January 6th:
A few days ago (January 3rd), we attended a "Talk" on Montevideo. During that lecture we learned that Uruguayans LOVE dulce de leche and Mate (a tea drink). We also learned that Uruguay is the most liberal country in South America, they are required by law to vote, and that they invented the tango!
Today we all went on an EXC Excursion called "Best of Montevideo and Juanico Winery." We left the Zaandam, boarded a bus, and headed out into the city with our tour guide.
[Uruguayan carrying his Mate]
Our first stop was Plaza Independencia where we saw the Puerta de la Ciudadela (Gateway of the Citadel), the Mausoleo de Jose Gervasio Artigas (statue and mausoleum of Jose Gervasio Artigas), Museum Government House, Torre Ejectiva (Federal Government Offices), Solis Theatre, and the Palacio Barolo.
The Palacio Barolo was the tallest building in South America when it was completed in 1923. It was designed with Dante's Divine Comedy in mind due to the architect's admiration for Dante Alighieri.
[Palacio Barolo]
Mausoleo de Jose Gervasio Artigas is a statue honoring the Uruguayan hero, Jose Gervasio Artigas. Underneath the statue is a mausoleum where his remains are.
[Mausoleo de Jose Gervasio Artigas]
[Palacio Barolo]
[Theo is a good napper]
[Museum Government House]
[Canadian Embassy]
After exploring the Plaza Independencia, we drove pass the Puerta de la Ciudadela. This is the only remaining part of the wall, which surrounded the city and was torn down in 1829.
[Puerta de la Ciudadela (Gateway of the Citadel)]
[View of Plaza Independencia through the Puerta de la Ciudadela (Gateway of the Citadel)]
[Solis Theatre]
We then drove to the Palacio Legislativo (Legislative Palace). This gorgeous building was completed in 1925 and is the site where the Uruguayan parliament meets.
[Telecommunications Tower]
We then drove to a park where we learned about the treatment of the native peoples and we saw the "Worlds Largest Bush!"
["Worlds Largest Bush"]
["Worlds Largest Bush" with a local drinking his Mate]
[Monument to the Natives]
We continued our drive through the park and ended up at a Rose Garden. The roses were not in bloom, which is good for my allergies, but bad for pictures.
We then drove pass the Presidents house (he has chosen to live in his humble house instead of moving to the government house), a beautiful neighborhood with HUGE houses, and the Virgen del Carmen y Santa Teresita (a Gothic style cathedral).
[Presidents house]
[Beautiful neighborhood with HUGE houses]
We then headed north, out of town, to the Juanico Winery. According to our HAL EXC tour book, this winery is one of the leading vineyards and wineries in Uruguay. The 300 acres yields grapes that are processed at the winery. The main cultivated varieties include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Marselan, Tempranillo, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir. But their speciality is the Tannat, which has won several prizes.
[Cellar]
We took a tour of the grounds and the cellar, before enjoying a wine tasting and lunch.
After our delicious meal, we were entertained with a demonstration of the Uruguayan Tango!
The dancers were very talented and they were so much fun to watch! After their show we were able to take pictures.
After taking our pictures, we headed outside to get more pictures of the beautiful winery.
We all then hopped back on the bus and headed to the port. Once we got back to the dock, dad, Josh and Theo boarded the Zaandam, while mom and I went exploring Old Town. We found Uruguay lapel pins (for our maps) and some delicious dulce de leche treats.
We then boarded the Zaandam and went up to the deck for the sail away.
We then headed to the bar to watch the Chargers vs Baltimore game. While we were watching the game, Scott and Cory (members of the EXC Expedition Team) came and sat by us! Even though they are not originally from California (Cory is from Canada), they live in San Diego during the winter and are HUGE Chargers fans!
After the game, I told them that I have attended EVERY one of their lectures and I was going to win the Antarctic Team Trivial challenge that night! Cory said she had faith in me and that she would be rooting for me!
I headed up to the Crows Nest and waited in our "usual spot" for my family to show up. The trivia challenge was about to start and my family still wasn't there, so I asked to join a group of Aussie ladies who we had teamed up with before. Right as the first question was being read, mom showed up and joined our team: "Girl Power!"
The questions were had but at the end of the game we were very confident with our answers! After trading our paper with another team, going through the correct answers, and getting our paper back, we realized we had gotten 19 out of 22! Eek! We won, by a LONG shot! The whole EXC Expedition team came over to congratulate us and give us our HAL pins! WOOT WOOT!
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