Images of Montevideo and Uruguay

Cell phone vignettes from 2011

2011-12-18T22:19:00.001-02:00

Like most Montevideanos, I carry a cell phone that has a simple built-in camera. Here are a few pictures of the city, taken during 2011.

Visiting ANTEL's skyscraper they let me into the upper floor. Even in a gray day, the view is nice! Moreover, it is the only way to see the private areas of the harbor, on the Bella Vista side.

The whole city was in the street that happy night when Uruguay won the South America's Football Cup for the fifteenth time.

This truck from the 1930s is always around the Old City, but I don't think it is working. Looks like something out of the Untouchables TV series. I half expect to see Elliot Ness going out of the back doors.

The classic Customs building in the harbor, under the afternoon light. There is a man earnestly holding in place the no-U-turn sign. Montevideanos are so caring of their city.

Thanks for following these snaps. Merry Christmas and Happy 2012 to you all!

Work in progress

2011-10-30T18:28:00.001-02:00

Visited again the Carrasco hotel, which is being thoroughly restored by Sofitel. People are working hard on the intrincate detail both inside and outside the building.

The building is surrounded by a tall metal fence, so you can only peek at what is going on inside. People will gladly paint on the fence; we are an artistic city.

The work-in-progress at the Hotel Carrasco reminded me of the unfinished Lourdes church by the great Eladio Dieste, master of ceramic and brick structures. This 1934 church is located in Rivera avenue. It was going to be replaced (or complemented, I'll never know) by a Dieste masterpiece. Work started in 1965 and was interrupted in 1968, never to start again. Look at that unfinished bell tower at the back.

Celeste madness, again.

2011-07-26T22:33:00.000-03:00

You may have heard by now that Uruguay won the Copa América 2011, the South American competition of football teams. It was no mean feat to eliminate Argentina in their home turf in quarter finals, especially because the locals played well. Mexico and Peru went before, and our last rival, Paraguay, eliminated Brazil.

The explosion came last Sunday evening, after the final game with Paraguay ended with a 3-0 victory.

The city went stark, sky-blue mad for several hours. From grandparents to grandchildren, everybody went to the streets just to shout and wave the flag. I got the old camera out and went to the Rambla to see what was happening.

Hard to see who was crazier - us on the sidewalks or the car passengers!

People were heading to the Centenario stadium, to wait for the winning team. The team arrived there at 3 AM. Lots of disorders in the old stadium; nothing was prepared for the very long wait, and it seems that vigilance was slack. But then, who would have dared to prepare a celebration when the game was still to be played? It would have been most un-Uruguayan.

Next day, Monday, the city was a long yawn. Everybody had stayed up late, but there were a lot of happy faces. I had never seen before so many sky-blue pullovers, ties, shirts, you name it. A new fashion trend must have started while I was sleeping!

Good bye to candombe weather

2011-06-04T23:29:00.001-03:00

The April parade of candombe groups marks the end of the season. Cold weather and rain are just around the corner of the calendar.

The parade is all colors and joy.

Beautiful vedettes show off their graceful dance steps.

Mature dancers have their tricks, too.

See you again in Spring!

Carmelo & Calera de las Huérfanas

2011-04-24T16:25:00.002-03:00

Carmelo is a small town around Arroyo de las Vacas. It is the only town founded by Artigas himself. He knew what he was doing - it is a wonderful site.

There is a unique rotary bridge over the creek, does not get much use these days.

Old dredges should be busy around nearby Martin Garcia island, but instead they just sit in the harbor, collecting rust.

The Carmen sanctuary in Carmelo is one of the oldest on our little country.

Near Carmelo (about 6 km) you can see Calera de las Huerfanas. This is a place where the Jesuits had a mission until mid 18th century, including a lye works and mining site and a large cattle site. It became a Estancia after the Jesuits' expulsion. Now, a NGO is reclaiming the historical site - good work that should be supported.

Jose de San Martin's family lived several years right here, although he was born later when they moved to Yapeyu, Corrientes province. Most of his siblings were born in this Estancia. They went on to fight for Spain in several theaters of war while Jose was liberating South America. Crazy times.

Wooden fruit boxes

2011-04-18T21:25:00.000-03:00

Montevideo is full of fruit stalls which show off their products in open wooden boxes. The stall operators are not always keen about photography, but the colors and patterns are compelling.

