living in Uruguay

Tag 169

Colonia del Sacramento - 14:53. "The flies are extremely annoying here," Linus just said. But this luxury problem is also the only thing that could be criticized here. The flowers bloom brightly and the sun shines through the green plants on our skin, unless it is prevented by the yellow umbrella above us. Around us, mostly older well-dressed tourists. We are sitting in a restaurant on the shore of the Rio de La Plata, which is one of the few where we can afford something to drink. It smells good, like grilled food, like late summer and prosperity. The small town, 50 kilometers as the crow flies from Buenos Aires, exudes Old European charm and makes us think we are on a Spanish or Italian city trip with its colorful houses and cobblestone streets. But we are far from it. We are in Uruguay.

Last night the ferry took us to the new country and we had a wonderful ride, including a sunset over the skyline of Buenos Aires. The entry was uncomplicated and so we went from the hectic and huge Buenos Aires to the tranquil small town of Uruguay, from where we can even glimpse a few skyscrapers of the metropolis across the water. However, our journey to Uruguay did not start in the capital of Argentina, but in the slightly more northern city of Rosario. From there, we took the bus to Buenos Aires in the morning, drove from its bus terminal about an hour by taxi through the completely congested city center and arrived just in time at the ferry terminal so that we could cross over to Uruguay in the evening. Then we had to book the next bus for the onward journey, eat something, and once we had found accommodation, we fell exhausted into bed.

So now we are in our third South American country after Argentina and Chile, where we spent a few days at the end of January. And now we are sitting next to rich tourists from all over the world in this small garden restaurant. If they only knew. But it is also interesting that this is the first time in probably five weeks that we have seen other travelers, and that is somehow nice again.

The last Argentine city outside of Buenos Aires where we spent a few days is also the third largest city in Argentina, namely Rosario. Che Guevara was born and raised there and, more importantly, Lionel Messi. Unfortunately, the birthplace of the revolutionary is not known, and Che Guevara's birthplace is also unspectacular. Seriously though, we were surprised by how little recognition the national hero Messi receives in his hometown. No statues, street names or monuments to be found. We were not recommended to visit the poor neighborhood where he was born due to high poverty and violence. And as mentioned before, the birthplace of Guevara was less interesting, as you could only view the bourgeois building from the outside and there was only one small information sign at the entrance.

On the other hand, the huge "Monumento historica nacional de la Bandera", the monument of the Argentine national flag, was all the more impressive. It was at this place that the Argentine flag was raised for the first time in 1812, and it once again made us aware of the lived Argentine patriotism. You can ride an elevator up to this tall building and have a wonderful view of the city and the nearby second longest river in South America, the Rio Parana. But we also really liked Rosario in general, and we were glad to find a well-preserved historic old town after so many high-rise buildings in Mar del Plata and La Plata. As Europeans, we are a bit spoiled in this regard, as we then noticed. Unfortunately, the river was too dirty to swim in, despite its immense size. The weather would have allowed it, but it was still relaxing to walk along the promenade with its many skate parks and brightly painted harbor buildings. We felt a bit at home and will have good memories of the city with about one million inhabitants.

And now we are already in another country, just one day later. Here in Uruguay, we will stay for about a week, traveling along the southern coast, including a visit to the capital Montevideo, of course. Then we hope to be able to swim in the ocean again further east. We have done this so many times, whether in the Pacific or the Atlantic, that we must consciously enjoy it one last time. Then we will return to Buenos Aires, to the mega-city. There we will surely be able to afford something to eat again.

To my right, a ship is sailing along the murky waters of the bay. I hear laughter and feel a lively lightness surrounding me. Among all the things we have seen, heard, felt, and done on this journey, it feels somehow inappropriate. As if we were on vacation by the Mediterranean Sea for a few days. As out of place as it seems, it still feels good. You can feel that autumn is slowly coming here in South America. The leaves are changing color and the sun is not as high anymore. An oldtimer races over the cobblestone pavement, the ship is already far away. Time is running out.