When I wrote this post, I was in the Madrid, Barajas Airport remembering all season in Uruguay. Last five months spent in this little country gave me a better picture than before, which references I had where the football players as Diego Forlan or Maxi Pereira.
Off course Uruguay is more than that. Located between Brazil and Argentina, the geographic position permitted to balance the foreign affairs in South America. International Head Quarters of Mercosul in Montevideo proves this actually. (Interesting that Microsoft Word does not recognize the word Mercosul, and suggest to ignore. Should I add it or ignore it?).
The first picture I have from Uruguay is green. Everything is green, and the contrast with black rocks reminding lands of Ireland. Even the capital, Montevideo, which has more than half of the population, around 1 million and 6 months, mainly has trees and great parks as Rodo, Prado or Centenário Park a few kilometers from the center.
Montevideo is an interesting city. The huge port and oil refinery in the coast does not disturb the interaction between the Uruguayans and the Atlantic Ocean. There are more than 20 kms of coast and 4 beaches as Punta Carretas, Pocitos, Buceo e de Carrasco (high class neighborhood with diverse culture architecture). A long Avenue called Rambla looks as a little snake in the Google Maps separating the beaches and ocean to the city, inviting any person to enjoy the strong wind riding a bike or jogging.
For a tourist Montevideo is still not attractive. Many buildings still need requalification which provides to any person to imagine how beautiful would be recovered. The access to main points in the city is complex and information poor. The central train station, old city and Mercado del Puerto are some examples for non-requalified buildings remembering how boom were the economic conditions during some decades of XX century. Regarding the transports, Montevideo could have metro, but some infiltrations and strong rocks didn’t permit to do it, the only station done is opened for expositions and fairs.
Places as Football Museum in Centenario Stadium where I saw two games with my friend Leonardo; Communication Tower and Museum with a brilliant view in the city; Mercado del Puerto with your typical Uruguayan barbecue, Grapa Miel and wine/champagne MedioMedio; riding a bike in the Rambla sharing it with at least 100 people drinking your own “mate”; Teatro Solis with your cheap and quality tour; Plaza of Independencia and Artigas, the founder of Uruguay exposition you are obliged to go.
But Uruguay is not only Montevideo. Colonia Sacramento with the gorgeous Portuguese architecture, Punta del Leste with the brilliant elitists beaches and Salto’s water reserves are different and cities to see.
As Portugal, in the land or Artigas football is everything. The streets stopped even more (because there is no traffic and reduced number of cars, expensive transport for middle and low class) to see national games or derbies between the legend teams as Peñarol and Nacional. Four are the world cups that won before 60’s. After 60’s there is a generation of people, desiring being world champion and live best life ever as the descendents. Maybe now, maybe not…
Economically Uruguay and own Uruguayan Pesos reflect more than Software and cow meet production, sectors which is known. In the supermarket, the Uruguayan products are cheap, in opposite to the imported food. The problem is that are few products are made in Uruguay. I left Uruguay with a doubt about how Uruguayans survive, maybe next time I will discover.
Regarding the politics, I had a pleasure to be in Uruguay at the same time of Presidency Elections. There are 3 main political parties. In the right side two: whites of Frente Nacional, the Colorado, who had as President candidate a familiar of political prisoner and Vice-President candidate an football star. In the left side just Frente Amplo that covers since the communists and Trotsky’s until the Social Democrats. The winner Pepe Mujica, is from Frente Amplo, who won against the white Lacalle a ex-President accused as corrupted. The hairly open shirt outdoors of Lacalle were not enough to beat Mujica, a old experienced men with around 74 years old and looks a quite and sweet grandfather. Not so sweet, Mujica was already in jail because his ex-revolutionist time who killed already people during the revolution against the Dictatorship. Once I listened a opinion that said: “For Uruguayans, a proved killer already judged and jailed is better than probable corrupted person during bad economic times”. For me the idea that occurs is that are not alternatives in this country (the 3rd and 4th political parts not have enough impact) and in the political parties added to the excellent 5 years managed by Frente Amplo.
Finally the food. Before come to Uruguay, I did a post about mine preferred food. Actually all of it are in Uruguay. The immigration of cocking knowledge from Italy, Spain (mainly from Galicia, ethnic that I identified more in Uruguay), Portugal, Lebanon, Germany, Poland, Palestina, Israel are totally mixed at once in this small green country. Can you imagine eating the best meet ever with Arabian bread? Or Galician rice with cocked potatoes? You can find it in this land where the Chivito Canadiense - sandwich with salad, meet, cheese, ham (because meet is not enough), tomato, fried egg (yes with that as well) and bacon (because ham and meet are not enough) - is the king, or in this case the PRESIDENT!
Finally I would like to thank all friends I made in Montevideo. Juan Suarez, Leonardo Innella, Diego Fiorentin, Bettina Caitano, Martin Giura, Cristian Lafferte, Sofia Belgeri, Maria Elena Vilar, Morróó, Victoria Ramos, Lucia Alvarez… and many others in special for the georgeus times I had in Uruguay!!!
