The harbor of Punta del Este in the low season

I do not go much to Punta del Este, but sometimes I am happy to take a friend to visit. The harbor is a mandatory stop, especially the fishing boats areas,

Fishing goes on all the year round, if weather allows. Some boats look sad, as if they have been put to float while their owners decide what to do with them.

A couple of old girls were chatting and enjoying the view.

The seagulls are always ready to pick up the discards from fish cleaning. They have learned to keep their position in order,

When the food comes out, it is a riot!

Thanks for looking!   Minolta Autocord, TMX 100 in Beutler.

Fishermen

I caught a number of fishermen that were getting their little boats into Buceo harbor, at about noon on Sunday.

The men were busy mooring, unloading their catch and getting the boats ready. A storm was forecasted for next morning.

Many boats had brought fish.

These men are some of the last artisans left in their trade. I hope that the large fleets that get in the River Plate leave enough fish for them.

Technical: Exakta VX IIb with Pancolar, Sonnar and Flektogon lenses.  Film is FP4+ developed in Beutler. 

The castle is restored

Work is finished, now we have a castle in the midst of the city again.

The old wooden door has been replaced with a metal one. Easier to clean out graffiti. And best of all, the door is open now!

Inside, there is a nice little library for children. Grandparents inside may look to the castle tower, in a rare sunny day of our gray and damp winter.

There is even a bathroom for visitors, new and clean - I do hope all this lasts. We should have elections more often. 

Not only the castle got a face lift. The old gazebo was cleaned and restored, It has images of Wagner, Bach, Beethoven and Mozart - but only old Richard was lit up when I visited.

Elsewhere in the park there was music. A guy was playing saxo quite well; he was also waiting for some contribution from visitors, I believe. Got him from far away with my normal lens, so this processed blurry image will have to do. Get a Gerry Mulligan track for background.

Close by, someone was playing his guitar, maybe following the saxo, but mostly enjoying the sun. The park is shaping up. 

Thanks for watching. Canon 7 with 50/1.8 lens, FP4+ in Beutler.

Restoring the castle

The mini-castle in Rodo Park is being restored.

Heck, we should have close elections more often. Look at the castle front now! It is clean! It also has a new door!

This was the old door - look at the writing above the entrance, it is a famous Artigas quote.

Somehow I feel that the older design had more class. The new one feels like Soviet Ministry of Works art, and the Artigas quote is gone. Maybe they will paint it later on, work is not finished yet.

The tower was also worked out, but the interior of the castle is not finished yet. I sneaked into the construction area, which was empty in a Sunday.

Some graffiti are still visible inside the pond,

The restoration was completed in the lake, and the little boats are back. You can rent one and pedal around the central isle for exercise..

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A view of the castle, as intended by the designers more than 100 years ago.

Thanks for looking!  Pentax ME with 24-35 zoom, a tiny marvel. FP4+ in Beutler.

The neglected mill

The old Perez' watermill (Molino de Pérez) is a fixture of the Malvin area in the Rambla. It sits in a small park, next to a creek that is now almost dry because of drainage elsewhere and city sprawling. Some time ago, the mill area became a favorite venue for meetings supporting marijuana legalization, which did not help real estate values.
 

There are cyclical attempts to restore the building. Some work is done, but shortly afterwards maintenance and vigilance fall out, and the mill stubbornly goes back to a cozy neglect. Currently, the face of the building looking to the Rambla is clean enough. Unfortunately, every other wall shows the outcome of passionate, unsubtle graffiti competitions. Even the old wooden windows got it. I liked this one ("Love is not a signature").

Inside the building court, an old wagon was installed during the latest renewal cycle. One wheel is gone, so that the wagon cannot go easily as a souvenir. The shepherd knows the flock.

This area has some of the best aloe plants in the whole city. Fortunately the aloe has been kept during the cycles of restoration and neglect.  It is stronger than local government's will.

The waterwheel bearing still holds on proudly, although the wheel does not turn anymore.

Just across the Rambla from the mill, people go to the beach as they have ever done. A beach in summer is hard competition for an old, neglected watermill.

Technical: K-1000 with 24-35 zoom, FP4+ in Beutler. Thanks for looking!