Are we really doing this? This is what Linda asked at the end of the blog post that started in Montevideo. Do destroy the hopes of anyone who was looking for a tension arc of a story: Nope we did not do this! After we found out that we would have to wait at least two weeks in Montevideo due to the ongoing delays of the ship, we decided, that we would just stay as long as we want in the airbnb and than continue to travel along the Uruguayan cost.
Also the ultra stylish AirBnb we booked already from Germany turned out to be stylish…. but not really more. Ok the rooftop was incredibly cool, and the bed was incredibly cozy, but apart from that there were the most awful design fails where the ground rule of design that „function follows form“ was simply turned around. The full flat was designed to look good to an extend that it was anti-functional. A few examples: The shelf in the living room was so full of decoration stuff that there was no space at all to deposit clothes, in front of the bathroom door was a huge picture that interlocked with the door, when it was closed, so you got entrapped in the bathroom, the sink in the kitchen was so deep hidden under the overhead cupboard (for that you needed two people to use it), that it was close to impossible to wash the dishes,.. I could go on here. Don’t get me wrong. I do not expect the same standards as in Germany, but I want things to work. It’s cool if they look good at the same time, but first and foremost they have to make sense.. As I said: The terrace was amazing and we tried to use it as much as possible.
So we arrived on a Saturday afternoon and just tried to find some a supermarket, but it turned out that almost all stores in Montevideo are closed on Saturday afternoon and Sunday and all the window blinds closed. This leads to the fact that the old city center seems like a ghost town and the welcoming Uruguayan culture was nowhere to be seen. It also had an impact on our mood. We were really looking forward to be closer to Rosi and the pick up location, but instead we ended up in a ghost town that was seriously run down in a few areas close to the harbour. It did note really seem like the „Switzerland of South America“…only the prices showed it. It is expensive here. And I don’t mean „average-germany-expensive“ , I mean „munich-schickeria-expensive“. 5€ for a coffee is a normal, 5€ for a small beer in a bar is cheap… It was a weird feeling that we are stuck in this country until Rosi arrives. (bye bye budget plan)
But we made the best of it, and with the bikes we got from the airbnb (which was the third really good thing about it) we cycled down the Rambla (a 22km long beach promenade), explored Cafes, the National Art Museum and some typical food like Chivito and a typical Barbecue.
This typical Barbecue we had in the mercado del puerto in the old city. This is a touristic spot, but was also used a lot by the Uruguayans and everyone recommend us to eat there once, so we followed that advice and sat down at one of the many barbecue places. Since we did not want to eat meat for lunch and the market place closed way before Uruguayan dinner time (past 9PM) we decided for an early dinner, which lead to us sitting there almost alone. We sat down at the bar and the guys working there were really really funny and friendly. In the end we shared a big steaks and a Chorizo and it was on point. They grilled it just in front of us and i was soooo good. We ended up getting a very strong Gin Tonic with a local Gin and had funny part English, part German and part Spanish conversation with the guys from the Restaurant. All of them were friendly, helpful, funny and really kind. So we left the empty market hall full, happy and slightly tipsy.
Another evening we sat down on a pier at the harbour and watched the fishing boats leave for their night shift. The pier was full of people fishing and it was an overall really nice mood to overlook the harbour, that gave Hamburg vibes, watching the sunset with a 4€ beer can from the supermarket. Again we were imagining Rosi arriving here soon.
The longer we stayed in Montevideo the more we liked it. I liked the Cafes (I am sucker for nice Cafes anyway), I liked the friendly people every time we asked something, I liked the chilled back vibe (Might also be, because Uruguay was the first country to legalise Marihuana and you could smell that for sure), I liked the Uruguayans with their Mate cases (will explain that in a second) and I liked the view of the ocean and the many parks of Montevideo. I think we shall give the city more time, exactly like the Uruguayans. To me they seemed a little more chilled than the Argentine’s, although they have so much in common. Looking at the history Uruguay is a peace of land that Brazil and Argentina fought over until England help to negotiate between them and they agreed upon a new country, that was Uruguay (really short version of the story). So in many ways Uruguay and Argentina are still very similar. One example is the excessive consumption of Mate tea, although I have the feeling it is a bit more extreme here. It’s like Uruguayans run on that stuff. I do not exaggerate when I say that at least every second person on the street carries a thermos flask and a Mate cup (most of the time they match in color) with the distinct metal straw, and that’s not all: A lot of them have special cases, that are made to carry the flask and the cup and look like from a gift shop to me. If they don’t have these cases they carry the flask under the arm, mostly the same arm that carries the cup. I have seen them driving cars with Mate in their hand and the flask under the arm.
When sun sets, the people gather at the Rambla to watch the sunset and drink .. Mate. In Europe people would drink beer or wine and here it is Mate (at least now in winter). I really liked it, it is like a very special tea culture and it goes across multiple generations. Old people and young people, they all carry flasks and cups. I have to admit here, that I have not yet tried it (I mean a colleague let me try once in the Berlin office the real Mate, but I guess I have to try it again here) Maybe I will look the same when I come back from this trip. 🙂
As said in the beginning we decided to leave that anti functional but very stylish Air bnb a few days earlier, rent a car and travel along the cost of Uruguay, since we have to come back to Montevideo anyway to pick up Rosi. First station should be Punta del Este, the „Sylt of Uruguay“. Imagine a „Sylt of the Switzerland of South America“. As long as they don’t sing Gigi D’Agostino, I am looking forward to discover.
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