I did some much needed exploring this weekend with some of the other exchange students. We checked out a part of Montevideo known as Ciudad Vieja (which means “Old City”) and all of the neat little things it has to offer. There was small market going on, we went inside a large church, and went down by the water and walked along a really long jetty.
Ciudad Vieja
- A view of the port area from the jetty
For me, however, perhaps the most impressive sight was the Mercado del Puerto (“Market of the Port”). Imagine walking into an indoor farmer’s market and being overwhelmed by the smell of smoke – but not just any kind – barbecue smoke! Holy meat lover’s paradise. All you see are slabs of meat on large grills known as parrillas. I didn’t manage to snap a photo of my own, but here’s basically what it looked like everywhere:
Of course, we weren’t going to leave without trying some of the meat. Among four of us girls, we ordered a meat dish meant to be split between three people, and this is what we ended up with:
Chicken, pork, steak, two types of sausage, and some other type of meat that I wasn’t sure what it was. Needless to say, between the four of us, we weren’t able to devour the entire dish, no matter how delicious it tasted.
Other than exploring, it felt good to relax! Classes are starting to pick up a little bit, so soon I’m not so sure I’ll have time to go out and explore. For now, I will take advantage of all the free time I can get!
Chao!
Adventuras Uruguayas 