A Day in Montevideo, Uruguay
One of the last stops on our Antarctic cruise was Montevideo, Uruguay. Due to the limited time, we chose a city tour with a local company, Buemes DMC, which we purchased through our ship, the Celebrity Eclipse. Our guide, Fernando, was fantastic! We were picked up at the dock, and our first stop was Independence Square.
A short ride from the port, Independence Square was designed and constructed in the late 1830’s with demolition of the walled colonial city signifying the nations independence. . The square is a center of importance for the country as the seat of the government is located there. Our guide highlighted the government office building, which contains the office of the President. He proudly explained that the president arrives to work there daily and walks the streets freely and unaccompanied.
The square’s centerpiece is the monument to an underground mausoleum of Jose Gervasio Artiigas, a soldier and statesman considered the nation’s father. The site has a permanent honor guard, and changing the guard is a major ceremony we unfortunately did not witness when we were there.
After a guided tour of the square, we walked a few blocks through the remains of the gate of the old walled city, the Gateway of the Citadel. About one block down the Peatonal Sarandi pedestrian street is an art museum. On the pedestrian street are street installations of artwork by Uruguayan artists. There are also inserts in the sidewalks bordered by a sun similar to the one on the Uruguayan flag and bearing the names of famous visitors and references to Uruguayan culture.
Further down the street, we found Constitution Square. The square was created in 1726, two years after the founding of Montevideo. Originally, the square hosted official events and celebrations and even included a bullfighting ring! Today, it is a lovely park-like area with a central fountain and local vendors selling artisan crafts and food products.
On the opposite side of the square is the Montevideo Metropolitan Cathedral. It is a relatively small cathedral. Replacing the original brick church, the current church was consecrated in 1804 and is dedicated to the patron saints of Montevideo, Phillip, and James. The church has one main altar and several side altars and memorials. It also contains the tombs of several former clergy members, including former archbishops and bishops. One of the side altars is of the Virgin of the Thirty-Three, also known as the Virgin Mary, the patron saint of Uruguay.
Afterward, we went to a local restaurant called Bar Facal. The menu featured local Uruguayan beef sandwiches similar to sliders. After lunch, we were treated to a Tango demonstration on a small stage, for lack of a better term, on the corner of the street. It was also adjacent to Montevideo’s love lock fountain.
The final stop on our day turn f Montevideo was the Mercado del Puerto, or port market. The cast-iron bulldog was built in and then shipped to Uruguay. It opened in 1868 and long served as the city’s main meat and produce market. It no longer operates as a market but houses several popular restaurants serving typical Uruguayan dishes. It also houses many artisan craft shops and souvenir-type shops.
Montevideo is a very interesting city and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there. Should the opportunity city present itself, we would happily visit again!
