I'm back, wonderfully refreshed after a great trip to the beach over the weekend. We went to Punta Ballena, a beach resort near Punta del Este, the most popular vacation destination for porteños, the residents of Buenos Aires.
Fortunately, Punta Ballena is very relaxed and thanks to Thania's organization, we stayed in an accommodation right on the beach, including a pool and everything :)
The pool
The way to the beachAt the beach, Punta del Este in the distanceThe pool at nightSunset As you can see, there is a splendid view from the hilltop :) Also of the Casa del Pueblo, an extraordinary construction by an Uruguayan architect and artist, which serves as both a workshop and a hotel.Casa del Pueblo As a bonus, there is also a spot nearby where you can jump off the cliffs and before you ask, of course I jumped too, there is even a video as proof :PThe pool To my delight, there was also great food again, Asado (grilling in Uruguayan style), homemade pizza and Fainà, and the evolution of Alfajor - Agua Helada. Although it translates to frozen water, it has very little to do with it ;)Agua Helada In the evening, we also went to Punta del Este with some of Thania's friends. Fortunately, I'm used to the late nights in Hamburg, here people only go out around 2 or 3 am and we were back by almost 9... but it was a lot of fun, una tremenda noche as they would say here ;)With Thania and her motherDinner in Punta del EsteGirls Power ;) Unfortunately, it was over too soon, but before the return trip, I was able to use Monday for a trip to Piriapolis, one of my favorite places here. Beautiful beach and also very close to Cerro de Pan de Azúcar, the third highest mountain in Uruguay. Well, calling it a 'mountain' is a stretch, it's 389 meters to the summit and there is a cross on top that you can climb into, which adds another 32 meters.View from aboveIn the cross At the foot of the mountain, there is a small breeding station for native animal species, which I also visited. And with a few Tortas fritas to strengthen me, I then went to Piriapolis itself.CapybarasGato montés - Mountain catRheasPampas deerTorta frita Piriapolis is a small coastal city founded by an Italian manufacturer named Piria, hence the name Piriapolis.There is a beautiful, almost white beach here and you can still visit Piria's residence (a castle) and part of the factory houses. There is also a beautiful hill from which you can overlook the city.PiriapolisPiriapolis bayRambla Piriapolis In the evening, we finally returned to Shangri La with tired legs but plans for the next few days. So stay tuned ;) And now for my Spanish friends: I spent the weekend with Thania and her mother in the beautiful beach town of Punta Ballena, a place with a wide beach and beautiful views from the Punta. There were even caves and rocks to jump into the water.It's also near Punta del Este, so we took the opportunity to go out and party with Thania's friends, it was really fun to go out with the Uruguayans. :) Thania had to go back to work, but I spent Monday walking around Piriapolis, a small town near Cerro de Pan de Azúcar. It is the third highest point in Uruguay at 389 meters and there is a cross that you can enter and climb another 32 meters. Beautiful view! I also visited the small reserve of flora and fauna next to the mountain, the photos are above.It was a really nice weekend getaway overall, thanks to Thania for organizing it! :)
