Centro
Before Graeme left Uruguay, we made a couple of forays out of the old city, including taking in a futbol match at the Centennial Stadium in the Tres Cruses barrio. We went with Franco of Futbol Fanaticos, who organise tours related to sports. (Elizabeth and I had gone with him when we were there together.) He picked us up in with a small bus which was mostly full of Ecuadorians--it was a World Cup qualifying match between Uruguay and Ecuador. Uruguay won.
Barrio Reus Norte
This block in Barrio Reus Norte was built in the late nineteenth century and was formerly a Jewish neighbourhood. In the early 1990's, students and teachers from a nearby school repainted and cleaned up the area.
Behind these quiet homes, though, is the very busy street Arenal Grande. I arrived in the morning as the shops were opening and the storekeepers were dragging merchandise out onto the sidewalks. This was one difference between Buenos Aires and Montevideo--in BA there were some kiosks on the streets, but in Montevideo there were all kinds of things being sold on the sidewalks. Jasmine must have been in season because a lot of people were selling it. |
Near the legislative building is a statue of José Batlle y Ordóñez. It caught my eye because you don't see many statues of presidents who aren't on horseback or at least in a military uniform. When Batlle was president, the last civil war was ended and Uruguayan society began to resemble what it is today. Government was secularised, the eight hour day, unemployment insurance, and universal suffrage was brought in; divorce was legalised. The government fought against the economic imperialism. He still found time to kill a political foe in a duel when he was 64.
Palacio Legislativo
The legislature. The lobby was filled with art installations.
Carlos Vas Ferreira and Albert Einstein having a chat in a park in Centro.
They claimed never to have watched "Big Bang Theory." Carlos Gardel, singer, songwriter, movie star, and an important figure in the history of the tango. (Look on YouTube.) I ate with him and had the blue cheese pizza. Not recommended. |
Next: around Plaza Independencia, the last days in Uruguay