Montevideo, Uruguay. Wednesday 29th November 2006.

My drive into town this morning takes me along the beach. The closer you get to the Ciudad Vieja the poorer the scene becomes.

In someways this area is classic South America being a blend of old colonial and 19th/early 20th century architecture alongside 60's concrete that was both ill conceived and badly constructed. You get a clear vibe of why they say that this area is unsafe at night.

Here I am in the centre of the city in the Plaza Independencia where my first stop is the mausoleum of Uruguay's greatest national hero, General Jose Artigas.

Artigas was born on June 19th 1764 and died on September 23rd 1850. His mausoleum is a large concrete tomb that sings the General's praises from its walls. It is an obviously 70's construction and was indeed inaugurated on June 19th 1977 on the 213th anniversary of the General's birth.

The monument to Artigas in the plaza above was inaugurated on February 28th 1923.

Basically the mausoleum is a huge floodlit urn guarded by two soldiers in ceremonial dress.

A nice Swedish couple ask if I speak English and if I can interpret what it says on the walls for them. Luckily I find reading basic Spanish easier than speaking it. They then ask me about my country and are surprised when I tell them that I am not Uruguayan.

From here I enter the Palacio Salvo which was once the tallest building in South America but it is not open to the public as it is a mainly residential building. If you needed evidence that this area is in decline you simply need to look up at the washing hanging from windows on this great building that if it was on 5th Avenue and not in the central square of Montevideo would be valued at some ridiculous price.

Also on the Plaza is the beautiful Palacio Estévez which until 1985 was the Casa de Gobierno.

In one corner of the Plaza you will find the Teatro Solis which is another pretty building with a very modern lobby.

The colonial Puerto de la Ciudadela is nowadays supported by a breeze block wall. Originally a gate in the City Wall this monument marks the edge of the Ciudad Vieja and the beginnings of the Ciudad Nueva which was basically constructed as the city expanded in the first half of the twentieth century. The original limit of the new city was Calle Ejido. Ejido being a Spanish word that refers to the length of flight of a canon-ball and such a distance marks the boundary of the new city. In the second half of the twentieth century the city grew again to create the Ciudad Novissima i.e. the third planned growth of Montevideo.

Taking a stroll along Sarandi you come via the market stalls to Plaza Constitución, or as the locals refer to it Plaza Matriz with its stalls and cafes. Here you will find Montevideo Cathedral or as it is known Iglesia Matriz. This is yet another stunning South American church, and like Santiago Cathedral it is reminiscent of a great public building, although not quite as grand as in Santiago.

The Main Altar is mystically dark in greens, burgandy's, reds and golds that evoke the Archangel. There are beautiful marble statues, pleasant stained glass windows and Stations of the Cross that remind me of St Patrick's in Dumbarton. The baptismal font and its side chapel are like the entrance to an opera house in miniature and the side altars are all stunning works of craftsmanship. In many ways this building could be the Central Hall of a great university. It is a gem and I am glad I discovered it.

The Plaza Constitución is a very pleasant site with its marble central fountain and it throngs this lunchtime with office workers as do the surrounding restaurants. You can only imagine though what this area must be like at night when the office workers have headed out to the suburbs.

The Ciudad Vieja was the colonial centre of town and it is populated today by the remains of the great 19th century mansions built in the beef boom that have today been converted into Conventillos i.e. large multi-occupancy slums filled with the rural poor who have come to the city in search of a better life. In this way Montevideo is comparable to many big cities the world over.

I head back to the Calle Bacacay and enjoy a healthy lunch of mediterranean vegetables and oils at Roma Amor.

My afternoon stop will be the Museo Torres Garcia, a must visit if you are in Montevideo. Joaquin Torres Garcia is Uruguay's most celebrated artist (although he spent most of his working life in France).

This is a great little museum as there is such a contrast in his work from works like the fresco La filosofia (1913)to the impressionist influenced Calle de Barcelona (1917) through Picassoesque Construcción con triángulos (1929) to the traditional Indian design and South American influence of Formas entrelazadas sobre fondo rojo (1938).

Again in his portrait work you go from the conservative young artist (one expects in need of commissions) in works like Academia (1892) and Santiago Piña (1906) to angry old man with works like Sócrates (1945).

His choice of subjects is also interesting from contemporaries like Cezanne to historical figures like da Vinci, Bach and Felipe II. I must say though that his sketches are amongst his best works. This little museum is a treasure trove.

Back in the Plaza Independencia and yet another school group are heading for the Mausoleo Artigas. Since there is so little to see in there I am hoping this visit is the culmination of curriculum study and not the whole story.

Montevideo is sedate and the Argentine custom of Mate has certainly crossed the Rio de la Plata. That said this is the second time in South America that someone has demanded my watch. The first was a few days before I was assaulted in Ecuador, so lets hope history does not repeat itself. Oh, and by the way, I still have my watch; I simply explained to the guy where in life he could get off.

The school groups are back out of the Mausoleo Artigas and it is muy calor here in the Plaza as I scribble about life. I am to be cooled though by the output of a man's sneeze as he passes my bench and the fallout hits me right in the flip flop.

Just like Ecuador the taxi driver rips me off this afternoon when I pay my bill and he claims to have no change...No more similarities please!!

Tonight I dine at the swanky Montecristo Restaurant near my hotel.
There is no comparison between Uruguayan wine and beef and that of Argentina and Chile. It is like comparing a bottle of supermarket plonk and a Chateau Ausone 1955 1ere Grand Cru Classe St Emilion. That said, I have the nicest paté I have tasted anywhere in the world and this is quite the place set as it is in an old house that is a fake German castle in miniature.