The Cup is Near!

The Centennial America's Cup will be played in the U.S. starting next weekend.

The craze has already started down here. In cities in the First World, one often sees preachers telling us that the End is Near. In earthy but chilly and windy Montevideo, this guy dressed like the King of Cups of the Spanish playing cards, only using our national light blue hue, and went through 18 de Julio avenue telling everybody the good news. The Cup is near!



The legend in the back refers to the record 15 America Cups conquered by the Celeste, our national soccer team. Whatever it may mean after the humilliation suffered in Chile in the last edition - amply avenged (3-0) in the Qualifying match with Chile some months ago.

Let us hope for the best. The C group is a hard nut to crack, what with Mexico (an excellent team and almost local in the U.S.), Jamaica (big and fast players) and Venezuela (always dangerous to us). And two trips coast-to-coast just to play three games - they must really need the mileage in their frequent flyer programs.

I'll keep you all posted in case our city acts out during the Cup.

Cell phone picture, the best camera is the one you have in your hand.

The other jetty

In Buceo harbor there are two main jetties. I post all the time about the Western one, because it hosts all those fishing boats that are such good subjects.



The other jetty, on the East side, is a lot more exposed to the wind. Nobody would want to moor a yacht there willingly, although I saw a yacht sitting right over the jetty after the August 2005 typhon. No matter the weather, there are always some pecheurs-a-la-ligne up there at the very end.



The Eastern jetty is a favorite with family walkers in good weather.





On the rough concrete floor of the Eastern jetty, there is a memorial to someone obviously loved and missed, who probably liked to look at the horizon from that place. A short life indeed.



Technical: Exakta VXIIb with Tessar, Pan F+ in Beutler. Thanks for looking!