Arriving in Montevideo, we had the pleasure of meeting up with coworkers who live in the area. We spent a few hours getting them acquainted with Volendam from top to bottom. This was their first time on a Holland America ship, they really loved it! We had coffee in the Library Café, toured the public spaces and our cabin, had lunch in the Lido, walked around the Promenade Deck, and shared stories about hosting in exchange for their stories about their work. It was inspiring to see our world from someone else’s fresh eyes.
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That left us little time to visit Montevideo. We had taken a quick walk in the morning before our coworkers arrived and enjoyed several all-pedestrian streets near the port. There is unique architecture along the way with lots of whimsical characters depicted. Montevideo is a beautiful city.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Rather close by is Buenos Aires, Argentina. We had a free morning, so we enjoyed a walk past the huge train station/bus terminal, where a sea of humanity is always filling the streets. We walked all the way to the main boulevard, Avenida 9 de Julio, in honor of their Independence Day. There is a massive obelisk in the center which commemorates the city’s 400th anniversary. Nearby is the famous Teatro Colon.
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The main event for our day was in the evening when we took a Holland America tour to a closed-door restaurant and a tango show. Our tour began with a special performance just for Holland America guests at Café de los Angelitos, a well-known and very popular venue. We had empanadas and wine for snacks and were treated to a spectacular performance with 8 dancers, 2 singers, and a 5-piece tango orchestra perched on a balcony above the performers. Fabulous costumes and unbounded energy made this a very distinctive show, one of the best we’ve seen on our many trips here. Then we were transported to a private home for a special dinner, featuring extremely tender and delicious beef. The concept of the closed-door restaurant is fun – there is no sign outside, and it’s only open by reservation with a menu curated by the chef. Wine flowed freely during dinner and attentive service made it a very pleasant evening.
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Cruise Specialists Tour of Buenos Aires
The next morning, we left the ship early for a half-day tour with our Cruise Specialists guests covering the popular highlights of Buenos Aires. We drove through various neighborhoods, admired some fabulous architecture, and stopped for a guided visit to Recoleta Cemetery, where Eva Peron is buried. Free time in Plaza de Mayo included a visit to the Cathedral where the remains of General San Martin, a national hero of Argentina, rest. Our boat ride on the Rio de la Plata gave us a beautiful view of the modern skyline. Our final short stop was directly from our boat to the streets of La Boca, a colorful, funky neighborhood, which was the birthplace of the tango. The streets were teeming with vendors, tango dancers, tourists, and locals alike in a party atmosphere. There wasn’t much time to explore but it was fun to feel the vibe.
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Punta del Este, Uruguay
Our two days in Buenos Aires flew by and now we are heading back to Uruguay - to Punta del Este, another city we have visited multiple times. We walked extensively along the beautiful shoreline of this bustling small city. It is a popular resort with modern hotels, restaurants, interesting places to visit, as well as upscale residences for wealthy Uruguayans and transplants from other parts of South America. It is clean, well maintained, and feels quite safe.
Exploring the Countryside
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Our main destination was about a half hour outside the city in a peaceful valley where ten thousand olive trees are turned into high quality extra virgin olive oil. We had a complete tour and explanation of the process used to create the oil and recycle 100% of the waste given by Martine, one of the owners. Then we were treated to a generous tasting of the three oil varieties, along with delicious fresh bread, olives, cheeses, salamis, and a tasty salsa-type relish. We washed it down with a very pleasant white wine. We kept eating, they kept refilling the plates and refilling the glasses. The setting was perfect, with a view of the valley from a covered patio. Many of us purchased our favorite oil variety to take home. We had some time to tour the grounds on our own and discovered wonderful fruit trees, a pen full of chickens, and some Rheas (large, flightless birds) that run wild on the property. We loved the place and the tour and were very happy we had a chance to see beyond the city to appreciate how beautiful Uruguay is.
This has been a very busy stretch, so we are looking forward to two days at sea before we reach Rio de Janeiro for an overnight stay.
Fondly,
Wendy and Steve
Continue Reading:
A Bon Voyage! | Costa Rica & Panama | Ecuador and Northern Peru | Wendy's Adventures in Peru | Steve's Adventure in Machu Picchu | Arica and San Antonio, Chile | Robinson Crusoe & Southern Chile | More Chile & Argentina | Antarctica | Falkland Islands | Montevideo & Punta del Este | Brazil | The Amazon | Salvation Islands | Arriving in Africa | Canary Islands & Morocco | Gibraltar and Barcelona | Spain & Portugal | France, Belgium and The Netherlands | Scotland and Norway | More Norway | Iceland | Greenland | Canada & New England | Voyage Summary
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