The boxes are always scarce, they come and go from the main market to the stalls. Sometimes they break or get lost in transit. Market operators write their business names on the side, in an attempt to keep accounting and get their boxes back.

When piled to be loaded, sometimes the boxes make regular patterns, but not very much so. Nothing Uruguayan could be too regular.

Best part of this subject are the textures and tones. I like the following one because of the onions spilling out of the box.

Thanks for looking.

Carrasco Hotel goes on

2011-03-17T22:45:00.000-03:00

I took another look at this beautiful historic building, located in Carrasco near the River Plate.

It's official - Sofitel is telling the world it's them doing the restoring job. Hope this means business.

There is a tall hedge around the building, I could just point a camera at random over it. I should be taller. There's work being done inside.

Restoring involves a lot of adornments, especially inside the building. But this window will give an idea of what is involved.

The area close to the hotel also needs some serious cleaning and restoring. Maybe it happens when the hotel is finished!

I will continue to follow this project from time to time. It will be a big symbolic event if the hotel starts working again.

Bicycle race

2011-03-15T22:35:00.000-03:00

When I was a child, bycicle races in the week of Carnival were a big thing. We followed the one-week race on the radio, sometimes even on a map, checking out the individual racers and their clubs. Like the Tour de France, only in the small and 50 years before. You know, time measurements, speculations and team strategy, who is getting away and who is catching up, the stars, the works. And all these before anti-doping control.

I remember going with my father to see the heroes go by in their high-tech bikes and to cheer for our favorites.

Last weekend, I went again to see the racers go by in their last few kilometers, half expecting the noise and the fury of the old days. Radio transmissions were exactly like I remembered them. I even suspect the same guy speaking, he must be close to retirement on the long side of it. They came quite on time - and fast!

But nowadays, the race seemed just fast and functional. About 1 minute before the racers, a couple of police bikes checked the area. All the bikers were through in a couple of minutes. The last ones had to compete with the CUTCSA passenger buses retaking their routes.

Maybe the Vuelta Ciclista in Holy Week gets more attention. I hate to see traditions pass away. I must be getting older than I thought.

Getting close with a mirror

2011-02-03T23:02:00.001-02:00

I'm looking again at the city sights, now through the eye a 500mm f8 cheap mirror lens.

Here's a Buceo Harbor pilot launch, going fast to meet an incoming ship. It is fighting the waves, at a few hundred meters from the camera.

An experienced line fisherman gets a very close portrait.

You can explore the details of a fishing boat, anchored 15 m away from the camera. That is, if your hand keeps steady. This is not a lens for nervous photographers.

Highlights, out of focus, turn into rings. Looking at the sun reflections on the water produces a kaleidoscope of rings, alive with movement and tones.

Film: Ilford Pan 400, exposed at EI 200, developed in ID-11 1:1.

Homage to Playa Verde

2011-01-23T21:33:00.000-02:00

Playa Verde (Green Beach) is a small coast resort near Piriapolis, about 95 km east of Montevideo. A good place for a family to spend a summer vacation.

It is a relatively old place. This building used to be a diligence base and a hotel for travelers, according to local folklore.

A lot of birds live on the eucaliptus and pine trees.

And insects too; this giant moth is about 64mm long. The white disc is a 5-pesos coin, diameter 1 inch. Excuses for the grain, not a very professional scanning.

Summer!

2011-01-18T21:45:00.000-02:00

Best season of the year is back. Time to rest wherever you can, if you can. A hammock in the shadow, close to trees full of birds, is not a bad place.

The eucaliptus trees in our coast have strange shapes in their bark.

Summer sunsets - the silence, sea sounds and cool breeze cannot be photographed.

Random wide shots in the city

2010-12-19T19:54:00.000-02:00

I have been doodling again with the ultrawide lens, taking advantage of a grey day with cool weather. Started in the Cerrito church, just restored, with the builder's sign to prove it:

Montevideo churches are nothing like the magnificent full-of-gold monuments in other Latin American capitals, but they have character. The Matriz cathedral, in the old city, is surprisingly well kept and tidy these days.

The Harbor Market keeps its style and is full of people, from cruise tourists to families to office groups celebrating years' end. There is food for everyone, even if you have to wait for a free table.

The outside area of the market, at the end of Perez Castellanos street, is turning into a tourist and art market. Candombe groups, street artists and kiosks give this area a special vibration.

