Tres Cruces, Montevideo
Left Punta del Este with a partner in crime, going to Montevideo. The bus dropped us off in the Tres Cruces district. We had no idea about where to stay. A recommendation was to go to a hostel in the Pocitos district of Montevideo. For us as tourists looking at the map, with all the different museums, places to see, points of interests and so on, the decision was that we would not listen to the recommendation we got. Instead, did our best to find a hostel in the city. Found the hostel named “Loco Caballo”. It was alright, but a very “big city feeling” about this place. A big door straight from the road brought you in to the hostel. After checking in and getting the story about Pocitos having the only swimmable beach, we regretted our deviation from the recommendation.
Getting around by public transport
It’s very easy to get around with buses. The difficult thing is to know when you should get off. But telling the driver or the guy who sells tickets on the bus where you want to jump off solves this issue. There’s no time table but during the days, buses go very often. Here you can check out which bus to take.
Independence square
The square is placed just between Ciudad Vieja and Centro. Following Avenida 18 de Julio to the end will take you to the plaza. When we came here, there was some sort of protest or demonstration for women rights. All of the girls doing this wore red clothes.
Ciudad Vieja
From what we heard, this place was unsafe during night time. Being a bit tired and lazy made us come here a bit too late. All shops were closed and only a few people roamed the streets but it was still bright for another hour or so. Tried to hurry our way around to find the graffiti down by the streets at the harbour.
Graffiti
The graffiti around here was made by true talents. It’s not often you find so nice artwork on the streets. A bit sad though, that there always was a big bin or container in the way for my pictures.
Rambla de Montevideo
This is close to where we stayed our second and third night. Rambla de Montevideo is around the beach in Pocitos. I’m always thinking about the Big bang theory and Sheldons halloween costume “the doppler effect” when walking around here. Anyone else who remembers that scene or feel the same resemblance?
Some more pictures in & around Pocitos
Iglesia de las Carmelitas & Parque Prado
I wanted to see the Iglesia de las Carmelitas. It was in the other end of the town, had to jump on a bus and sit in it for about 30 minutes. Didn’t look up any specific things around the area but saw the Prado park. Decided to eventually go there if I was in the mood. The church was my main objective. On the way to the church from the bus stop, I walked by a botanical garden too.
Jardin botanico
This place was unknown for me. I found it by accident and wanted to have a quick look. It didn’t really offer anything special at all. Big trees and so on but nothing to interest me. Walked a lap around the park before leaving. Guess I got some okay photos though.
Views over Montevideo
On the second day I walked around the city. Came to a place where I had a good view over the capital. Later on, I met a german guy at the hostel. He rented a car to sleep in during the rest of his stay here. Our plans matched up a bit so I decided to take a ride with him to Colonia del Sacramento instead of going with the bus. He’d seen the hills on the other side of the bay from Ciudad Vieja. Going with the car made it possible to stop on the other side of the Montevideo bay to take some photos of the city.
Picture leftovers! All round Montevideo
