We had a couple of sea days after Puerto Madryn. We did the usual things but also hit up another art auction (still didn’t buy anything!). Then we decided to get wild and hit the casino where we prompted dropped $60 and then bailed. I mean, you can’t have that much fun all day long. We did laundry and took naps and tried new weird drinks. All the things. I was feeling truly relaxed!
Then, all the sudden it was somehow New Year’s Eve. Don’t ask me how - I don’t keep track of these things but what I’m saying is, 2024 just suddenly ended. The ship bought a gazillion 2024 NYE things so we were all decked out in hats, and headbands, and glasses, and various accoutrements.
Everyone was ready to party- starting early that morning when I rolled into the buffet for breakfast to find a roaming Mariachi style band playing right in the middle of everything and as I walked by, I swear to you they sang out loud and proud those Footloose lyrics we all love so much, “ Jack. Get Back. Wake up the morning crack.”
We stayed downstairs that night for a bit but it was starting to get wild and Rich and Ginny went to the show in the theater so we can back up the room. It’s pretty rare for me to ever see a midnight.
The next morning, we all had an excursion together- we’d arrived in Montevideo, Uruguay. I was pumped! Montevideo has been low key on my radar since about 1994 when I had a Bible teacher at ACU who had been a missionary there and who had since then changed jobs to become a professor and who was very much committed to driving people nuts. I say this with love.
He was the guy who thought it was funny to print the study guide for the test with the words all skewed about the page- to shake things up for the OCD people. Who does this? I’m asking. I’m not in the least bit OCD - leave all the drawers open. Put things around all Willy Nilly. Knock something over and leave it there a week. I don’t give a rip. But for the love of all things holy, who goes out of their way to make word soup on paper just to be annoying?
This is what I thought of when I thought of Montevideo.
ANYWAY- the country wanted to redeem itself. I just knew it.
We all loaded onto the bus and met our lovely guide for the day, a sweet older woman named Betty who spoke impeccable English.We had a bit of a city tour first - and I’m so glad. It is a gorgeous city! And then, we were off to head outside of town to the lovely summer vineyards and a wonderful family run winery. There we had a tour and some talks and then a delicious lunch and wine tasting. Uruguay is known for their Tannat! Who knew? I mean presumably plenty of people - but not me. The good news was, I love tannat!! We tried the sauv blanc, the rose, the merlot, and the tannat. All were quite good. We wished they’d have poured their Chardonnay, but no such luck.
The food was delicious - we’d heard that their biggest export (Uruguay, not the winery) was beef so we were hoping to try some of this famous meat. They brought each table a large salad, a plate of roasted potatoes, and then a massive tray of grilled meats- chicken, sausage, pork, and beef. It was insane! Also insane was the couple who was seated with our group who didn’t seem to get the ‘family style’ concept and just took food and didn’t pass anything around. Had Jason not stepped in to pass the trays, they would have likely eaten the entire tray of meats- lol!
In the middle of lunch, all the sudden music started up and a tango broke out in the center of the room. Wow! It was amazing. They did 6 dances in all, but had a break and costume change in the middle.
After, we were able to buy bottles of wine if we wanted (we did) and then back on the bus for a nap as we traveled back to the ship.
The only bummer of the day was it was Jan 1 and everything was closed in town. Again, no shopping! I’m saving money but I want my Christmas ornaments!!!
We all just loved this excursion and the country. A beautiful place. I’d be delighted to return. I’m a bit jealous because our friends do get to return - the ship will go back to Montevideo after they drop us in Buenos Aires!
We now only had 2 more night left onboard. What a whirlwind.
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