Clare writes:
I had to visit Montevideo... it all dates back to when I worked in a bank and if people rang for their balance I had to ask loads of security questions so I felt like i was grilling them: What's your DOB? What's your mother's maiden name? What was your postcode before last? First pet? etc tec.... so I always used to finish with: What's the capital of Uruguay for a laugh. Well, it made ME laugh!! Never was cut out for banking!

And I liked the city. Most of the buildings we've seen in Uruguay have been square, white-washed single story buildings but the capital has some fine edificios reminiscent of other Spanish cities... or even Italian. There are plen ty of quares and plazas and heroic statues, though I am not well and a little dazed to be honest. The people are (and here I'm generalising - maybe we just met nice ones, can't leap to conclusions after just a couple of days) lovely and smiley by and large.

My fave place was the Mercardo del Puerto - a covered old dockside area which is now home to dozens of parrillas - babrbecue restaurants where you sit at counters like a bar and watch slabs of meat grilled in front of you - lots of flames and sweaty chefs and 'ye olde days' memorabilia - the pic on this blog is typical!! I had the thickest steak I'd ever seen and we had a strange conversation with a Venezeulan lady who was representing Chile in the Montevideo Scrabble Championships!! It's a funny old world.