... to Montevideo, Uruguay!

Montevideo, the capital and largest city in the relatively small country of Uruguay, is located at the mouth of the Rio de la Plata. This river is huge you can almost not see one shore from the other, and its location makes Montevideo one of the major ports of South America. The majority of the population is Spanish and Italian, and the European influence is evident in the architecture of the city, which is somewhat of an artists' colony with dozens of art and craft galleries. Its also world-famous for its beef.

The port is very close to the center of the old town, not more than a 5 minute walk, so we began the day with a lengthy walk around Old Town. Shops sell all types of handmade items, including many things made of leather, wool, fur, and wood. In addition, vendors often line the pedestrian streets, selling souvenirs and crafts, vying for space with vegetable stands. We greatly enjoyed our walk, and walked further than we intended before going back to the ship to catch our afternoon tour, which was supposed to be a bus tour of the city's architecture. Much to everyone's surprise (including several folks with walkers and canes) it turned out to be a walking tour - which lasted more than 4 hours! It was also, hands-down, the worst tour so far. But the city is delightful, and definitely worth a visit.