![]() Breakfast at La Toscana consisted of orange juice, small toast (spreads provided) and nice fresh medialunas. Coffee or tea were the beverage options. Afterward, we set out to walk to Las Ruinas. Quite a long and hot walk too. The town is sleepy, all red dust streets, low verandas and small boxy houses. Dogs and skinny cats run free. The entrance to the ruins is way down the other end of town. Lines of stalls along the way sold pretty uninspired crafts. Entry was 150 pesos, and good for any mission is Argentina for a week. We have already seen Santa Ana yesterday. The layout of the much larger and better preserved San Ignacio mission is much the same as we saw at Santa Ana. The small museum had some interesting displays. The regimented rows of native houses on 3 sides of the main square were reminiscent of the layout we saw at Santa Ana. These houses were all of stone with big stone posts in front which would have supported verandas. Many had much of the walls intact. The central road through the houses lined up with the doors of the very large church, which must have been grand in its time. The façade still bears decorative reliefs, carved into the warm red sandstone. The flagstoned interior is plain, but some of the portals bear decoration on the exterior. This is particularly the case in the ‘college’ quadrangle, located to the left of the church, which is almost completely intact, the balustrades of the balconies are still standing. One of the grandest rooms seemed to be a refectory. It was clear that whatever their other egalitarian beliefs, the priests still considered themselves worthy of a better standard of accommodation than the native peoples to whom they presumed to have brought enlightenment. After walking around the ruins for an hour or so, we adjourned to a restaurant across the road from the entrance for drinks. This was followed by ice cream at La Ardea Heladeria, then lunch at Lianabert restaurant. Empanadas and orange juice for me, whilst S & C had spaghetti Bolognese. The walk back to the hotels was very hot, so we all used the pool to cool off, afterwards getting out the kindle for a couple of Chris Brookmyre stories whilst drying off. I got the hotel to organise taxi to the Sound and light show at the ruins, with pickup afterward and transfer to the bus station in the morning (110 pesos). We were collected in a shiny Renault at 6pm. We ate dinner at La Ardea (Menu Turistico – 4 slices mozzarella pizza + ice cream). Tons of food and good value. Ducked out to buy show tickets (150 pesos) at 7:30pm just in case of a flood of demand (max 70 persons). Hot wait for sound and light show to start – no breeze. We were issued with audio sets, which gave the English commentary. Show ran for 50 mins, and was well done, with holograms created from laser light and water mist showing the characters in the tale of the rise and fall of the missions. The presentation proposes that the Guarani were won over by the Jesuits on account of their mutual love of music, and that unlike other white men, they would enter the forests without firearms. Whether this Elysian dream is factual or just wishful thinking is a tale that only the stones could tell. These stones are not talking. Projections on the ruins were also used in the show, principally in the finale, which depicted the threats to the missions, from banditry and raids by the Portuguese, allied with enemies of the Guarani, leading to destruction of missions, but countered by the creation by the missions of an army of Guarani to defend themselves. This resistance had some effect, but in the end, it was the royal powers of Europe which sealed the fate of the missions. It was too difficult politically for the church to support the mission system, so the Jesuits were ordered, on pain of excommunication, to abandon the missions, betraying and leaving their Guarani compatriots to their fate of slavery, exploitation and death. As for the missions, they disappeared from history until rediscovered in the 19th century. Our ride was there when the show finished, and we were soon back at la Toscana to cool off and retire. ![]() A big travelling day with a lot of ground covered, starting early with a 6am wakeup call. Got a taxi just after 7am, and were quickly whisked along the Ramblas, the coast road to the east of the Ciduad Viejo, which runs nearly 20 km along the Rio de la Plata, lined with apartment blocks overlooking the road and a long line of sandy beaches. Got to the brand new airport terminal, a massive sweeping concrete arch, completed just 3 years ago. The fare was 950 Pesos. Checked in, breakfasted on McDonalds (urgh – egg and bacon roll nasty, but coffee OK- cheap though), then after Stephen got a tax