An artsy day in Punta Del Este, Uruguay

Punta Del Este is one of the most fashionable towns in all of South America. It’s been referred to as a “luxurious playground.” While driving through the city along the Atlantic coastline, it’s easy to see how it developed that reputation with its many resorts, white sand beaches, shops and cafes. According to our guide, there is no crime there. I find that hard to believe, but what do I know? While driving through the meticulously kept residential areas, we also learned that the houses do not have numbers; instead they each have names. Also, there's lots of variety in architectural styles.

 

harbor front boats with city skyline in background

We again crowded into the tenders for a ride to the dock where we met up with our guide and headed for Tour Bus #15. She was a very attentive and instructive guide; however her accent was so strong I often had trouble understanding what she was saying.

Our first visit was to the Ralli Museum, a contemporary art museum that houses a collection of artworks by modern Latin American and European artists. Below are only a few of the ones I snapped.

 

Ronnie at Ralli Museum 

inside the Ralli

sculptures in Ralli courtyard

Arman's "Coleres"

LaCodicia Del Bobo, 1999

 Gerardo Matos Rdriguez "LaCumparsita" 

From there, we were driven to the cliff side villa of Casapueblo. The house itself is a work of art, and a local icon. Rather than try to describe it, I will include the story of this internationally renowned Uruguayan artist. It was very crowded when we arrived and it was past our lunch time. We both had a very light breakfast so we decided to grab a sandwich in the café before taking a quick walk-through and snapping more photos. In addition to the café, the hillside residence also includes many pieces of the artist's work, plus a gift shop where books and prints can be purchased.

 

Welcome to Casapueblo

ocean view indoor/outdoor restaurant seating

 

As you will read, the Casapueblo is the  life-long building project of an artist who did not like straight lines. Someone observed that “the house seems to employ not a single right angle” as it sprawls over 10 stories down the rocky bluffs. We certainly didn't see any!

 

Carlos Paez Vilaros' Casapueblo

1958 – Paez Vilaro first arrived in Punta Ballena in 1958 and was mesmerized. Undaunted by the desolate, treeless landscape without roads, electricity or water, he set about fulfilling his dream of building the studio of his life facing the sea.

The Beginning – First he put up a tin shed, where he stored old doors, windows and material he would use to build his future home.

La Pionera – Then, with the help of friends and fishermen, he created La Pionera, his first studio, made of wood.

Evolution -  Years later, he began to cover it with cement, modeling it with his own hands, like a huge sculpture while finding places in its walls for the objects he had brought back from his travels and special niches for his memories. Turrets, corridors, tunnels and terraces began to take on a life of their own, pinning the immaculate white statement of his architecture against the blue of the sky. 

As the years went by, Casapueblo kept growing, always in tune with the landscape surrounding it. Rooms kept being added like cars hitched to a locomotive, many of them build to greet friends from afar who had announced plans to come and stay at this house that had triggered so much curiosity. 

So Casapueblo is a place that attracts artists, collectors, the famous, researchers, students of architecture and globetrotters.

 

backside sits high on hill overlooking the sea

another view from museum shop

tools of the trade

Carlos Paez Vilaros, artist

 

resort view

On the way back to the ship, we stopped at Brava Beach to see “The Hand” sculpture designed in 1982 by the Chilean artist Mario Irrazábal. It’s 5 fingers of a giant hand coming up from the sand and as you might guess, it’s a popular spot for visitors to take photos. There's a sculpture park on Bravo Beach as well with large works made of steel, concrete, wood, iron and marble.  Unfortunately there was not enough time to see those. But all in all, we still packed a lot into only a 4 hour excursion.

 

"The Hand" - count 'em, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5?

Brava Beach (behind "The Hand")

 

As we were walking to the bus, I snapped more photos of some hang gliders over the water. I'm fairly adventuresome (maybe a 5 on a scale of 1-10) ha! but I've never had a desire to do this. However, if I weren't scared I can imagine that it would be peaceful just gliding along on the wind like that. And for the record, I love going up in hot air balloons and zip lining but this just seems a little scarier to me, especially the take off and landing part.

 

weeee!!!

 

beautiful, but kinda scary!

Rio Grande - our last day in Brazil

Rio Grande, founded in 1737, is one of the oldest cities in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. It's our last stop in Brazil and then we're on to Uruguay.

We were within minutes of docking when I woke this morning. The Vista was greeted with music and gaucho dancers on the pier when we docked. 

photo from our balcony as we arrive in Rio Grande harbor

 

The dancers were dressed in the traditional dress of the gaucho culture while being accompanied by 2 singers playing an accordion and a guitar.