The lonely Bella Vista dock points to the Cerro and thinks of better days. Maybe the projected dock in nearby Capurro can get this area moving again. In the meantime, it is pigeons and seagulls that use the dock.

Merry Christmas to you all and thanks for watching!

The Carrasco Hotel

2010-10-17T16:03:00.002-02:00

Sofitel is taking over the Carrasco Casino Hotel. And this time it seems it is for real; I saw trucks working at the construction site, and there is every sign of a major construction project going on. The Hotel has been taken over a couple of times before, with no success.

This hotel was one of the emblematic Montevideo buildings. This was the place where the great Carnival balls were held, where the Lecuona Cuban Boys played their numbers back in the 1940s, including the "Carnaval del Uruguay" originally intended for our Buenos Aires brothers and often rivals. I have heard many tales from older relatives about this place.

Carrasco was a resort beach back then; the hotel was the reference place for rich Porteños to stay, when visiting the Little Silver Cup (tacita de plata) as our city was called in the first half of the 20th century. Later it degenerated into a casino building, where the only important movement was the turning of the roulette wheel. I do hope it becomes a convention and performances center, which is badly needed in the area. It took a generation to turn it over from the local government administration.

I am planning to keep a photo log of the construction progress. Here are a couple images of the building as of last Saturday.

Technical: Humble Vito CLR with Lanthar lens, Ilford Pan 400, ID-11 1:1.

A crazy wide city

2010-10-11T21:47:00.001-02:00

I have been toying with an ultra-wide lens. Please join me in this crazy tour of the Gray City under gray skies.

It might be the only way of getting most of ANTEL's complex into a frame.

Or even the Solis theater!

And the Artigas monument, a requisite tourist shot if you visit the city.

The Buceo marina looks interesting with the ultrawide. This is the yachts marina, inside the club. I'm told that some people actually live in their boats.

Thanks for looking. Film used was Ilford Pan 400 developed in ID-11 1:1.

Artisans Fishing in the River Plate

2010-08-29T21:13:00.003-03:00

Fishing for a living in the brown waters of the River Plate estuary is not easy. Hard work and danger are in the day to day routine of the fishermen.

Sometimes they get a good catch!

The nets they use are held by buoys; once in harbor, the nets are neatly folded and stacked in the boats, waiting for the next outing. The buoys have flags with bright colors, to contrast with the gray seas.

The ANTEL skyscraper and a steam locomotive, or a decade and a century ago

2010-07-20T22:25:00.007-03:00

In the vicinity of the old railroad station, the telephone company ANTEL built a giant skyscraper, designed by the Uruguayan architect Carlos Ott. This happened about 10 years ago.

The building is the highest in the city, and it took as much conversation as concrete to get it built. The idea was to develop the area nearby, which is full of old warehouses, next to the old, beautiful and abandoned railroad station. I'm not really sure it has worked as intended.

In any case I was lucky enough to see an old steam locomotive ready to start, in the small passenger train terminal nearby. I am pretty sure this is about the only passenger train running these days.

It is a tourist attraction now, but it was built as a very workmanlike machine a century ago in good old England, back when they run our railroads like clockwork.

I must come back fully equipped to get more shots of this shining, well restored machine and their crew.

The Oranje, and after

2010-07-10T13:54:00.005-03:00

Downtown, before the game against the Netherlands, it was pure madness.

Well, we lost 3-2, but the game was incredible. Tabarez should have changed Forlan earlier, he could not run anymore. The team upsurged after the changes. In any case we may be proud of a well-played game, and two beautiful goals against one of the best teams in the World Cup. The Celeste is back! I can't stop thinking of Jaime Roos song about the team, it is so accurate.

Today the mood is more sedated. We all know that the third-position match is almost a friendly, but it would be nice to beat Germany and show that we are indeed back into the elite teams. Even top fashion stores are in the sky-blue mood.

Neptune is comfortably watching everything in Rodo park. He's probably wishing for a large screen to watch these games. After all he was already there in 1930, if I am not mistaken. This generation of players, along with Tabarez, are giving us back our past.

Sunday last, we lost to the young Nationalelf, but we did give them a good rattle! The second goal by Forlan was out of this world. No wonder the guy was voted Golden Ball last Sunday.

Photos taken with an old Minolta AL-F, Fuji Superia 400 film. The camera actually came from the Netherlands!

World Cup - Sky Blue into the best four!