refund sorted for his new sandals, we passed through security and immigration and were soon boarded. A quick 30-40 minute hop over the River Plate, getting good views of a sunlit Buenos Aires on approach. Back through immigration, and to collect bags, which were not able to be sent straight through. We had some concern about luggage being lost when ours did not at first appear on the carousel. Fortunately it did come though, only on a different carousel. Then through customs and to domestic check in. Used the free internet whilst waiting 3 hours in the food court for the next flight. There was a ‘Freddo’ ice cream stall there, so I ate ¼ kilo of ice cream (dulce de leche with almonds and fruits of the forest with vanilla). So much that I couldn’t manage a coffee. There was only a short wait to board after we passed through security, and were off to Posadas on time at 13:50. The flight crossed the muddy Rio de la Plata, skirting the border with Uruguay all the way. Nice views of Posadas and Encarnacion and the Parana River as we looped over Paraguay to land. There had been a recent storm, the runway was wet. Luggage was quickly collected and we caust a taxi into the bus station. The driver, Oscar was a friendly and chatty guy (despite our near complete lack of Spanish). He was familiar with the La Toscana Hotel in San Ignacio. We agreed to take the taxi all the way there, though the price was a bit more than I expected, due to confusion between ‘seis’ and ‘seite’ when spoken quickly. This meant we paid 750 pesos instead of the 600 pesos I expected. The trip took about an hour, with a short stop at the small Jesuit Ruins at Santa Ana, very ruined, and had a half our guided tour by Susannah, who spoke very clear English, and explained the layout of the Jesuit missions (all on a similar pattern apparently), with a large square, at the head of which was a church, and surrounded by homes for the native Guarani people, a school, workshops, the residences of the Jesuits and a cemetery. A series of channels had been constructed to distribute water from the tiled roofs of the houses to the surrounding gardens. Buildings roofs were supported by strong wooden beams, the red sandstone walls added around the beams. Simpler homes were half height only in stone with the remainder of the walls of adobe construction, now seen as mounds of dirt, studded with stones. Stone (red sandstone and basalt) was sourced locally. After the breakup of the missions, the local people used much of the masonry in construction their own homes, so largely rubble remains. Santa Ana operated from the early 1600s to the 1820s. After the tour, we were treated to the yerba mate ritual, where hot water is poured into the leaves and seeds in the gourd, and each person in turn sips through the metal straw (care, hot!) to take the bitter stimulant drink. Fresh hot water is poured for each person. We were soon at Hotel La Toscana, greeted by a bouncy dog and the Italian descended owner. Rooms are spacious, but a bit dark and musty. The pool area looks nice and inviting though. We walked up the road before dark to La Missionita restaurant, near the bus station and entrance to town. I had a nice bife de lomo al pimiento (pepper steak), whist Clare and Stephen enjoyed Pacu fish, with tomato and onion. Back at the hotel, a Skype call to Porter Street finished a busy day. ![]() Breakfast served at the AK Design hotel was quite extensive, including yoghurt, cereal, bread, sausage stew, cheese and ham and an array of cakes, croissants and buns in addition to tea or coffee. We breakfasted late (after 9am), and left just after 10am for a leisurely stroll through the historic centre, looking out for architectural gems. We started out at the Mercado del Puerto, and viewed the art deco concrete mass of the Customs House, before heading past the massively columned Banca de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay, where Uruguay’s founding father Artigas looked down on us sternly. Opposite, the church of San Francisco was under reconstruction. We made it to Plaza Zabela, where the equestrian statue of Montevideo’s founder, Bruno Mauricio Zabela took pride of place in the centre of the shady square. Attractive Art Deco apartments surrounded the square, but the Museum of Fine Arts (Palacio Taranco) was also undergoing reconstruction. We followed a group of tourists into the Historical Museum, in Casa Rivera, an old mansion with octagonal tower, the former home of Uruguay’s first president, which depicted the early days of Uruguay, but in Spanish so we understood little. We made our way on to Plaza Constitution (aka Martiz), where the Cathedrale Metropolitan (or Martiz) sits massively on the western side. It