400,000 Language:           Spanish Currency:           Uruguayan Peso ($23.10 = $1 US) Highest Point:     Mt. Catedral  1,687 feet above sea level Chief products:   Beef, cattle, lamb, leather goods Political Units:     19 departments Everyone in Uruguay drinks mate (mah-tay), a hot herbal drink. They carry their mate cups (usually made from carved gourds) and a hot thermos of water with them everywhere...not so different from Americans and their cups of coffee. Uruguayan wine is excellent especially a varietal called Tannat, not currently available in the U.S.

Montevideo

We got a kick out of artist Juan Torres Garcia's view of South America.

Jose Artigas is the national hero and liberator of Uruguay.

We couldn't resist a photo of David.

An opulent reminder of the city's illustrious past, the Palacio Salvo was once the tallest building in South America.

Montevideo was once a walled city, now only the portal of the citadel remains and separates the old city from the new.

Uruguay's Statue of Liberty.

An appealing restaurant on the pedestrian mall in downtown Montevideo.

A mix of old and new, horse drawn carts are not uncommon on the city's streets.

Piriapolis

Located on the coast, Piriapolis is actually on the Rio del la Plata just off the Atlantic Ocean. The word used to describe this summer resort in the winter months is "tranquillo". Above, the "ramblas", the coast road running through town. You can see the masts at the marina in the distance.

Piriapolis is our "home" for a few months while Nine of Cups gets hauled and has her annual maintenance. David also had to repair some keel damage from "kissing" some rocks in the Chilean canal.

Grebe in Rio de la Plata

We rented a "casita" while here and had about 1 mile walk each way to and from the marina each day. We managed to spot several birds we hadnīt seen before including grebes and  red gartered coots (left) . We have bikes now...no time for birdwatching. We spent a total of 5 months in Piriapolis completing maintenance and repairs on the boat as well as using Piri as our base for exploring central and northern Argentina. Above, the view from Cerro San Antonio.

Coastal Uruguay

In August 2006, our oldest son, Brennan and his fiance, Hannah Connor, visited for week. We toured coastal Uruguay for a few days then headed to Buenos Aires. Punta del Este is a getaway resort for Argentines and Uruguayans alike. "La Mano", a huge sculptured hand sticking out of the sand provided amusement for all of us.

We also visited the worldīs only "undulating" bridge in La Barra and the ruins of a Spanish fort in Maldonado (right).

Colonia del Sacramento, a UNESCO world heritage site, was quaint and charming as we wandered the cobblestoned streets and admired the colonial architecture.

Return to Home Page