 

 traditional gaucho couple dances - view from our 10th floor balcony

younger dancers in orange dresses

 

stopping for a photo op before boarding the shuttle

Being here for not even a full day, we chose once again not to take an excursion but rather take the complimentary shuttle to the historic Hidroviaria da Cidade (City Waterway Terminal) at Rua Riachuelo which was perhaps 15 minutes away. We rode past blocks and blocks of dilapidated and abandoned buildings as we traveled into the central part of the city. But when we reached the drop off point, things were generally much better preserved. 

We were also greeted by other dancers and musicians, and of course there was ample opportunity to purchase handmade crafts, jewelry and other souvenir-type items. The temperature is beginning to cool finally (high of 75 today) so it was not totally unpleasant as it has been in all the other Brazilian cities we've visited.

We walked through what they called a “market” which contained a few stores to shop (fishing supplies, gaucho gear, shoes and such) and a small food court. Then we walked along the water’s edge to an open air pavilion where fishermen were cleaning their catch and sea birds were waiting to sneak scraps. 

 

what's left after fish are fileted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

wishin' and hopin' to snatch a scrap

From there we walked a few blocks to the downtown area. Though still very old, the central part of the city was generally much better maintained. A few shopping streets were no-cars only and the ones that did allow cars stopped for us to cross at intersections even without stop signs or lights. 

 pedestrian street

friendly policia

  

 

We wandered in to a large Catholic church, the Igreja Nossa Senhora do Carmo. A historical landmark, it's known for its distinct Neo-Gothic architecture. No one was there except a few visitors like ourselves. I regret that I couldn’t get a decent photo of the outside but I was at the base and its spires were very tall.

 

Igreja Nossa Senhora do Carmo

 

vertical view of altar

photo op I "heart" Rio Grande

3 boats rest in harbor

large fountain in Praca Tamandare (central square) 

 

Ronnie beside banyan tree

We've had a busy evening, first with an Oceania Club party and then dinner in Jacques, one of the 4 specialty restaurants on board. We sat with a couple from New Orleans. Just this interesting tidbit before I sign off for the night. They came from Russia to the US without knowing a word of English. She shared that both of her grandparents were doctors, her parents were doctors, she and her husband are doctors, their son and daughter are doctors and their granddaughter has applied for medical school. Whew! By the way, their son and daughter are both oncologists in The Woodlands. I guess the whole family could raise their hand if someone asked "is there a doctor in the house?" lol

Thanks for following along! 

Happy Birthday in Porto Belo, Brazil

We celebrated Ronnie’s 78^th birthday in Porto Belo, Brazil today. 

He normally gets up before I do and goes to the Concierge's Lounge for coffee and to do his Bible reading. He usually brings me back a cup of coffee or tea and that’s when I start my day. Today I got up before he returned to our room and surprised him with his birthday gift – 12 Dr. Peppers! That may not sound like much of a birthday gift, but those don’t come easy on the ship even in the US, much less in foreign countries! Thankfully, our very kind butler was able to locate some for me earlier in the week and hide them under our bed, so Ronnie had quite a surprise when he arrived back to our room and discovered his birthday gift.

 

 

It was a hot day in Porto Belo, a seaside town on the northern coast of Santa Catarina, Brazil. We didn’t have anything booked so we did what we often do. We took a 25 minute tender ride to shore to just take a look around. It was super hot and I was ready to come back to the ship within an hour or so. The skyline here is absolutely incredible. I so wish Blogger would allow me to post a short video (it supposedly does, but I’m not having any luck). 

 

here's what a hot and pitchey ride looks like inside a tender

Porto Belo, this city background goes for miles and miles!

The skyline was longer than any I think I’ve ever seen. The sandy beach was the prettiest we have seen (almost like white powder). It was not crowded at all (by Rio standards) so it’s easy to see why Porto Belo has become a destination for travelers who just want to relax and take in the local culture.

 

an uncrowded white sandy beach

 

view from pier

Flag of the municipality of Porto Belo

store window

surfer-biker

EU Porto Belo

blooming palm

women's restroom

 

While tendering back to the ship, we visited with a very nice couple from New Braunfels, Texas, then had lunch in the Terrace Cafe before heading to our room for a lazy afternoon. Ronnie finished his drawing using color pencils of a photo I took at the ROXY dinner theater a few nights ago.

 

window table view of tenders going back and forth

 

birthday boy enjoying his ice cream

Tonight was our first night to eat in a specialty restaurant due to our (lack of) clothes the first few weeks. I had booked a table for two in his favorite steak restaurant for his birthday. The ship has record of everyone’s birthday, so he had the same treatment I did – a cake, being sung to by waiters and our room being decorated while we were out to dinner. 

 

being sung to in Polo Grill

 

room fairies delivered birthday wishes

It's been a good day!