Julie Nagler – Argentina & Uruguay – Arrival in Uruguay

August 2, 2017

This week officially commences the next leg of our trip, Uruguay! We woke up at promptly at 4:45am to have a quick breakfast and head over to the port where we would board the ferry to Uruguay. Other than the brutal wakeup, I have to say that it was by far the easiest transition across countries that I have ever experienced. There was still security and customs, but everything seemed truncated and the boat itself was beautiful, spacious and equipped with potentially some of the comfiest seats I’ve ever sat in. I snoozed for the short 2 hour drive and woke up to find myself in Montevideo.
The best way I can describe our arrival in Montevideo is a breath of fresh air. The population of the city is less than half of that of Buenos Aires, and it shows. The streets were much quieter and more spacious and the area had a generally less urban ambiance. On our drive from the ferry, we stopped at the famous “Montevideo” sign and drive through La Rambla, a beautiful street that separates the city’s skyscrapers and its gorgeous beach. We later spent some time walking down the picturesque coastline, surrounded by fields of green with trees with lovely green parrots and a ton of people relaxing, biking and drinking mate, (not at the same time). The next morning, we explored the (market), a famous and enormous street market that has the most random conglomerate of things one can imagine – jewelry, antiques, mate cups, kid’s toys, TV remotes, various mechanical parts and, my favorite, live pets including bunnies, turtles and parrots.
We collectively developed an affinity for Montevideo and were sad to leave after only one night, but luckily our experience in Colonia so far has also been great. Our hotel is quaint, old fashioned and charming which is perfectly representative of the vibe of the city. We took a tour today and learned about the Spanish and Portuguese roots and how they impacted different types of architecture in the city. The best part, though, is that Colonia is rich with stray dogs. We saw about 9 on our tour today and they are embraced my the inhabitants as pets. Many even have names!
Overall, I can’t believe that this trip is flying by so fast. Although it is definitely a change of pace from the vibrance and urban-ness of Buenos Aires, I can’t wait to explore more of the charms of Colonia and then fly off to Patagonia in just a few short days.

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Written By

Julie Nagler

I'm a second year Psychology major from Concord, MA with minors in Spanish and Business Administration. My program while on this DOC is Spanish Language & Argentinean & Uruguayan Culture. I love movies of all types, animals (particularly my cats), food, and am devout Beatles fan. I am super excited to begin my Latin American adventure this July. I am mainly doing this program because I have yet to leave the country alone for an extended period of time. I feel that in addition to the inevitable Spanish and Cultural knowledge I will acquire, I will also earn a sense of confidence and independence. Thus, my main goals are to push myself out of my comfort zone and do things I wouldn't normally do. I also am excited about the meaningful friendships I will inevitably develop on trip.