Desde el Monte... The Beauty

Previous installations of Desde el Monte...

Preface

The Beginning

Joy Bus

The Streets

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There are times... times when you are supposed to be at home writing. BUT instead you might be at a function with the likes of Hollywood Henderson and Earl Campbell. AND when you come home you get busy watching Dr. Who reruns with your spouse. This is sort of how - okay, EXACTLY how - I have come to time to write another installment of Desde el Monte with nothing even thought out, much less documented. This means you get to see lots of photos today. I'm not the best photographer, but I got one or two shots that will tell you something of the beauty of Montevideo. I think if you click on each photo, it will enlarge so you can actually see some details.

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First up is a photo of the facade of the church building. The congregation had bought an old building that used to be a coffee factory. The building was named El Chana, after the founder of the coffee company, and the congregation decided to use that name as well.

The yellow banner on the front of the building is advertising the gospel meeting that we were handing out flyers for when we were out on the streets.

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Next up are some windows that were already part of the church building when the congregation moved in.

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In a city/country known for being atheistic, I was very surprised to find out that we would be staying in a hotel named Hotel Tres Cruces (meaning Three Crosses Hotel). I never did find out what, if any, connection the hotel might have had to local Christian churches. 

That is me on the left, standing almost on the very top point of the building. I think I had on a skirt, so I decided not to climb the ladder.

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One of the things I loved the most about Montevideo was the doors. These tall, skinny doorways just captured my fancy. Even though I am not a photographer, I would like to go back just to take pictures of all of the beautiful doors in that city. We were usually busy handing out flyers when we were on the street, so I did not get a chance to take many photos of these amazing doors. 

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You will need to enlarge this next photo to really see the interesting details. The statue is a rendering of the national hero, Artigas. I got the feeling that the Uruguayans loved Artigas more than Americans love George Washington. Below the statue is a large room containing his tomb, which you can go in and look at if that kind of thing interests you.

Also, when you enlarge this photo, you can see that I have circled (or oval-ed, as it were) a structure in the background. That the Old City Gate and what is left of the wall that protected the original town from intruders.

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We got to visit the nation's Capitol building. These two members of the Army are guarding the Uruguayan Declaration of Independence. It is just outside the Capitol Library.

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Here is a photo of me and my roommate Catrina on a marble bench in the Capitol building. Notice all of the different colors of marble. There are 17 different types of marble quarried in Uruguay and each of them was used in building the Capitol. I really enjoyed seeing all of the different hues. Again, something to take more pictures of if I ever get back down there.

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Here I am again sitting on marble with Catrina and our fellow missionary Angie. This building is the Old City Post Office.

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The Teatro Solis is named for another Uruguayan hero, but I have forgotten what deeds earned him hero status. The small signs out in front of the building advertised that the current production was Moliere's The Misanthrope. I thoroughly enjoyed that played when I saw the English translation performed. I would have loved to have seen the Spanish version, but alas, it could not be fit into our schedule.

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This last photo is of a column on the building that was catty-cornered across the street from our hotel. It was a one-story building that took up a whole city block on all four sides. It had many lovely columns on each side. The function of the building? A womens' prison. 

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That is your photo tour for today. I'm glad you stopped by. Tune in again next Sunday for another installment of Desde el Monte... (from the mountain).