A Year in Uruguay

January is vacation time in Montevideo and my neighborhood has been noticeably quieter. Some restaurants are closed, sidewalks are cleaner, and traffic is much lighter. I've heard that Paris is similar in summer, but I've never lived anywhere where everyone vacations in the same month.

Apparently Argentina has a similar schedule, at least for those Argentinians who vacation in Uruguay. There are two shifts-- January 1st to the 15th and the 15th to the 1st of February. The local newspaper said the 15th is the busiest travel day of the year. The Argentinian protestors blocking the bridges between Uruguay and Argentina increase their efforts on those days to inconvenience more people.

Labels: customs, seasons, Uruguay