Today’s stop was in the capitol city of Uraguay. After sailing south through the night on calm seas, we arrived around 9:00 a.m. local time. Custom’s officials cleared the ship and people were allowed to disembark.
Genny and I had decided to have “brunch” aka a late breakfast in the Main Dining Room (MDR) and then walk into town instead of going on an excursion. We have never had breakfast in the MDR, so this was a new experience.
I ordered banana bread french toast coated with oatmeal with a berry compote and maple syrup, and a boiled egg. Genny ordered corned beef hash with scrambled eggs, which came with hashbrowns. They always do such a nice job preparing and serving the food, and it is typically really delicious. When you consider how many people they are feeding at once, it is really remarkable.
After brunch, we headed to town (that’s how we would say it in NC where I’m from). Due to Port requirements (a shared commercial port), we took a shuttle bus to the end of the dock where two other ships, one from the Seven Seas line and one from MSC, were both docked. No matter how many cruise ships I see, I am always impressed.
As we were waiting to cross the street, we began to notice how dark the sky was becoming. Then we heard thunder. We looked at each other and realized that both umbrellas, both rain jackets, and all of the little 99 cent plastic disposable ponchos we brought with us were still on the ship!!
We ducked into the Tourist Office just as the rain started to pound down. After a few minutes it dried up enough to make it to the shopping area where we bought an umbrella. Aaaaaannd shortly after that, it stopped raining.
We only saw portions of town within walking distance of two “mature” ladies. There were typical touristy shops, local businesses and markets, some second-hand stores which I always like to find, small plazas, and lots of restaurants, including one that cooked the meats and sausage over wood just like in Buenos Aires, but more compactly.
There was a store dedicated to local artisans. I loved this mirror framed in leather.
And in this small market, there were BUCKETS of a caramel type sauce called Dulce de Leche – VERY popular here.
We are leaving port. Time to hit send!!