After travelling 122 Nautical Miles from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Montevideo we arrived at 8:32 am. It was 68 degrees with lots of sun. Well be leaving around 5:30 pm today so we didn't have much time to see the city. We signed up for a 3 hour tour of the highlights of Montevideo.
Indians were the first people to live in what is now Uruguay. They gathered wild fruits and seeds and hunted game for food. The Charrua Indians, the largest group, were a warlike tribe. In 1516, the Spanish navigator Juan Diaz de Solis became the first white person to land in Uruguay. But when he and part of his crew went ashore, the Charruas killed them. Because Uruguay lacked gold and other riches, it attracted few other Europeans until the later 1600s.
Britain intervened in a war between Montevideo and Buenos Aires because it inteferred with British Trade. This lead to Brazil and Argentina recognizing Uruguay as an independent republic in 1928. Urugauy adopted its first constitution in 1830, Jose Fructuoso Riverera, one of the patriot leaders, became the nation's first President.
Montevideo is a metropolis of 1.6 million people, it is the capital, largest city, and chief port of Uruguay. It lies on the southern coast of Uruguay near the point where an estuary (bay) called the Rio de la Plata and the Atlantic Ocean meet. About two-fifths of Uruguay's people live in Montevideo. Spanish settlers founded Montevideo in the early 1700s. Ever since, the city has served as a commercial center for the products of the nearby farmlands.
The center of the city is Independence Plaza, a park surrounded by attractive buildings. These structures include government buildings, the Museum of Natural History, the Salvo Palace, the Solis Theatre for performing Arts, and the Victoria Plaza Hotel. The Avenida 18 de Julio runs east from the plaza and passes through the principal business district. This avenue was named for the date of Uruguay's first constitution, July 18, 1830. The Uruguayan government employs more than 60 per cent of the workers who live in Montevideo.
The center of the city is Independence Plaza, a park surrounded by attractive buildings. These structures include government buildings, the Museum of Natural History, the Salvo Palace, the Solis Theatre for performing Arts, and the Victoria Plaza Hotel. The Avenida 18 de Julio runs east from the plaza and passes through the principal business district. This avenue was named for the date of Uruguay's first constitution, July 18, 1830. The Uruguayan government employs more than 60 per cent of the workers who live in Montevideo.
We continued on our bus tour going through some of the residential neighborhoods. The first house we came to was the President of Uruguay's.
We Stopped at Montevideo's Battle Park which contains a life size bronze monument which honors the Spanish Pioneers who settled in Uruguay during the 1700s and 1800,s. The monument, which portrays the ox-drawn cart the pioneers used, was created by the Uruguayan sculptor Jose Belloni.. They also had a Strret Market in the same area.
We resumed our tour going past the Stadium, and other interesting sites. The Stadium was the location of the 1930 FIFA World Cup. This was the first football (soccer) tournament ever staged. The championship was won by the host team. It is listed by FIFA as one of the world's classic football venues.
We stopped at Prado Park to get a view of the Beaches and the Shore line of the city
After seeing the city, which is clean and laid back, we headed for the ship after passing the beaches
Since we have a long way to go to our next port, the Falkland Islands, we have 2 1/2 days at sea. We undocked at 5:36 pm on Wednesday, November 21,2007. The Harbor was very nice with a lot of activity taking place.