is an impressive construction, two belltowers and a high dome. Walking the streets was thirsty work, so we chose to take refreshments at busy La Corte, in the balconied Uruguay Club. Refreshed (with beer, Coke or jus naranja) we continued onto the pedestrianized Sarandi, passing the scaffolded Cabildo on the corner, and admiring the art nouveau façade of the Pablo Ferrando bookstore, and the adjacent Museo Torres Garcia. Ahead was Plaza Independencia, where the centre of the square was all scaffolded up for some function. The entrance to the square was from Sarandi was guarded by the relict old main gate of the walled city. Inside the large rectangular plaza, an equestrian statue of Artigas takes pride of place, with the offices of the President (modern glass tower) adjacent the more Neoclassical Government House, filling the southern side of the square. A quick detour brought us to Montevideo’s grand Teatro Solis, fronted by a stark pedimented colonnade, and two symmetrical semicircular wings. Back in the southeast corner, the iconic Palacio Salvo towers high above all other buildings, its turrets and curves most reminiscent of Palacio Barolo, back in Buenos Aires (and supposedly the target of the light atop Barolo). Opposite, the Art Deco Palacio Rinaldi is a nice contrast with vertical lines and beautiful reliefs of the facade. We continued walking along Avenida 18 de Julio, checking out the grand interior of the Jockey Club, and the Expressionist appartment block the Edificio Lapido, to Plaza Fabini, which was laid out with colourful sculptures depicting flight, surrounding the Jose Belloni sculpture, The Brawl. Enjoyed the many fine buildings on all corners of the square. Enough was enough, so headed back toward the hotel. Stephen’s thong toestrap broke, so new sandals were duly purchased at a serendipitously placed shoe shop. We stopped for a look inside the Capildo, then walked to Cafe Brasilero, an archetypal intellectual café, where cake and coffee were on my agenda, whilst Stephen Chose squid, and Clare brownies. Once we'd finished our afternoon refreshments, we retraced our steps from this morning, past the HQ of Banca de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay, and San Francisco Church, down toward the port, to check out a restaurant recommended by Ryan on Wednesday. We found and recognised ‘Esmerkat’, which definitely looked worth a try. Finally another look at the Mercado Puerto, and being amazed by the amount of barbecued meat in preparation and on offer. Stephen and Clare found that it was only open until 6pm, being most particularly a destination for lunching. On the way out, a Candomble (African Drumming) troupe were making their way up After such a long excursion, a 2 hour rest in the hotel was next on the agenda. Dinner was not too late (but early for Uruguayans) at a warm and lively Esmerkat, where the meals served were gigantic, and very nice. I had Calamares gigante, whilst S & C had two different haves of a cow, with lots of potato. We enjoyed the waiter’s recommendation for an accompanying bottle of wine, a Gimenez Mendez Arinarnoa 2013. The cost of 1500 Pesos quite reasonable. Back to AK Design, got boarding passes for tomorrow printed. ![]() An early rise, and we were walking to the bus station before 8am, after a red sunrise. But the cafeteria was yet to open, so we cooled our heels outside whilst the guy on duty got organised. We were mooched on by another of Colonia’s seemingly endless supply of sad looking big dogs. These can be seen all over town, lazing about, or occasionally scurrying through a restaurant in a posse as we saw on Monday at El Toreon. So we were eating medialunas (85 Pesos each) and drinking coffee by half past 8. I also had time to buy a couple of empanadas (45 pesos each) to snack on en route. The bus was at least half full when we left, pretty much right on time. There were lots of stops on the way, either pick up or drop off passengers. The countryside was green, very flat, and occasionally wooded. The land was either cropped, or studded with grazing livestock. The most common livestock seen were classic black and white cows, though horses and sheep were also spotted. There were no large towns passed on the 2 ¾ hour journey until we arrived at the industrial outskirts of Montevideo. A 15 minute cruise along wide streets lined with large and small apartments brought us to the bustling bus station. We were soon in a taxi, and whizzing down one-way streets (if not stopped by traffic lights) to the historic centre. Our hotel, the AK Design is well located, only steps from the Mercado Al Puerto, and the network of pedestrianized streets. We were able to check in and rest for an hour, finishing the