The theme in my FB newsfeed this morning: We’re sick of snow, we want it to stop; spring’s on Tuesday but it looks like January; that’s enough. I saw a “snow shots” thread where people around the UK were posting winter white photos of their back yards, and I participated with one of mine from …
During our two-week vacation in Uruguay, my husband and I spent 35 hours on long distance buses: west/east to Colonia del Sacramento, east/west to Punta del Este, and north/south to Artigas. Bus travel was cheap, convenient, and gave us a much better understanding of how the other half of the Uruguayan population lives, that is, …
“By the day after Christmas, you won’t be able to book a hotel, find a restaurant, or call a taxi. But right now, Punta del Este is very nice.” Our waiter has summed up our experience so far in this city that Uruguayans call the Monaco of South America. We’re here for the final three …
It was the Canadian ambassador’s idea. During the business portion of my trip to Uruguay, I met Joanne Frappier twice: once at the signing of a memorandum of understanding between my university and the Universidad Tecnologica, Uruguay’s newest university; and once with my colleagues at the Canadian Embassy in Montevideo. Her friendly, down-to-earth personality made …
Before I started my vacation in Uruguay, many locals gave me advice about where to visit. Although they all had their favorites, everyone mentioned Colonia del Sacramento, a UNESCO World Heritage site 180 km west of Montevideo. I was well ready to leave Montevideo’s hectic traffic and slightly frayed edges for the Uruguayan countryside. For …
All right, everyone. Fingers on your buzzers. It’s quiz time. In which country did the tango originate? If you said “Argentina,” you’re only half right. For full points, you’d need to answer “Argentina and Uruguay.” The two countries used to squabble over where it developed, but, in 2009, they applied together to UNESCO to have …
If you love to drink South American red wine, there’s a very good chance you’ve quaffed a Malbec from Argentina, or a Chilean Cabernet. But Uruguay’s claim to grape fame- the big, bold tannat – may not have arrived in a wine glass near you, especially if you’re Canadian. Part of that is because of …
Maybe it’s because I come from a landlocked Canadian province. Maybe it’s the rhythm of the waves, their constancy reminding me that while most things change, some things never do. Maybe it’s the Montevideans, who, like me, can’t get enough of walking by, playing near, or gazing out at the shoreline. But whatever it is, …
As a woman of mostly British heritage, drinking tea has been part of my life since I was a little girl. My mom never strayed too far from Red Rose, and it was more often an after dinner drink than a mid-afternoon refreshment. But as I grew up, I experienced a wide variety of teas …
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