Friday 5 June 2009

Things to see and do in Montevideo

Don't get me wrong, I love Uruguay and love Montevideo (otherwise why would I be living here?!) but this little city can feel a bit limiting sometimes. As such I have decided that from now on I will be making a more conscious effort to unearth the hidden gems and see what Montevideo really has to offer. I intend to fill my next few months with culture, art, music, history, events, food, and whatever other activities I can get my hands on...so stay tuned!

So far I've happened upon a few locations that have quickly become my favourites so we'll start with those.

CANDOMBE: This is a sure fire way to lift the spirit! Candombe is the traditional drumming music of Uruguay and during the weekend you can find local drum groups called comparsas practicing throughout the Barrio Sur and Palermo districts.



These groups march the streets playing infectious rhythms which literally draw people out of their apartments on to their balconies, rooves and door ways. Women (and some men) join the dancers which lead the way as they move through the streets and whole families just join the crowd - it creates a wonderful sense of community .

The pictures above were taken in Barrio Sur district, somewhere along Carlos Gardel Street I think. However now I'm living in Parque Rodo and one of the greatest comparsas (the all female one, I think they're called La Milasa?) practice right outside my house at the bottom of Juan Manuel Blanes - I could watch them for hours!

SUBTE: This little contemporary gallery always has something unique and original to offer the passerby. I've seen a powerful photo exhibit documenting the unexplained disappearances during the dictatorships and a fun modern and interpretive art collection so there's sure to be a good range.




It's located underground at Plaza Fabini along 18 de Julio and you can check out what they have planned at their blog (its in Spanish but very easy to navigate). They're open Tuesdays through Sundays from 3.30pm until 9pm.

I think next on my list will be Montevideo Zoo, The Municipal Photography Centre and The Visual Arts Museum (which I passed the other day and it looks really cool so that one might come first!)
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5 comments:

  1. Benjamin N. Gedan8 June 2009 at 12:26

    Great recommendations! I look forward to reading more of your Montevideo travel tips.

    The Museo de la Memoria is also worth a trip, and not only because it's in the beautiful Prado neighborhood. I'm sure you've also heard about the Torres García and Gurvich museums in the Ciudad Vieja.

    bg

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  2. IrishBlogger21 June 2009 at 15:59

    What is Museo de la Memoria? I haven't heard of that one.

    Of course I've heard of Torres Garcia...the problem with that one is it is very tourist and has a entry fee. There are some lovely works by Garcia in Museo de las Bellas Artes in Prado too.

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  3. Benjamin N. Gedan25 June 2009 at 11:08

    It's a fairly new museum about the dictatorship and the period that led to the 1973 coup. It was built in the former summer home of Uruguayan dictator Máximo Santos (1882 to 1886), where Santos supposedly kept slaves and fed his enemies to lions.

    I've blogged about it here: http://benjamingedan.blogspot.com/2008/09/museo-de-la-memoria-remembering.html

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  4. IrishBlogger10 July 2009 at 12:17

    Yeh I read your post about that on Small State but the link to the museums site doesn't work anymore (surprise surprise, its Uruguay!). Where did you see the exhibit maybe I can go to see if its still running....

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  5. Mel22 April 2010 at 18:45

    Hi!
    Thanks for this info!
    Next month I'm going to live in an apartment in Buenos Aires because of my job, and I'm planning for the weekends to travel a little, so I can know some other places around, for example Uruguay!
    So this blog will be very usefull for me.
    So thanks :)

    Mel

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