LOCATION: Montevideo, Uruguay
WEATHER: Pretty nice. High 80
We took a walk in the other direction on the rambla, the long boardwalk in front of the beach. Being a work day, there weren’t nearly as many people as yesterday, Sunday.
On our way, we saw a strange building with what looked like a ship’s bow jutting out in front. As we stood around trying to figure it out, a lady opened the front door and said it is a museum, and a former castle of a famous (crazy) alchemist. She encouraged us to return in the evening for a tour.
On our way back home, we strolled through the back streets that parallel the beach. It is interesting to see European architecture right next to a new, modern high-rise
This is early fall, here in the Southern Hemisphere, so the trees and flowers are losing their beauty, but it must have been spectacular this summer.
Another crazy mix of old and new are these horse carts. Burly-looking men guide the horse carts around to the garbage cans and fish out recycling. No one seems to think this is strange.
Back at the apartment, we figured out the washing machine and did a small load. There is no dryer here and people hang their clothes outside like this…
I was a bit concerned about opening the window, stretching out to hang up the clothes, and hoping that I would not drop them 9 stories below! So, instead, we strung the clothes on clothes racks around the apartment – in the sun and in front of the air conditioner.
In the evening, we walked back to the alchemist’s castle for a tour. It was super strange. We learned that the mast in front of the building was an addition because in alchemy, the believers think life is a boat as we sail the sea of life. The tour taught us a lot about the symbolism of alchemy. Part of the building was where his followers would practice alchemy and another part was his house, built from 1920-1950. It was almost psychedelic.
DINNER: Arugula salad and leftover pizza from last night’s restaurant dinner.
Reids on the Road with Joy 