We made it to Montevideo about 5 hours late and almost immediately upon docking were hurried to the buses for our excursions. Ours was a city tour with a stop at the Parliament building and another at Mecca, better known as the El Centenaurio Fútbol Stadium and Museo del Fútbol. The architecture of Montevideo is really interesting with a mix of European neoclassical, art deco, art nouveau, and very modern buildings. Our first stop was Plaza de Independencia. One of the buildings was the Presidential office building where there are 2 ceremonial guards in front but otherwise it is wide open to anyone who wants to visit. There was also Theatro Solis, one of the best auditoriums in the Americas and Palacio Salvo which was the tallest building in South America for a while.

Then we drove along the beaches Through several residencial neighborhoods headed for the Futbol Museum. There were pictures of the World Cup winning Uruguayan teams of 1930 and 1950. There were pictures of the winning goal of 1950 where Uruguay beat Brazil in Brazil’s main stadium. There was a picture of Luis Suarez, and his dental impressions (just kidding. He is notorious for biting opposition players). Upstairs there were all the trophies they had won including at least one World Cup that we saw. We also got to see the inside of the Centenario Stadium, so named because it was built for the 100^th anniversary of Uruguayan independence.

Then we drove through some beautiful areas and passed by the President’s personal home, where he still lives. This is not an official residence. Half of Uruguay’s 3 million people live in Montevideo, so usually whoever is elected president just stays in his own house, without hundreds of guards and barriers all around the house and road. He apparently just walks around the neighborhood like a regular person. It must be nice.

Then we drove to the Parliament Building. This is a beautiful neo-classical building with 39 different kinds of marble, all from Uruguay, and interesting frescos and stained glass. From the great hall, known as the Hall of Lost Footsteps, the two chambers of the legislature, the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, are on opposite sides of the building. The Constitution of Uruguay is on display in the Hall of Lost Footsteps.

We returned to the ship, but instead of boarding, we walked to the Mercado del Puerto for coffee and a pastry.

Then back to the ship for Italian Night at dinner and off to Buenos Aires.