I worked last Saturday. Most middle schools here have class on Saturday because most students have 9-11 subjects during the week. Studying for tests must be a nightmare even for the greatest multitasker. Well, two teachers invited me to their Saturday English classes. Although attending an 8am middle school English class is not my ideal Saturday morning, I don’t suspect it’s ideal for the students either. At least, I could provide a change of pace for them by talking about peanut butter and answering their questions about Justin Bieber. So, from 8am-3pm, I visited four different classes, in two different middle schools on two very opposite sides of Montevideo. I was absolutely exhausted by the time I got home. On my hour-long bus ride back to Pocitos, I realized I had done nothing for myself all weekend. That was going to change. Since I dedicated an entire Saturday to work, Sunday was going to be all about me. I’ve been wanting to check out the neighboring town of Piriapolis for sometime. So, I decided to go and coaxed Amy and Sarah to go with me.
- Describing a peanutbutter sandwich. I’m not lying. All I talk about is food, particularily peanut butter
We were up by 10 and on the bus to Piriapolis by 11am. This is a record for us, especially on the weekends. On the way, as I peered out the window, I saw mountains (or big hills really). What? There are mountains here? Uruguay has the geography of Florida- more or less: rolling hills but mostly VERY flat plains. So, I was surprised when I saw anything higher than a sand dune sticking out of the earth. Uruguay’s highest point is right outside Piriapolis- Cerro de Pan de Azucar (Sugarloaf Hill. Wow. I really can’t escape sweets, even in my destination choice. When we arrived in Piriapolis, it was a cloudy, sleepy, Sunday afternoon. We walked from the bus stop to la Rambla (heaven forbid we go anywhere without a Rambla! Although I will say, from all the Ramblas I’ve seen- Montevideo, Colonia, Punta de Diablo, this was my favorite). Piriapolis was cute and charming, but had probably seen better days. This is because a) it’s winter here and people don’t go to the beach in the winter…duh and b) the “golden age” of Piriapolis was probably a half century ago. The town reminded me of hotels and buildings that might be in the Great Gatsby: regal, European, ornate but with flares of art deco. Also, there was this cool Bavarian looking hotel. With the background of rolling hills running towards the sea, it was quite picturesque even though it was overcast. We walked along la Rambla to a chairlift that went to the top of one of the hills. It was broken. Bummer. We weren’t too dismayed by this, and we walked along the fishing pier until the wind picked up. At this point, we decided to head back and find Piria’s castle. Piria was the architect of the HUGE, Gatsby-esque landmark Hotel Argentino. It was a beachside resort sans beachgoers. He apparently built his house as a castle towards the edge of town. We went to check it out.
- Because it isn’t a visit without a trip to the Rambla
- Bavarian Hotel?
On our way we walked by a train “museum”. It was literally a rusty remnant of a train. I loved it all the same. Those of you who know me know my odd affection for trains. Ever since I discovered Amtrak a year and a half ago, I haven’t turned back from train travel. Why drive and deal with traffic when there is a train? Why fly and starve to death mid-flight when you can take a train? Don’t believe me? Last summer I took a 2 day train trip from Seattle to Chicago. I and my fellow train-lovers (mainly senior citizens and crazy people) spent 48 hours rolling across Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Just call me the train troll.
- Pretty sure the gate on the train meant I WASN’T supposed to climb aboard
Anyways, back to storming the castle. We walked along a road for about an hour that took us out-of-town. We walked past a park, flowers, horses, an abandoned church and although we neared Sugarloaf, we didn’t find the castle. We looked at our watches (as the locals looked at the 3 weirdo, gringas walking down a rural highway) and realized our bus left in an hour and it would take us an hour to walk back to the bus stop. We abandoned our search for Piria’s castle. Bummer.
- Facinating Flora
- Sugarloaf Mountain! only reason to climb it is to see if there are some Dulce de Leche waterfalls
On our trek back to town, it started to rain. We arrived at the bus station tired, wet and hungry. Bummer. We grabbed some milanesa sandwiches and chowed down at the bus stop while being harassed by harassed by a dog. Actually, not so much harassed but all out molested. This mutt was headbutting my legs, sniffing my sandwich, sitting on my feet, and going through my bag for food. Luckily our bus arrived before the dog rubbed any more fleas or mange all over my belongings. We escaped the bothersome dog and headed back to Montevideo. Side note: Why don’t I think my food choices through? A milanesa before a 1.5 hour bus ride? Not really the best decision gastrointestinally speaking. I suppose
- Just walking down a rural highway….no weirdo, gringas here….
t is my fate to end every weekend trip with a bus ride full of heartburn and indigestion. As we pulled away from Piriapolis, the rain had stopped and the sunset was peaking through the clouds. The bright oranges and reds burst through the dark clouds and contrasted beautifully with the rolling hills of the countryside. So, I guess Piriapolis wasn’t really a bummer. We went to Piriapolis to see views from hilltops. Failed. To see Piria’s castle. Failed. To enjoy the weather on a Sunday afternoon. Failed. But we did the best Rambla I’ve seen in Uruguay, cool architecture, a visit to the world’s smallest train museum, a fried meat sandwich (always welcome despite the stomach aches), and a beautiful sunset….and I would call that a success.
Life's a Borer 