Piriapolis and its fishing boats

The fishing boats in Piriapolis are being discovered by tourists as a sightseeing place.

The fishermen are busy as heck this time of the year, with everybody wanting their corvina (hake), lenguado (flounder), brotola (?) for lunch or dinner. Many crews clean their fish just after docking - that's why the water closest to the dock looks like soup!

The smaller boats look tired under the strong light. We have had a very warm Summer.





I like the boats in black and white. The mooring lines, reflections and empty spaces are best appreciated when there is no color.





Some boats have people's names and keep company to each other, as old friends. Others wait for their next job in a tight formation.

Cell phone vignettes from 2011

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

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.