snacks obtained for lunch before being met by Ryan Hamilton for our private ‘Wine Experience’ tour. Ryan is an interesting journeyman, born in Zimbabwe, having come to Uruguay by way of South Africa, the UK, the cruise ship industry and Greece, where he began working for a wine importer and developed the passion for wine which he brings to his tours. The move to Uruguay came courtesy of marriage, and the idea for the tours from the desire to have his own business, to complement his Uruguayan-Argentinian-Italian wife’s hotel management career. He told this story on the drive north from Montevideo to the Cannelones wine district, where we visited two different ‘boutique’ wineries. The first, H Stagnari is considered one of Uruguay’s top wine makers. The tasting room bore witness to the success, with multiple award certificates on display, and pictures of the winemaker with successive Uruguayan presidents. H Stagnari grows white wines on it land in Cannelones, and sources its red, principally tannat grapes from the Salta region, where the hotter drier conditions make for more robust and intense flavour. A delivery of grapes had just been destemmed and we were able to watch the process as stems were discarded and the fruit was directed to the fermentation tanks. We had also been given a lesson on how to recognise grape varieties from the shape of the leaf. The different varieties we saw here were gewutztraminer and viogner. Our hostess Camilla guided us through tasting generous pours of 5 wines, including a fruity chardonnay, a straight Tannat, a special blend of 8 varieties called ‘Ocho Jovenes’, the Gran Reserva Tannat and the piece de resistance, a Viejo Tannat. Palates kept as clean as possible with a platter of cheese, salami and breads. The second winery was a smaller operation, called ‘Artesana’, and grew tannat and melot varieties on the property. We tasted 3 different wines, including 100% tannat, a tannat/merlot blend, and another very intense tannat. An even better spread of cheeses, salamis ands pates with rustic sourdough bread. And we were hosted by the winemaker Valentina, fresh from supervising harvest of the tannat vines. We wandered the vineyard where merlot was still hanging on the vines. Back in Montevideo we farewelled Ryan with thanks, and pondered where to find a light dinner, electing to walk the 50 metres to the Mercado al Puerto and eat at the middle of 3 restaurants (Puerto Marino) which were open. I enjoyed a hot sausage spiral, accompanied by baked sweet potato and chimichurri sauce. Stephen and Clare stuck to chicken again. ![]() The air was pleasantly cool in the morning, and I enjoyed a glass of water in the courtyard (once I’d gotten the courtyard door open!). We set out at about 9am for the bus station, on the lookout for breakfast along the way. No joy there. Had coffee and medialunas in the cafeteria, and bought bus tickets (with COT) to Montevideo for tomorrow morning (9:10am). The bus terminal is well stocked with supplies for the bus journey. Afterward, walked into the old town again, spending time checking out the sights, souvenir stores and the pleasant little town church Basilica del Sanctisimo Sacramento. The reason the town is so low rise and contains so many ruins is that it was forever the subject of dispute over ownership and control. The usual contenders were the Portuguese and the Spanish, but the English were also involved (and the Argentines, and the French). Poor little town. Now it only has to contend with the weekly invasion of daytrippers form Buenos Aires. Found that the lighthouse is not open until 13:00, so spent time observing the craft on offer (bought a cute small sauce dish for 120 pesos), sculptures, and the randomly placed vintage cars which are scattered around the streets. For lunch we ate at an ice cream shop, which had air-conditioning, and a special including a drink, 2 empanadas and an ice cream for 185 pesos. Bargain. Afterward, back to the house for a siesta. As the sun descended, it might have gotten slightly cooler, so at 7:30pm, set out for a look at the view from the lighthouse. On the way we watched a couple of models strike tango poses in Calle de los Suspiros. Snuck a couple of images ourselves. Good view of the town, but the best benefit was the cooling breeze. Looking over the River Plate, the towers of Buenos Aires are just visible on the horizon. We enjoyed the breeze for about 20 minutes before descending and observing the town in the golden light of evening. Then it was time for dinner, which we took at ‘El Drugstore’, where I enjoyed gnocchi with herbed cream sauce, Stephen stuck to Chicken and vegies, whilst Clare went for the Hamburger. Drinks were sangria and beer. With the cover