2010-07-03T17:54:00.005-03:00

No need to further comment the dramatic Uruguay-Ghana World Cup match. The city is sky-blue crazy.

This guy was selling national flags in the Harbor Market last Saturday, during the Uruguay-South Korea match. After he sold his stock, he kept these two for his family, and just watched the game.

The Ministry of Finance was decorated with two sky-blue stripes. This is the same building where Mario Benedetti worked for a short time in the 1940s, and where his "Office Poems" were born.

A large screen was set yesterday in the midst of Independence Square, where people were coming together just before the game, to watch, suffer a lot and eventually celebrate.

Next week, the Oranje! Whatever happens will be a gift from the team to this small, crazy, football-loving country. We needed this after 40 years.

World Cup - Uruguay vs. Korea in Harbor Market

2010-06-26T19:31:00.003-03:00

The city has become a lot more patriotic in the last few weeks. I had not seen so many flags around in a very long time.

Even when eating in the Harbor Market, people actually wear the national flag and are proud of it.

This market is one of the best places to watch a game of the national team in the South Africa World Cup. Especially if our team wins!

The devotion and concentration of the fans were really awesome. We suffered so much during the game that everything was very quiet until the last whistle blowed. Nobody cared about a few photographers shooting the crowd.

Hope we can continue enjoying the games for a few more days!

Fall is upon us

2010-05-28T22:27:00.003-03:00

Gray weather and autumn colors are with us. Even if one badly underexposes, those colors come through.

The fallen leaves of sycamore trees (platanos) pile up in the sidewalks.

Around Independence Square (Plaza Independencia)

2010-04-29T21:56:00.003-03:00

From Plaza Independencia you have a magic tunnel into the past through the fake Citadel door.

No area in Montevideo is complete without a suitable "carrito" (thrash recycler's horse carriage). Tourist go crazy around them, so do Montevideanos but for different reasons. No offense intended.

This guy looks a bit worried, and he is looking towards the recently completed Presidential offices. Hmmm.

The old, majestic Solis theater is King of the area! What a building. And you should see it from the inside.

April Candombe Drums - Gozadera!

2010-04-11T17:49:00.002-03:00

The candombe groups organized a Fall Parade in Rivera street this Sunday afternoon. Fall is upon us, goodbye to the warm season. I was around with just a cell phone in hand when the Gozadera group came in - wish I'd have recorded the sound as well.

Flags come first in the parade. You all know the Gozadera colors by now, yellow, green and violet. It takes skill to move those huge flags around.

Everybody can enjoy the parade!

Dancing was very spirited - this is a group with a lot of style.

Other groups had already finished; youngsters dream of joining in the parade next year.

More fishing boats in the East

2010-04-02T21:22:00.004-03:00

Several weeks later and still the same subject? Well, I don't seem to find another easy one these days. Short trip to the East, since after all it is Easter break, isn't it.

Just before Good Friday, it seems every fishing boat in the country is working. We must be eating a lot of fish this season. Activity peaked in Piriapolis harbor, where smaller boats are moored tight against each other.

Larger boats were also tightly moored side by side. In fact, I found a boat from Buceo harbor that had moved to Piriapolis for the peak season. The owner told me that there were not many fish around lately. He was planning to go to Jose Ignacio harbor, further East, before coming back to Montevideo for the winter.

A few miles East, the yacht harbor in Punta del Este seems located in a different world. Full of well-dressed tourists. No fishing boats, no smell. This harbor is for pleasure, rest and relaxation.

Technical details: Voigtländer Vito II, film is FP4+ developed in ID-11.

Fishing boats in Piriápolis dock

2010-01-29T17:01:00.007-02:00

In the resort of Piriápolis there is a long dock for fishing boats, at the southern end of the harbor. I make a point of photographing there every year, because those little fishing boats are painted in orange or red, and combine nicely with the deep green ocean water (although technically this is still the River Plate, which ends about 30 km East).

The bay and cityscape make a wonderful environment for the boats. You might see the large "Argentino Hotel" in the background at the upper right corner.

The smaller boats are clustered. While I was shooting, several were coming in with their modest capture.

The cabins are made to withstand waves and wind. There might be plenty of both in a sudden summer storm.

In the brutal early afternoon sun, tired little boats endure the heat,

with their nets ready for their next catch.

