Lucky in Life

It has been a week since my last entry and I apologize for that. I have been enjoying the company of mi esposa (Elly) who took the long series of flights to visit me here in Uruguay. Something many of you may not realize is that part of accepting a slot with the EY CR Fellows Program has meant leaving my wife behind in Columbus for the duration of the program. This has been the most difficult part of the program and I do not think it is coincidence that there is only one other married Fellow among the ten of us. I was delighted when Ellys very kind bosses at Ohio State allowed her the week off to come visit me. Elly was here for a total of six days, which we packed full of adventure and fun.

Days 1 and 2 – Buenos Aires, Argentina

No trip is complete to this part of the world without a sample of Buenos Aires. BA is a wild, crazy place with more action in one day than Montevideo has in a year. It is home to huge steaks, tango, and an extreme form of national pride. We took the fast ferry on a three hour voyage from Montevideo to Buenos Aires. We got good seats and it was a comfortable ride (cost about $75 USD each). In quick order we hit Casa Rosado (where the President lives), the National Cathedral (impressive! but I couldn’t find any relics), and Florida Street which is pedestrian only and home to many street vendors. We saw the National Congress Building and almost witnessed a confrontation between riot police and protestors wielding long sticks. We enjoyed the music and dancing at a Senor Tango show. Props to the extremely classy Hilton Buenos Aires for upgrading us to an amazing room that left us feeling spoiled.

Days 3 and 4 – Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

See my earlier entry for more detail on Colonia. It is historic and beautiful. We enjoyed two leisurely days there full of walking the old stone streets, enjoying good food, and soaking in the small but unique museums (admission to all six museums for only $2.50 USD). We stayed in the Posada Plaza Mayor in a tiny room with 18 foot high ceilings and old stone walls. The room faced an inner courtyard with a colorful garden and fountain. Thanksgiving dinner consisted of a meal cooked entirely over an open fire at a little outdoor restaurant overlooking the ocean (technically river at this point). We had roast potato and red pepper, tuna steak, and blood sausage with some jugs of cheap, bad wine.

Days 5 & 6 – Montevideo, Uruguay

We hit all of the best that Montevideo has to offer. The Biarritz Street Market, the Old Town, Mercado de los Artisanos, and the market at Tristan Navaja. Elly got to experience some of our favorite restaurants, including El Veijo Y Del Mar, Tandory, and Taco Munoz. We hit the number one tourist attraction, the Mercado de Puerto, which is a huge building full of asados selling meat cooked over wood fires. The whole place smells of grilling meat and wood smoke. We got the BBQ for two, which consisted of about six pounds of various meats, as well as a bottle of Medio Y Medio, the specialty of the Mercado. The food was delicious and cost less than $30 USD for everything.

Day 7 – Clausen

I brought Elly to work with me for a short tour of Clausen and to meet many of the very kind people I work with. Elly won them over by carrying a load of 140 homemade buckeyes from Columbus to share. The employees enthusiastically loved the buckeyes and poured on the charm as I have come to expect from Uruguayans. Then Elly hopped on the plane out of town and was gone. I miss her immensely.