Everyone said we'd love Colonia. Everyone. Our slow, meandering bus ride from Frey Bentos took FOREVER, but we finally arrived and walked, dragging suitcases up beautiful bumpy broken tree lined streets, to our hotel.   We loved the city immediately. But of course, everywhere we've been we've thought--how clean! how quiet! how lovely! Sounds like we didn't like Montevideo much, doesn't it?    We were hot and sweaty by the time ...

I'd read about the bridge before we left home--an International Bridge over the Rio Uruguay between two friendly countries, Argentina and Uruguay. And I was happy to learn that it was at Frey Bentos, where we were going to be staying. Fantastic! We'll have a chance to go over to Argentina and try it out. Maybe we can just join a tour...fun!So I'm visiting with a Uruguayan at the hotel pool about it and he says, well if you want to see it, I'm goin...

Remember all the cows of the gaucho years? Well, they're still a bunch of them around. Their history is integral to the history of the country and nowhere is that more apparent than in Fray Bentos.In 1863 a German engineer developed a system to process beef and, funny thing--discovered Uruguay at the same time. Beef--Uruguay, it works. Situated on the Uruguay River and thus with easy access to the outside, this sleepy port city became a giant producer of beef...

The thing about studying in a host country is you meet so many go-to people.   Like dear Nella who gladdens my heart and really should have been my sister, we're so alike. And darling, sparkly Andrea, who livens any room she enters. And Alejandra, the crazy sister who's the practical joker. I wish we'd been able to spend more time with her. She's a kick. And that's just the Uruguayans. At school the first week we forged friendships with th...

During the 1600's the Spanish, being conquerers and all, found themselves out of favor with the locals (indigenous at the time) and kicked out of Buenos Aires. Not intending to lose out on the riches afforded by these lovely navigable rivers, they simply moved up the Parana River and founded Asuncion, Paraguay. Soon they began casting their greedy eyes south again, this time beyond Buenos Aires to the flat, empty, fertile land across the Rio de la Plata.They ...