Technical details: Zorki-4 with Jupiter-8 and -12 lenses. Film: Fuji Quality 100. Minolta Autocord with Provia 100 film. Excuse the midday blues of Provia. I need a warming filter.

Florianópolis

2010-01-23T23:52:00.002-02:00

I know it is not in Uruguay but far north. Hope you don't mind the exception to this blog's geographical scope. It has beaches, at any rate. Lots of beaches. And -sometimes- it doesn't even rain!

There is a nice public market with funny middle-aged people doing their regular domino game and sipping coconut milk.

Fishing boats, so you don't really feel out of the place.

Malvín beach

2010-01-09T18:53:00.002-02:00

This wide beach is a nice area to walk in the sunset. The traffic from the nearby Rambla seems very far away.

Rodo Park and its lake

2009-12-19T22:52:00.002-02:00

This nice park is almost empty on weekend mornings.

The lake water is not very transparent these days, but the birds carry on.

Nike 10K Race

2009-11-08T20:23:00.002-02:00

This is the first time I watch the start of this popular race, although I've often waited for friends and relatives at the end. I wanted to see how you start a race with 8,000 runners.

They change the starting point from year to year; in 2009 it was the awesome Palacio Legislativo. The crowd of runners in yellow shirts was kept in position by means of heavy metal fences.

The race attracts runners from every age and physical condition. After the first few hundred meters everybody still looks quite in shape!

I find most inspiring the huge effort made by wheelchair and blind runners. They got the strongest applause, well deserved. Hope they managed to finish the race!

Made in Here

2009-11-01T20:47:00.002-02:00

Hecho Acá (Made in Here) is a large annual fair of artisans and designers of every type of object. It takes place in the LATU tents. It is a good opportunity to watch people and to learn about new trends.

Had you ever seen this size of mate straw (bombilla)? It was more than 2 meter tall.

A small team of young and graceful dancers was doing its best to dance inside the crowded tents. They danced better than I could photograph them!

Neopan 400 film, pushed to 800. Camera was the compact Olympus XA.

Election day

2009-10-27T21:48:00.003-02:00

Last Sunday we had presidential and parliamentary elections. Lots of movement in the city, a real popular Fiesta with capital F. We liked it so much that there is already a second round scheduled, late next month.

Little tables sprout everywhere with the ballot papers, often two tables of rival parties together -- with the operators helping each other. We must be more civilized than I thought. People were mostly looking for their circuits. Mate is always nearby.

Much movement and many flags in the afternoon. Some flags were larger than the carrier, others small and discreet but no less telling. Flags in cars, motorbikes, enveloping people.

Quite a bit of suspense in the definition. Let us hope that the friendly atmosphere is still here next month!

The following pictures were taken a few weeks before the election. I got stuck into a motorcade of one of the candidates, fortunately with a camera at hand.

Aeronautical Museum

2009-10-15T22:58:00.003-02:00

The little Aeronautical Museum is located next to the Cilindro, the largest indoors sport arena in the city. It is maintained by an enthusiastic crowd of supporters and kept by a skeleton Air Force staff and cadets. A good place for a walk if you like planes of every age and state of repair.

An old Chevrolet car was displayed on Heritage Sunday along with the planes.

Heritage - Elias Regules Society

2009-09-28T20:15:00.002-03:00

Heritage Day (Dia del Patrimonio) - dedicated to the Gaucho and rural traditions. A throng of people in the largest traditional society, Elias Regules in the north Carrasco area.

There was a lively dance by a Cerrillos amateur group.

The little city boys enjoy meeting their first horse!

Within the Elias Regules field, there is a replica of an old rail station.

Forlorn corner

2009-09-19T17:37:00.004-03:00

This is a lost corner in peripheral Montevideo (Coronel Raiz St. and Batlle & Ordoñez Boulevard). The weeds have grown high. The current election campaign has helped aesthetics, by painting white a section of the old brick wall.

I doubt this corner was any different 50 years ago.

Boats and bows

2009-08-23T17:31:00.003-03:00

I've been walking again along the marinas of the Yacht Club, this time with a 50 mm lens and nothing else in the Pentax ME. There was a tremendously low tide on Saturday and a lot of boats were touching the mud bottom.

Cerrito Church

2009-08-09T20:48:00.003-03:00

This beautiful church was built on the same hill where the siege army had its headquarters during the Guerra Grande (1839-1852). The hill is called Cerrito (small hill). I like this inverted view; it goes better with the melancholy of our winter.

