Saturday, February 23, 2008
Beaches
In Michigan, January and February mean lots of snow and this year has been no exception. It's been great for cross-country skiing and my daughter enjoyed several days off school because of snowstorms. In Uruguay, January and February are beach time. I must admit that when the temperature dropped below 0° F (-20° C) my thoughts turned south to summer on the Río de la Plata.Here's a video slideshow of my photos from the beaches of Uruguay. From Montevideo to Punta del Este to Punta del Diablo:
Labels: seasons, travel US to Uruguay, Uruguay, video, waterfront
Friday, June 29, 2007
School's out
Today was the last day of school before Winter vacation in Uruguay. The kids can now enjoy two weeks free of classes and homework. (University students, on the other hand are preparing for their exams.)Labels: education, seasons, Uruguay
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Winter blooms
These are some of the most impressive winter plants in Montevideo. In the summer they are bush-sized succulents. In June, they have bright torch-shaped flowers. I'm not sure what they're called but I like them.
Labels: nature, seasons, Uruguay
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Shortest day
Today marks the beginning of winter in Montevideo (and the rest of the southern hemisphere). The weather was pretty mild (low 50s) compared to Michigan winters. After yesterday's fog and rain, today's sun was very welcome.Saturday, June 16, 2007
Poinsettias in June
To me, December is the month of poinsettias and I enjoy visiting Kalamazoo's big greenhouses full of poinsettias before Christmas. In Montevideo, they are blooming now. While poinsettias aren't native to Uruguay, they grow well here. Many of them are the size of small trees-- substantially bigger than Michigan's hothouse plants. They make an impressive display.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Niebla
Montevideo has had a lot of fog over the last week. Both the port and airport have been closed. Our friends were stuck in the Buenos Aires airport for over 24 hours before they could fly back to the U.S. This weekend was sunny and warm but today the fog is back. I'm not sure if this is normal winter weather or if we are just having an unusual spell.The panoramic view from my apartment has ben replaced with all white. Right now, I can barely see across the street to the beach. In Spanish, it's "un día de niebla."
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Fall
By the calendar, it's nearly winter in Uruguay but to the trees it's fall. There isn't a lot of color-- many of the deciduous trees simply fade to brown and there are a lot of evergreens, but there's an occasional maple or ginkgo with yellow leaves or a reddish oak or a purple gum. People burn small piles of leaves on the curb. The weather makes it feel like Halloween should be coming but that's a spring holiday in Montevideo.Labels: nature, seasons, Uruguay
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Making Chorizo
Once a year at the Estancia Los Morteros they make their own chorizo. Usually it's a mid-Winter activity (June or July) but the pigs had been troublesome this year so they decided to move the process to the weekend we visited. It was interesting to see and a good reminder that meat doesn't ultimately come from the supermarket. None of the pig was wasted; most of it became chorizo, but the legs were salted to make ham and we ate delicious spareribs for dinner. A couple of big pots simmered on the fire for head cheese. The skins cured on the shed roof and the dogs ate the scraps. The chorizo, cooked slowly over embers, was great.
If you don't follow the dictum, "people who love sausage and respect the law should never watch either being made," you may like this video:
Labels: food and drink, interior, Lavalleja, rural, seasons, Uruguay, video
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Heating season
As we move into Fall, the temperature has dropped into the single digits. Of course Uruguay uses centigrade, so it's nothing like single digit weather in Michigan. But, even 40 degree weather feels cold without heat, so we were happy when the calefacción losa was turned on early this morning.Labels: apartments, seasons, Uruguay
Thursday, April 26, 2007
End of the season
Today I saw another sign that summer is over. A front-end loader was removing the lifeguard huts from Pocitos beach. People were still on the beach-- jogging,walking dogs, and playing soccer-- but I guess at 60 degrees no one's planning to swim.Labels: seasons, Uruguay, waterfront
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Palo Borracho seedpods
The Palo Borracho trees are losing their leaves and setting fruit. The big seedpods hang from the spiky branches in clusters. Some are as long as footballs but skinnier. Somehow the fruits seem more in character with the swollen trunk and thorns than the pink flowers of late summer.Labels: nature, seasons, Uruguay
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Pocitos beach
Pocitos beach is no longer packed like it was in summer . The soccer stadium is gone, as are the volleyball nets and port-a-potties and the beach cleaning seems much less frequent. I'm sure there will be more nice days full of sunbathers but today the beach had a real off-season feel.Labels: seasons, Uruguay, waterfront
Monday, April 09, 2007
The new year
Although 2007 began a few months ago, in Uruguay the new year doesn't really start until after the last bicyclist crosses the finish line in the Vuelta Ciclista del Uruguay [Uruguay's equivalent of the Tour de France] at the end of Semana de Turismo. December was the season of fiestas, starting with the La Noche de las Luces; January was vacation, and February was carnaval. School did start in March, but carnaval was still going on and then everyone was looking forward to another week of vacation.
