Day 16 25th January

The site of the Graf Spee wreck

Playground opposite Parliament in Montevideo

Montevideo Tour

We arrived in Montevideo about 7.45am and we left the ship at 8.05am to go on a tour of the city. In order to get off the ship if you are disabled they normally open a gangway on one of the lower decks (i.e. deck 4) so that it is level with the quayside. If you are on a tour they arrange for you to leave ten minutes earlier than the rest of the party since you move slower than they do. They also reserve a front seat so you don’t have to walk too far. However, what other help you get depends on the guide and coach driver. So far, we have had good assistance.

The tour was very good but it was very hot around 35C so you tired yourself just doing normal things like short walks and getting on and off the coach. Montevideo is an attractive city with some nice parks, tree lined streets and pleasant boulevards. It has a long sea side along the River Plate which is an estuary rather than a river and very wide. It divides Uruguay from Argentina. The city was cleaner and far quieter than Rio. It looked prosperous with a lot of new building and far less people around. Although apparently January is the main month everyone goes on holiday here. Part of the tour was a ride on a restored steam train with “Manchester Carriages”. It had been beautifully restored.

Tonight, we are cruising the 120 miles up the River Plate to Buenos Aires in order to arrive at about 8am tomorrow morning. We have just left the dock in Montevideo and have past a couple buoys that mark the resting place of the Graf Spee which was scuttled after a battle with British ships in the Second World War. The ship’s anchor is on the quayside in Montevideo.