December 18, 2022, Sunday: Montevideo, Uruguay 

We had two wonderfully relaxing sea days before reaching Montevideo. On those days, we listened to lectures on the history of Montevideo, the fabulous Ignazu Falls, the importance of “fútbol” in Argentina as the World Cup Final approached and the celestial observations in the Southern Hemisphere. The weather is definitely getting warmer and our cruise is coming to an end in a few days. It’s time to pack away the sweaters and enjoy learning about our upcoming onshore excursions.

Jim McParland has been a wonderful lecturer, giving us a better understanding of the world’s natural formations and the wonders of the stars over us. We stood on our stateroom’s veranda at 10:30pm (sunset is 9:52pm!) to catch a glimpse of the Southern Cross. We had seen it before in our travels but it was still exciting to see it again under clear skies in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. There was less bothersome light from the ship on our veranda than on the Sky Deck during our previous leg of the cruise. “AB-C. Alpha Centauri, Beta Centauri; draw a line and you’re at the Cross”. Indeed we were! It was helpful that Tom’s navigational experience in the US Navy confirmed exactly what we were looking at in the glorious night sky.

The Oosterdam arrived in Montevideo, Uruguay, in the early morning hours under a bright blue sky. This city sits on Río de la Plata, reported to be the widest river in the world. The attraction of its natural harbor led to a change in foreign occupation over the centuries. First Spain, then Portugal, then England then back to Spain. It has a European influence and a broad mix of cultures making this an attractive, friendly city. We didn’t see the grinding poverty as we found in Ecuador, Peru and some regions of Chile.

We joined the “Best of Montevideo & Juanico Winery” tour (sponsored by Food and Wine Magazine) that highlighted the city and countryside. Our guide, Patricia, stated the country did not shut down during COVID so perhaps this is why their inflation rate is a little less than 9%. The vaccination rate is extremely high as well. Uruguay is a small country of 3.5 million people with nearly half of those living in and around Montevideo. There is a strong agricultural community responsible for growing/managing and exporting soy, wheat, lumber, dairy and wool. There are continued similarities with it’s Argentinian and Chilean neighbors: average wage is about $470, socialized medicine (failing), free education (failing) but a better unemployment rate.

Montevideo is the capital of Uruguay, with wide avenues, numerous parks and buildings from the early 20th century. Our bus tour took us through downtown Montevideo, past the Plaza Independencia for our first photo stop.

We strolled by an impressive “L-shape” building, a massive statue honoring Artigas who helped Uruguay gain independence, and remnants of the Old Wall separating the “new” city from the old. The oldest theatre in Uruguay, the Teatro Solís, is a short walk from the Plaza.

Back on the bus we learned about the favorite daily ritual of many South Americans: drinking Maté (mah-tay). This tea-like beverage is served in a special cup and consumed through a steel straw that has fine holes in the bottom so as not to ingest the tea leaves. “One must not stir the tea leaves; it is an insult!”

We briefly stopped at a group of statues portraying early settlers driving oxen through the tough landscape to settle this land. 

Last stop was the impressive Parliament building before heading 25 miles north of the city to Juanico Winery.

Uruguay is positioned between two wine producing behemoths: Chile and Argentina. The wine industry in this area was established in 1745 through the Jesuits. Juanico is younger than this, starting a small operation in the late 1800s but becoming a large producer in the 1990s. 

There are 32 grape varieties grown here but one of the most rare is Tannat, the “forgotten grape”. Vines of tannat grapes arrived from France and thrived in the “refrigerator” of the region. The owner explained there is copious sunshine during the day but nights are cool. The diverse terroir allows for many grape varieties; Mary Margaret was very willing to get started!

We were treated to an exceptional lunch paired with 5 different wines (just a taste; they were not exceptional but drinkable) and a Tango show.

We had a brief period of time before boarding the bus to walk around the grounds. We were greeted by a friendly St. Bernard dog who was “just a puppy”, according to its handler. The dog accepted pets but wouldn’t pose for a photo and dashed away to play with another group. Juanico had a few enormous trees on the property as well as an interesting outside display of equipment commonly used for every stage of wine creation during the last century. Overall, it was great fun in a gorgeous location.

We arrived back in port, boarding the Oosterdam to join other passengers in our very last “sail away” party. We left Montevideo to cruise across the 140-mile stretch of the Río de la Plata to our last destination: Buenos Aires, Argentina.