This Monday morning William and I have the pleasure of taking a private walking tour of the old town with Christine of Uruguay-Autentico. We meet Christine in the iconic Palacio Salvo, which is where our apartment is located... but now we get to see parts that are not accessible to the tenants and to learn the history of the building. :-)
The Palacio was built by the wealthy Salvo brothers and completed in 1928. For a few years it was the highest building in South America. It was built to be a luxury hotel, but quickly ran into money problems and space on many of the floors was sold as shares (think early condo's). The building has a rich bohemian history including being the home of Montevideo's famous musician Raul Rial and also home to the noted poet Idea Vilariño. Christine obtains the keys and takes us up to the the small viewing deck on the 25th floor for a panoramic view and then to the rooftop terrace on the 10th floor. We walk through other parts of the building learning of the history, tales of a ghost and observing details of the finishings such as the shell design in the railings.
The Palacio was built by the wealthy Salvo brothers and completed in 1928. For a few years it was the highest building in South America. It was built to be a luxury hotel, but quickly ran into money problems and space on many of the floors was sold as shares (think early condo's). The building has a rich bohemian history including being the home of Montevideo's famous musician Raul Rial and also home to the noted poet Idea Vilariño. Christine obtains the keys and takes us up to the the small viewing deck on the 25th floor for a panoramic view and then to the rooftop terrace on the 10th floor. We walk through other parts of the building learning of the history, tales of a ghost and observing details of the finishings such as the shell design in the railings.
We learn about Uruguay's history and politics while standing in Independence Square, then stroll along the walk of fame while Christine points out the tiles of noted people and discusses their relevance. There's much more we learn as we walk toward Zabala Square and also see the tile mosaics that an unknown artist has been clandestinely installing . During a break at Zabala Square Christine instructs us on the etiquette of drinking mate and gives us an opportunity to try it. Mate is Uruguay's (and Argentina's) ubiquitous beverage. We see many people carrying their thermos of hot water and their mate vessel (gourd) with the metal straw as they walk about town. After trying it both William and I think it must be an acquired taste.
We walk to the port area and go through the Carnival Museum. Montevideo has a 40 day competition in five categories of Carnival performances. The competition begins later in January - too bad we will not be here to enjoy! If you are interested follow this link to see last year's winner in the Murga category. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ogo4juEeHyw&t=2s (it is ~45 min long, but scan through it if you do not have the time).
We end our tour at Mercado del Puerto (a.k.a the Mecca of Meat), checking out a wine bar then sitting down for a delicious lunch at Cabaña Verónica. Christine advises us to try the baked provolone, a common starter. We mix it with some sliced Chorizo. It's great... easily competing wth good saganaki in a Greek restaurant or baked goat cheese in a Spanish restaurant. Our ribeye steaks (known locally as baby beef) are done to perfection and extremely flavorful.
It's a slow walk back to the apartment, both because we've had a large meal and because our feet are tired, but it's been a wonderful morning and afternoon.
It's a slow walk back to the apartment, both because we've had a large meal and because our feet are tired, but it's been a wonderful morning and afternoon.
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