It was
still overcast this morning when we woke and didn't change all day.
We headed out of town aiming to spend the night in Minas, a town up
in the hills named after the local industry - mining.
Our route took us along the coast and through Maldonado. There's no
clear distinction of when Punta ends and Maldonado starts. Most of
the bay is lined with high rise hotels and apartment blocks but
every now and again there is still a single house - they look
slightly lost amongst the high rise and it makes me wonder why
people haven't simply cashed in and sold out to the developers.
There are still new buildings going up and it probably won't be long
before more of those from the '60's and '70's are demolished to make
way for new blocks. They have the feeling of self sufficient mini
villages - several have dentists, doctors and pharmacies (a passion
Uruguayans seem to share with mainland Europe) on the ground floor.
Casapueblo
The beaches are long and sandy but they don't have the same beauty
as those at La Pedrera and Cabo Polonio. In the summer they will be
a heaving mass of people, our roasting in the sun - a South American
equivalent of the Spanish costas.
We took a short detour out to Punta Ballena, another outcrop where
in the right season you can see whales and tuna migrating. There are
views from here back across the bay to Punta, but as the weather
still isn't great all we really saw were three bands of different
shaded grey - sky, town and sea.
Our main reason for the detour was to visit Casa Pueblo, the home of
Uruguayan artists Carlos Páez Vilaró. I've not heard of him before
but the video at the start of the "tour" gave a run down of his
artistic commissions. He's now 81 and seems to have had a very
colourful life traveling the world pursuing his art. I was left with
the impression of someone who was wealthy and well connected (he had
diplomatic assistance more than once to get himself out of tricky
near death situations) who was able to follow their personal
passion.
After seeing the video, which catalogued commissions in airports,
schools and other public buildings around the world, as well as
others for famous celebrities, we were left to browse through some
rooms displaying his art. It was similar to other work we've seen in
Europe - abstract, bold colours with an almost childlike
interpretation of his subject. As well as paintings, he made films
(highly regarded at Cannes), sculptures and pottery. The very
attentive staff, who kept opening up opportunities for us to buy a
memento of our visit also commented that "the artist is at home
today and can add a personalised greeting to any print you buy if
you would like him too." Had we liked his art we probably would have
done but we came away empty handed.
To me his best work was the house itself. It is a total fantasy
which Carlos designed and built himself over 30 years. It has grown
organically so it's now a myriad of rooms, balconies, terraces and
secluded pools. It reminded me of buildings by Gaudí and brought
back strong memories of Barcelona. The complex is now very large -
explained as part is now a hotel and conference centre, but Carlos
still lives and works on this sight. He has fabulous views of the
bay round to Montevideo and the light is superb. But even here on
this small rocky point, the building work is going on apace.
We followed the bay round to Piriápolis - another resort which is
very quiet. The main attraction, the Argentine Hotel, is a statement
symbol of better times. It's huge and conjures for me images of
1940/1950's wealthy families spending the summer on the coast.
Wine cellar underneath the confiteria on
the plaza de armas.
Más vino!
Stepping back in time in this bar in Minas
The road then leading up to Minas takes us past Cerro Pan de Azucar,
one of the of the highest points in the country. On the top is a
huge cross, partially covered in clouds. Even though we have taken
the panoramic route, which winds and climbs slowly uphill, the cloud
cover was too low for us to be able to enjoy the view. It cleared
enough for us to see Minas before we arrived (the first time this
has happened - all other towns were on flat landscapes and we
literally just drove into them).
Minas appears quite large and from a distance is dominated by the
bell towers of the church - a useful signpost to the main square and
our hotel. With a town plan in hand and reassurances that if we get
lost everyone in town knows the Hotel Verdun and will be able to
direct us back we set out to explore the centre.
At one corner where we stop to get our bearings, an elderly
gentleman strikes up a conversation. I can't follow his Spanish and
even Stef seems to be struggling - he now claims he was purposely
playing dumb as he was trying to work out if this friendly chap was
genuine of not. Turns out he was and if we're ever in Minas again,
we've got his number and should call him to go to his house for a
coffee!
On the main square we popped in to the Confiteria Irisarri for a
quick coffee - its a local institution and a real find. Its been
around for 108 years, originally just making cakes and pastries but
now also with a tearoom as well as a shop. Its famous for its
alfajores - shortbread style biscuits sandwiched together with a
dulce de leche filling. There is a steady trade of people stopping
off to buy cakes and pastries on their way home from work.
With not many tourists ever visiting town we're a bit of a novelty
and the waiter tells us about, and then shows us, the cellars they
have downstairs. One long room has a table that can seat up to 40
for dinner. Around the walls are opened ended wine barrels filled
with bottles of wine and champagne, stacked and ready to go. Another
smaller room is more difficult to see because the floors under 6
inches of water. In the middle is a roughly hewn table and chairs -
the type you can picture the Three Musketeers sat around plotting
and planning their next escapade. There's also a small collection of
old typewriters, moulds for making sweets and pictures charting the
progress of the shop over the years. The waiter showing us around
seemed really pleased that he'd had the opportunity to show off
these local treasures.
Late in the evening we popped into a bar across the hotel for a
final digestif. It was run by an elderly chap and his wife and has
the musty smell you sometimes associate with old people (it reminded
me of the smell of Mr Canderlin's house, our piano teacher who lived
with his elderly mother). It was a time warp location with a very
high ceiling and lots of small rectangular marble topped tables,
just big enough for two people. The bar was also marble and behind
it was a huge old fashioned fridge with wooden doors. At the back a
narrow flight of steps leads up to a peluqueria (barbers/hairdressers). At the front a small kiosko opens out onto
the main square. Trade has been slow for the last 15 years. In an
effort to maintain business there are a few booths around the bar
with internet access. Two were in use and we were the only other
customers. As we left, we noticed that the building is up for sale.
