We had great plans to leave the flat by 9am to walk down to collect our hire car. Well I had plans to leave at 9am! Never mind, there’s no rush at all. So we find the Europcar office by 10.30 but the online reservation hasn’t happened. We end up with a funny little orange jaloppy and set off towards Montevideo. We take a wrong turn and end up in Maldonado in the midst of a political rally! It’s quite interesting seeing how the Uraguayans spend Saturday mornings. We get back on to the main road but then backtrack to Piriapolis as the guide book makes it sound really interesting. The name of the town comes from a property developer called Francisco Piria who established his own private town which was supposed to have been laid out on mystical lines. But it is also supposed to remind us of Biarritz with a promenade and Belle Époque hotels. After falling into terrible decay in the mid 20th Century it is now supposed to have a new lease of life…… it’s still go a very long way to go! We stop and wander around the boat yard and then go back in to town to find a cafe – that’s not easy either.
On the road again we arrive in Montevideo’s Ciudad Vieja – it’s easy to park on a little side road. The area is rather run down but the old Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings dominate the area. The area is up and coming but still has a long way to go. We have lunch at a wine bar that reminds me so much of the wine bar in Maltby Street in Bermondsey. We wander around the old streets, watch a great musician and look at the street art. Then a drive all along the sea front where we see thousands and thousands of Montevideoans out having fun – walking, drinking, eating ice creams, playing football, flying kites, cycling, lounging, chatting and laughing.
We got back to Punta about 8ish and went to Isadora for dinner – the best food so far plus we wanted to see if we could order the same Garzón wine which was delicious. The evening turned out to be perhaps the happiest in my life – perfect.