I'm told today was the true start of the year.
I'm told today was the true start of the year.
Labels: customs, seasons, Uruguay
Friday, March 30, 2007
Semana de Turismo
In most Spanish-speaking countries next week is Semana Santa [Holy Week] but here, reflecting Uruguay's strong tradition of separation of church and state, it's called Tourism Week. School's out and apparently everyone travels. Buenos Aires is a popular destination (although the Argentine piqueteros plan to block all the bridges between the two countries). Others head to the beach; I've heard that it's the only week the campground at Santa Teresa National Park is completely full.
Various festivals compete to attract visitors:
Paysandu hosts the 42nd annual Semana de Cerveza.
Montevideo holds the 82nd Semana Criolla - at the Prado.
Durazno has their Semana de la Juventud and
Treinta y Tres has the Festival Mastro Ruben Lena .
Tacuarembo re-scheduled their 18th Fiesta de la Patricia Gaucha to be on Tourism Week.
Labels: holidays, seasons, Uruguay
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Autumn begins
Today was the first day of Fall in Uruguay (and, of course, it's the first day of Spring in the northern hemisphere.) The weather here felt like summer and there were plenty of people on Pocitos beach. The trees are still green and there are plenty of flowers blooming. The days, however, are noticeably shorter.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Daylight Savings Time, otra vez
Daylight Savings Time ends today in Uruguay and begins in the US, so Montevideo is only one hour ahead of the eastern US. In October, Uruguay switched earlier than the US.Saturday, March 10, 2007
Palo Borracho in bloom
I thought people planted the palo borracho tree for its resemblance to a medieval torture device. For the last few weeks, the trees have been covered with big pink flowers which better explains their popularity. I can't think of a Michigan tree that blooms in late summer.Labels: nature, seasons, Uruguay
Monday, February 26, 2007
Back to School
School in Montevideo starts next week, so I guess the southern summer is coming to a close. We went shopping for school supplies this afternoon. My daughter's school gave us a list of 53 things she needs for the beginning of classes. (Not counting books, which we'll shop for later this week.) We didn't even know what some of the items were. Glue, for instance, was listed as cascola-- which is the local brand name for Elmer's glue. Most of the other confusing things were particular types of paper or binders. The geoplano is still something of a mystery to me.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
January
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
Friday, January 05, 2007
Night at Parque Rodó
When I first visited Parque Rodó it was winter and most of the amusement park rides weren't operating. In summer, I figured the rides would be running everyday. But, as the months passed, it became apparent than even on a hot weekend afternoon, almost no one was at the amusement park. It wasn't until we went to the feria del libro that I saw that the rides run after dark.
We went last night and rode a few rides. Different rides are operated by different companies who sell tickets (15-25 pesos per ride) at separate ticket booths. Afterwards, we ate churros at one of the many stands. The park wasn't crowded and there was never a line for a ride. Maybe they do more business on weekend nights.
We went last night and rode a few rides. Different rides are operated by different companies who sell tickets (15-25 pesos per ride) at separate ticket booths. Afterwards, we ate churros at one of the many stands. The park wasn't crowded and there was never a line for a ride. Maybe they do more business on weekend nights.
Labels: Montevideo places, seasons, Uruguay, video
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