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Montevideo

Leaving the bus station, we decided to walk the 1.5 miles to our hotel.  This was a hotel we booked with our hotel points, and were looking forward to relaxing a bit after our ferry and bus ride.  

Waking along, no one was outside.  We were right in that magical siesta hour of 2PM.  Shops weren't open, restaurants were closed, and seriously, no one was out on the street.  This would continue throughout our stay in Montevideo.  Almost too relaxed.  Like I needed some action to happen.  

Once night time came around, we were itching to get out and see some of the sites around town.  It was a Monday night, so still a lot of the places closed at 6PM, or were just closed on Mondays in general.  We had a lovely stroll to a few of the parks dispersed about.  

Within the main square, some people gathered in a very large circle, with speakers set up in the front, and classical music played while couples danced away.  95% were at least 65 and up.  Some wore very nice clothing, with their hair up, and makeup done, taking the dancing very seriously.  They were the most fun to watch.  Others were smiling and just moving about with their partner of choice.  Some people would walk all the way across the circle to find their next partner.  It was a really great scene to see, and I'm happy we were able to witness it.  Such a relaxed feel to an older city.  Not a ton going on, but people coming out to dance in the park is really a pretty special thing.  

Unlike Buenos Aires, Montevideo has beaches.  We were surprised to find that the city is technically on a river and not the ocean.  Everyone calls it the sea because you can't see the other side, but after spending the following day at the beach, it definitely seemed like a river.  The water was brownish and the sandy bottom felt a bit muddy. 

We were only in Montevideo for a couple days, but it's definitely worth a stopover.   A nifty sleepy little city.