Montevideo Exploration

 Montevideo skyline.

 Check the reflection and where the passenger is.

 We walked down a pier and watched some local fishermen.

 The old city centre of Montevideo.

 Good lunch and great beer.

 Ahhh, life in a face.

Another part of Montevideo.

Monday, October 21^st.

After breakfast I met up with members of the GAdventures Expedition crew and had a brief talk with them. It was raining when we woke up so, we got off to a relaxed start this morning before heading off for a walk into the old city centre of Montevideo. As usual we headed off in the wrong direction which made the 4k walk more like 6, but it was a pleasant albeit cloudy day and we walked along the sea front. The old part of the city is right off the Independence Square where we were a couple of days ago. There are numerous old-style buildings interspersed with more modern ones. After our walk there we found a bookstore with a restaurant on the second floor. It was in an old building and had a great atmosphere. We had a coffee and a brownie before setting out to wander the city.

The main street starts with touristy and trendy kinds of shops and cafes and then gradually morphs into a little more rundown area and eventually ends at the beginning of a breakwater pier that sticks out into the sea. We walked its length and watched a few local fishermen before walking all the way back to the same restaurant bookstore for a late lunch. We both had the special which was penne in a vodka cream sauce with smoked salmon. We also had an excellent craft beer recommended by our waiter. Then we walked via the streets of the city and found our way back to the hotel. Great to get out for some exercise and enjoy both the cool weather and the sights of the city. This feels like a safe, comfortable and modern city.

Wandering through the lobby when we got back, I met Chad, a retired American naval officer who has been to several Antarctic research stations and the geographical centre of the continent. He has also taken the Norwegian Arctic GAdventure trip, so he is truly bi-polar. We are indeed going to meet some very interesting people on this journey.

In the evening John and I went to reception and asked a young lad about where we could get a good beer. He told us about a local pub and we went for a short walk there and had a couple of IPA local beers and sat and chatted. Home by ten.