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Sunset from the United States Restaurant |
The flambeed sauce was poured on stone cold, old crepes |
Day 12 – Ship sails at 5pm from Puerto Madryn, and heads north.
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Sunset from the United States Restaurant |
The flambeed sauce was poured on stone cold, old crepes |
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Pool area got very crowed in the warm weather |
Amanda with the concert pianist |
Day 13 - Another day at sea heading north towards Montevideo. The weather is warm and pleasant and the sea quite calm. According to rumours, when we were docked at Puerto Madryn they had to get divers to check the ship, and get it cleared to sail on
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Day 14 – Montevideo. We dock as planned for the first time on the cruise. The ship docked right in the old town, in the area in red on the map below. The weather was by now hot and humid and in upper 20Cs with no wind. We had arranged a tour to a winery via the Cruise Critics group. Really enjoyed the winery tour.
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Memorabilia of the German pocket battle ship "Admiral Graf Spee" can still be seen in Montevideo. The city was the centre of the world's attention in December 1939 when British, German and Uruguayan authorities negotiated the destiny of the ship and its crew. The harbour was crowded during the warship's 72-hour-stay. Today remains of the ship are below the waves, but the anchor chain and a rangefinder are on display at the dock gates. |
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We met up just outside the dock gates and were in a small bus for about an hour to reach the Winery.
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The winery was surrounded by charming gardens
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The wine making process itself was somewhat basic by modern standards, no sign of stainless steel vats or efforts being made to reduce oxidation after the grapes had been picked. But the tour explained well what they were up to, and the wines were good value for money
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We had a lunch in this cellar, tapas and home made quiches, plus samples of their red and white wines
After lunch it was back to Montevideo, and there was time for a few hours walking round the Old Town, before we had to be back on board the Infinity
Perhaps not an especially beautiful city, Montevideo is nevertheless a relatively safe one. The city is built on a slight hill, the spine of which extends into the Rio de la Plata to create the point that was the original city (Ciudad Vieja). From the Plaza de la Independencia, the main street that extends east from the plaza is 18 de Julio Ave. You can walk around without worry almost anywhere. Parts of the city may appear run-down with potholes in the pavements, but do not confuse this with it being a bad neighbourhood. There is simply not enough money in Uruguay to construct lots of new, modern buildings, so buildings are kept in use for long periods of time. In common with Buenos Aires there is a lot of political graffiti on buildings, offset by grandiose statues of national heroes long since dead and, I suspect, also forgotten.
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Montevideo was built mainly a century ago, with many imposing buildings, when the money ran out the buildings remained. Today the pavements are difficult to walk as they are uneven and full of holes. |
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The building on lower left above used to be the tallest building in South America, which is indicative of Montevideo's importance in the past.
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| You can still see tango in the street, and a covered market, Mercado del Puerto, near the port is full of restaurants selling barbecued meat | |
And finally back on board Infinity, for the final short leg to Buenos Aires.