Yacht Club marinas

2009-07-05T18:05:00.003-03:00

The upscale Yacht Club is located in the Buceo area. The marinas are accessible at the end of their internal parking lot. I'm not sure if visitors are always allowed. In any case I asked the guard last Saturday and was waved through.

Those yachts look quite capable and tidy!

An old pontoon was sidelighted by reflections in the brown River Plate water.

The marinas are next to the fishing dock, which had a nice light yesterday. It is good to see a bit of sun from time to time!

Brown, silted water of the River Plate and sea light passing between two pilot launches.

The Acal nautical club

2009-05-31T15:15:00.002-03:00

In the Malvin area of the Rambla, the Acal nautical club stores sailboats and fishing boats. There are beautiful new catamarans, racing Snipe types, canoes, and also some fishing boats. I like the look of this place in our gray winter days.

The lonely tree

2009-05-16T22:52:00.002-03:00

The Holocaust memorial is a favorite place in the city. It is located near the Golf Club fields, in the Rambla. The memorial should be entered by walking along an old rail track.

At the end of the rail there is a tree - it must be a strong one to have survived our wind storms.

One of the old rails has been cut. Grass has grown through the gap.

Buceo harbor - fishing boats' dock

2009-05-03T18:03:00.002-03:00

Long weekend 1-3 May, 2009. Time to get back to shooting!

Kiev 4M, Helios-103 and Jupiter 9 lenses, no-name 200 ISO film.

The Butterfly

2009-03-07T20:24:00.003-02:00

I'm not usually keen on macro, but this butterfly stepped right upon the wire screen on the door when I was coming into the house camera in hand.

Playa Verde and Piriapolis - January 2009

2009-01-23T13:07:00.002-02:00

Playa Verde, 10 km from Piriapolis, must be one of the quietest places in the Uruguayan coast.

This year, forest fires burned Cerro de la Virgen, taking a life and several houses. The helicopters' work and the Firemen Corps dedication was outstanding.

Volunteer's hard work stopped the fire near the Tarariras creek, close to Las Flores.

Piriapolis' large harbor has a small but colorful fleet of fishing boats. One of my favorite places in the world!

A happy sea wolf was posing for the crowds.

The Bella Vista dock

2008-11-23T21:34:00.002-02:00

The Bella Vista dock, west of the main harbor, was once used by small tankers. There were also several smaller docks in the area, now long gone.

Access to the dock is forbidden; only the birds can now enjoy the view. Montevideo's Cerro is in the background.

Heritage Weekend, 2008 - Montevideo Harbor

2008-10-07T20:56:00.002-02:00

KIEV 4m, Agfa APX100 in Rodinal.

Heritage Weekend 2008 - Classic Cars Show

2008-10-06T22:03:00.003-02:00

So much to see, so little time. Classic cars show in Pocitos, near Kibon on the Sunday of Heritage Weekend 2008.

Monument to the Jewish Holocaust

2008-08-02T21:20:00.002-03:00

The monument is located between the Rambla and the River Plate, in the Golf Club area.

Street market in Villa Biarritz

2008-07-06T20:58:00.003-03:00

On Saturdays, the upscale Villa Biarritz street market starts at mid morning.

An old station wagon waits for a coming Renault

Rodo Park

2008-06-02T21:35:00.004-03:00

Rodo Park in a Sunday morning. Vivitar Ultra Wide&Slim, no name 200 ISO film.

Following are taken with Kiev 4M and Jupiter-9 lens

Smoke from Argentina!

2008-04-20T18:02:00.002-03:00

Burning fields in Buenos Aires and Entre Rios provinces created a monumental smoke plume. We started to get smoke Thursday, and it peaked on Saturday as shown here in a couple of pictures at Buceo harbor at noon, April 19th, 2008.

Near Parque Rodo

2008-04-18T22:43:00.006-03:00

Fishing in pier near the fisher's clubs next to Ramirez beach.

Spinning wheel in Parque Rodo

Dilapidated church in San Salvador street between Jackson and E. Acevedo

God comes later

Fall season is coming

Front of the gone church (what a pity!)

Black and white: Daichii Zenobia, FP4+
Color: Vivitar Ultra Slim Wide, Fuji 400

Punta del Este - the harbor

2008-04-05T22:54:00.000-03:00

Downtown and Old City - Wide

2008-04-02T21:24:00.000-03:00

La Gozadera - Carnival parade, february 2008.

