Friday morning....

It´s Friday morning and Maryann is still asleep. We had a very full day yesterday and it lasted long into the night.

We spent Thursday in Montevideo. It was a sunny day, with temps in the mid-50s, so it was perfect for walking around and shopping in the Centro district. After spending 15-20 minutes looking for parking space on the road, we found a parking lot and were off on our shopping adventure.

Maryann looked for shoes and a purse, but unfortunately she was not successful finding either. My guess is that she will continue her pursuit of these elusive items again today.

We did find the ´Mercado de los Artesans´ (Artists Market) which was filled with amazing works of art from Uruguayan artists. We spent over an hour there and bought many treasures for family and friends. I found a beautiful necklace and earring set that I gave to Maryann. This jewelry will always remind us of our time in Uruguay.

After the shopping adventure (lunch was in there also) we picked up our friend Carlos and headed to the Red Cross. The drive there was an adventure in itself. We had a conversation with a government official regarding Maryann´s driving skills, but were able to move along without further incident. I´ll allow Maryann to blog about the visit to the Red Cross, but it was another amazing experience.

Back in our hotel room, but prior to dinner, Maryann and I enjoyed the bottle of Bouza Chardonnay which we had purchased at the winery on Monday. Delightful! Note to our California friends.....Uruguay´s wines are world class! We then headed out for a short walk around Pocitos prior to dinner. During this walk (and only 2 blocks from our hotel) we found the Montecristo (http://www.montecristo.com.uy/), which is an old house, built to look like a castle. This place has much history and now houses both a museum and garden. We quickly changed our dining plans to include the Montecristo. We met Carlos, his cousin Gladis, and long-time friend Enrigue for appetizers at Old Maz and then headed to Montecristo around 10:15 pm for dinner. The evening was filled with conversation about the Montecristo, wine, Europe, Uruguay and the US. We enjoyed several bottles of Bouza Merlot as well! Maryann had ravioli and I had Thai Chicken. We both agreed that these were the best meals we´ve had while in Uruguay. The meal and conversation lasted until 1:00 am, when the Montecristo closed. It was an excellent last night in MVD. I can´t say that I´ve EVER had a meal go that long, but it was well worth it. Maryann and I have commented repeatedly that Marlene-Oma would fit right in here as she likes to nibble throughout the day and then have a late evening meal.

Today, we head for home. It is with much sadness that our time here has come to an end. We have made many friends and have seen many aspects of life in Uruguay. This country has much to offer....the ocean, large bustling cities and the beauty of the countryside. We´re already thinking about our next visit. As to whether we are moving here to pursue our winery, that decision isn´t made yet, but no matter how that decision turns out, we will come back to Uruguay.

I´ve been writing for almost an hour, so I am going to sign off now. I am certain that Maryann will want to tell you about her experience yesterday at the Uruguayan Red Cross.

Ciao´