charge, and a fee for the singer, the cost was 1250 Pesos. Seems basically the standard meal price for 3 people. Back to the house, with a need for a reasonably early start – alarm set for 6:45am ![]() Relaxed morning with breakfast and packing before pickup to Colonia Express terminal at 10:30. Our ride was in fact waiting for us. It took 15 minutes to get to the port, and after a short wait we were checked in (fortunately Stephen had brought a 2nd copy of the Boarding passes, since the 2nd was actually required as an immigration form). Once stamped out of Argentina, we sat for nearly an hour waiting for the ferry to turn up, whilst looking at a muddy canal with 2 floating casinos moored opposite. Ferry arrived and disgorged its morning passengers, then we boarded all in good time, and sailed 5 minutes early. Treated to views of rusty cargo vessels, and dock equipment as the ferry chugged slowly through the harbour, then accelerated to 45kmh once it entered the wide brown Rio de la Plata. Nothing to see other than cumulus clouds rising over Uruguay, and calm brown water, in which occasional water plants floated. Met Josh from Brunswick, on a day trip to collect more US Dollars. Josh is a couple of days into a planned 5 month trip hiking in Patagonia and up the Andes to Bolivia and Peru. The town of Colonia emerged from the horizon, and the ferry chugged into the port. The ferry terminal on the Uruguay side is far grander than the one in Buenos Aires. No immigration formalities, just a customs X-ray. Changed $US100 into Uruguayan pesos at the Cambio office, whilst S&C had no luck with the autoteller. Then we walked into town, dragging rolly bags in the mid-afternoon heat. At least the cobblestoned streets are shaded by Plane trees. Got the keys from Sabrina at Cambio Aspen, and found the house at 129 Washington Barbot, just 2 blocks away. The house is up a set of stairs, with plain high-ceilinged rooms, wood or terrazzo floored. Furnishings old style, with an element of quirkiness. There are plenty of fans, but the house is not particularly cool inside, though shaded louvers potentially allow cooling breezes to circulate. This does not happen. I resorted to the time honoured cold shower solution. Since it was now mid-afternoon, and we’d eaten only a small breakfast, searching out lunch was on the menu. Walked up to the main street Calle General Flores, down to the ‘Ciduad Vieja’, a tangle of cobblestoned streets (Unesco World Heritage site), lined by single story restored Portuguese stone buildings, now largely given over to craft shops, and restaurants. We detoured to the old (and now restored) pier, Checked out the RestoBar Yacht, and eventually settled on a meal at El Torreon, outside under the umbrellas and Plane trees, with a view of the brown waters of the Rio de la Plata. Occasional sea breezes were welcome. I chose a milanesa (schnitzel) and chips, with beer, whilst S & C shared pizza and soft drink. The schnitzel was huge, and I felt hot and bloated after finishing it, a feeling not helped by the smoke from the parrilla which was pretty strong in the area. During our long late lunch, a posse of the towns ubiquitous dogs charged through to restaurant, showing more activity than I saw from them for the remainder of our stay. Spent half an hour or so walking around the old town, checking out fishers and bathers on the small patches of sand between the rocks and reeds. We passed the tall white lighthouse, built on the ruins of St Francis Xavier convent, and the Calle de los Suspiros, lined with one story cottages, making our way to the ruins of the old city wall and its reconstructed gate, Porto de Campo. I called time on account of hot, and we walked back to the house, passing the Plaza Mayor en route and relaxed for a few hours. S & C went for a shopping expedition, but decided that eating out for breakfast was a better option, so restricted purchases to water, wine, chips, soft drink and fruit. The air cooled as the sun descended, and the formerly hot courtyard was a fine location for a pre-dinner glass of wine (Don Pascual Merlot Tannat blend). Out for dinner, we ate at a Punta Piedra on the main drag, choosing the cooler outdoor seating. My choice for dinner was ice cream (dulce de leche/frutillo), cappuchino (was large) and a share of a litre of the very pleasant Pilsen beer. This confused the wait staff, but they got the idea. S & C were much more conventional with choices of pollo suprema & chips (BIG) and ravioli respectively. Prices for food, at least in Colonia, are 20 to 25% more than in Buenos Aires. Afterward, another cold shower cooled me off for sleeping. |
AuthorKen (with he hopes input from Stephen & Clare) Archives
March 2015
Categories |