2008-02-16T13:42:00.000-02:00

La Gozadera parade, Friday, February 15th, 2008.

Mercado del Puerto (Harbor Market)

2007-10-31T20:06:00.000-02:00

Esquadrilha da Fumaça in Montevideo

2007-10-28T21:03:00.000-02:00

Near the old Carrasco Hotel, the Brazilian air acrobatics team "Esquadrilha da Fumaça" (Smoke Squadron) flew a spectacular show Sunday, October 22, 2007.

There was a huge crowd:

The Squadron flies Texans T-6 planes

The acrobatics were awesome

Candombe! Gozadera - Patrimonio 2007

2007-10-08T12:07:00.000-02:00

The Gozadera candombe group performed a special parade at noon, October 7th, Heritage Day, which this year was dedicated to the African-Uruguayan community.

Some invited dance stars joined the group. The very nice day helped to bring a crowd to appreciate the drums and the dancing.

Slideshow of old images

2007-02-27T12:40:00.000-02:00

Montevideo, a livable city

Reus quarter in a gray day

2006-08-05T20:26:00.000-03:00

In the early 20th. century, Emilio Reus built several significant housing projects in Montevideo. One of them, located in the Goes area, has been preserved. The central street of the project is named after Reus, and the place is known as Barrio Reus.

The houses are all identical, set around a narrow street. One block was painted in 1992 with vivid colors by art students.

These images were taken in a gray winter day, using an old Ikoflex Ib loaded with Kodak Portra 160NC film.

Note the round plant pots and the painted screens in the upper section of the houses.

Contrasting colors in doors and broken windows are a feature.

The Reus is close to a busy working class commercial area.

Color details and overall distribution of colors are very interesting and eye-catching to me.

In a sunny day the colors stand out

Malvin beach

2006-02-26T20:32:00.000-02:00

Malvin is the name of a Montevideo neighborhood, near the coast. It has a long, wide beach that is excellent for walking along the River Plate. In summer, the beach is very crowded. I like it best at dusk, where beautiful colors are formed by the setting sun and its reflections in the clouds and the water.

Escollera Sarandí

2005-09-17T18:33:00.000-03:00

Sarandi is the name of a native tree. It also names the main street of the Old City in Montevideo. If you walk right on Sarandi street until it reaches the coast and then cross (carefully) the Rambla, you get to the Escollera Sarandi.

This is a nice place to go in the weekends if the weather allows. You may see the large ships entering and leaving the Port of Montevideo.

Many fishermen go to the Escollera since the water is quite deep around it. You may see a lot of different fishing techniques. Also, many families just sit there and let the afternoon go by, or see the sun set beneath the Cerro.

Gozadera

2005-09-02T11:58:00.000-03:00

Candombe is the drum rythm of the African slaves that were left in Montevideo. Although there were no plantations here, the city was a port of scale in the trip from Africa to the Pacific coast, and some slaves did stay here, mostly to work in the city itself. Black population is small and concentrated in Montevideo. They contributed to national culture with candombe.

Candombe is played with three types of drums of different size. This is, I think, the large one.

La Gozadera is the name of a candombe group that rehearses in the streets of Malvin every Sunday at noon. They prepare for the Llamadas parade in Carnival. Their colors are yellow, violet and green.

A typical rehearsal starts by giving tension to the drum heads, for which they must be heated first.

Drums are played with the bare hands (for the smaller size) or with a stick and hands.

Super-Isolette, Konica VX-400 (five years expired, hence the bluish colors)

These are dancers during a street parade in October 25, 2005 (Heritage Day) at night. Dancers wear the Gozadera colors too.

Some images before and during the street parade of February 11, 2006:

Fishing wharf in Buceo yacht dock

2005-09-02T11:54:00.000-03:00

In the Buceo harbor, a number of small fishing vessels have their home.

In the early morning they go fishing in the River Plate. In bad weather they stay moored and I can get at them with my old cameras.

Ikoflex 1b, PanF+, Rodinal 1:50.

The smaller boats are tied one against the other to save mooring space.

Olympus Pen EE-3, Agfa CN-135

The skies of Montevideo are well known for their deep blue colors and the cloud effects after a good storm.

Pentax K-1000, 35 mm lens, Fuji Superia 100

A full catch in a winter's day

Olympus Pen EE-3, Agfa 200.