“Montevideo is a beautiful city with a very European style. It’s a small city, but with a lot of cultural movement and a lot of personality.” – Juan Campodonico
A tour of Montevideo, with the elegant Turistico bus, will take you to the following landmarks.
+ The Old City, Ciudad Vieja.
+ Independence Square (the beating heart of the City)
+ The shopping quarters
+ Mercado del Puerto (a mother ship for tourists and the gourmets)
+ The Port (the second most important in South American)
+ Avenida de 18 Julio
+ Estadio Centenario (site of the first World Cup)
+ La Rambla (a 19-mile beachside promenade)
+ Intendencia Observatory (gives you a 360* view of the city – I missed that one).
+ Many monuments, palaces, and squares.
The best beach is Playa de los Docitos.
There are multiple restaurants on the beach and on La Rambla.
With $1 = 30 pesos, everything is cheap, including restaurant bills.
An executive suite at a 5-star hotel, on the beach, costs less than $200 a night!
Does Montevideo come from a Portuguese phrase that would mean “I saw the mountain”? Doubtful.
However, why is Montevideo called the Faithful City? No one can objectively answer the question. It seems however that the nickname has a historical antecedent, as in “conquered and re-possessed”. If the moniker is to be replaced, the new one should be “Brussels of the Americas”.
Like Brussels, Montevideo is the seat of the continental unions and of the regional common market: MercoSur and ALADI. It is also a business hub and a financial center. It stands as a reputable educational metropolis for international students. Since 2008, Montevideo has been regarded as the safest among South American capitals, and the one with the highest quality of life.
Established by Mauricio de Zabala, in 1724, the city has gone with the historical ups and downs of the country. There is no way around, since most of the population and everything of importance are located in Montevideo.
The Traveller
(O. Robert Jeanlouie, Sunday, February 16, 2020)
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