BBQ is big here and the Mercado del Puerto is a good place to find it, but you can get some vegetables along with your meat.
A street vendor sells the traditional gourds, spoons and thermoses essential for making mate, the hot tea many Uruguayans sip all day.
Beef sandwiches known as chivitos are a Montevideo “must-eat.” They can come fairly restrained like this one from La Pasiva or piled high with ingredients plus an egg on top for good measure.
Look down as you walk, you may find that holes in the paving have been patched with colorful pieces of tile.
You won’t walk far before finding a cafe to rest at, which I think is a good thing.
Faded paintwork makes for a beautifully pastel note in this Montevideo alley.
Montevideo’s many squares are lit up at night, making for a cheerful sight.
The rooftop terrace of the Alma Historica hotel is an excellent place to take in the mishmash of architectural styles that is Montevideo’s cityscape.
This statute in Independence Square celebrates Uruguayan hero Gen. Jose Gervasio Artigas.
I loved this bookstore/cafe in the Old City even though I don’t really read Spanish.
Another square, another statute of a hero on a horseback.
This is a very cool outdoor gallery at the Prado, Montevideo’s huge urban park.
Another interesting museum, this one the Contemporary Art Museum set in a former prison.
A path beside a river in the Prado. Montevideo is home to about half of the country’s population of 3-4 million but the city has many tranquil spaces.
Lily pond in the Asian section of the city’s botanical gardens.
I loved this building which has English tours twice a day. It’s where parliament meets.
Named because of its size (footsteps are muffled), this is where Uruguay’s Constitution is kept under guard 24/7.
A handcarved detail in the marble decorating the Legislative Palace.
Now a Sofitel property, this used to be the Hotel Carrasco where the rich and famous came to play and gamble. Back in the day, Einstein stopped in. This year, it was the Rolling Stones.
The lovingly restored ceiling of the old Hotel Carrasco casino, now a fabulous dining space.
A sandy beach along the River Plate, so wide you think it’s a sea, just one of many beaches along Las Ramblas, the waterfront roadway tracing about 14 miles of Montevideo coastline.
I visited Peru this year and saw a lot of cool things including this cute little vicuna.
I went to the marine sanctuary at Paracas …
,,, and saw the “Candelabra,” an amazing Incan etching on the side of a hill. It’s called the candelabra because that’s what it resembles. No one knows if it’s a sign or a symbol or what. Impressive AND eerie.
This is Isla Ballestas in the Paracas Wildlife Reserve.
There were baby sea lions that looked like little blobs of black rubber …
… and big sea lions …
… and really big sea lions.
There were birds …
… even a few penguins …
… and more birds.
It’s a fun place to visit but be prepared to smell a LOT of bird poop. And do not forget to wear a hat. If you get my drift.
It was pisco harvest time.
I went to the Porton distillery.
It’s an interesting mix of ancient tradition and modern technology.
The “botijas” used to store pisco in olden days.
Modern stills.
This is Porton Master Distiller Johnny Schuler. He is largely responsible for the resurgence of high-quality Peruvian pisco. Here he is tasting the first run of pisco, which is distilled from grapes and is a white brandy.
These are two of his hard-working staff members.
At the Vinas de Oro distillery I got to wear this nifty outfit.
I saw a demonstration of Peruvian paso, dancing horses.
And I went to a vendimia (harvest) celebration, where local beauty queens and their swains danced on the grapes.
I visited Lima and saw the famous “The Kiss” statue on the coast. No one kissed me.
And I took a look at the Lima pyramids, which were getting a little maintenance.
I did some serious pisco sour research
… more research …
… I’m like the Einstein of pisco sours.
But I could not compete with Ernest Hemingway. He is said to have set a record for pisco sour consumption at this bar in the Gran Bolivar hotel. No one could tell me what it was, but it was “a lot.”
This is George, a barman at the Hilton Mira Flores.
He has mad pisco sour skills.
This is the Alembic bar where they infuse piscos with all sorts of things.
This is the original La Mar restaurant.founded by Peruvian celebrity chef Gaston Acurio.
Later on I ran into Gaston, which was cool. FYI, while I could stand to lose a few I am not as fat as this picture.
And then it was time to go home. Hasta la vista, Peru!
