Visiting Montevideo, Uruguay/ Carlos Pueblo

Visiting Montevideo, Uruguay/ Carlos Pueblo

Montevideo is the capital city of Uruguay, east of Argentina and south of

Brazil. I check the map that it sits on Montevideo Bay share with Buenos

Aires with a current history of Admiral Graf Spee sunk here in 1939. I also

heard a propaganda when I was a school child in Taiwan that an Uruguayan

lady named Elena learned Mandarin Chinese in Montevideo, honored by

Taiwan’s regime at that time. I walked through the old town, la Ciudad

Vieja, to the Bay attempted to view the River of the Silver, el Rio de la Plata,

and walked back uphill toward the Independent Square, la Plaza Independencia

, then walked back to the ship through the market of the port, el Macado del

Puerto.

I was early when I walked down through the old town toward the Bay. I followed

the huge bay park along the coast and then turned back to the city center at a

view point of a stadium and a pretty church with a nice garden front yard. Two

Uruguayan were fishing. I saw a small group of Chinese senior from the ship walking

On the street and they saw me as well. We met again and some other group from

Chicago at the Square. A leather outlet store was next to a shuttle bus stop to the

pier. I went inside to the store and taking a look. The clerk wanted to know how much

that I paid to my leather jacket, as a matter of fact that I bought three a year and half

before in Buenos Aires, and the colorful pattern belt on my waist. She said that I could

not get them with those prices any longer. There was a marching music suddenly

sounded outside. Two teams of honorable guard were performing at the Square and

were attracted to a big crowd. Then , I saw Francisco and Anna Marie of Argentine

from south of B.A. This senior couple were very friendly to me on the ship due to my

interest in Spanish language that I could greet them a few sentences. They took me to

the Museum of Presidential Portraits and walked back to the ship through the famous

port market, el Marcado del Puerto.

The Market used to be an open stall market and became huge famous of eatery and

proclaimed the Mecca of South America. Anna Marie liked to take a look and we stopped

for a while. The Market was very crowded yet interesting.

I always forget the name of that battleship sunk here in 1939 even though I remember

the story which is different from another sea battle, the Bismarck. If I compare the lady

tennis great, Steffi Graf, the I should easily remember Graf Spee, the cruiser.