GG on TV

If you happened to be tuned in to Canal 5, Televisión Nacional, at 7:30p.m. You would have seen a program segment on Pássaro Pilates featuring GG as a model pilates practitioner!

The segment was an interview with Monica Pássaro, gym owner and instructor extraordinare. Monica introduced her studio and exercise philosophy to the interviewer while GG was folding, stretching, bending, posing, and practicing Pilates with grace and elegance. We were able to take a video using my camera and will keep our eyes and ears open for a clearer version. Until then, enjoy our feature presentation!

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Gusano? Oruga?

More often than not as I walk up Avenida Brazil I see caterpillars. I have seen quite a few smooshed on the ground, but was fortunate to see a live one the other day. ET recommends that I don't touch them (he says they are poisonous!) Nonetheless, I love the way the move...me fascina!

I looked up the translation of caterpillar on a dictionary online, and found two words. As with many Spanish words, I am sure one is more common than the other here in Uruguay. Any hints on which one it is?

On that note, and per a conversation I had at lunch with a Columbian and an Uruguayan, I HOPE I am not accidentally saying any bad words!!!!!

Here are some more shots of the little guy.

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Uruguay in the early 1900's

When I post less frequently it is either because I have been busy with daily life or I am at a loss of what to post about. Lately, it has been both reasons!

The pictures above are shots taken in 1918 and 1917, respectively. To give you an idea of how much things have changed - below is a picture another main street in Montevideo taken a few months ago.




ET studies the migration of Uruguayans in the Rio de la Plata during the late 1800s to about 1930. With the pictures above I have a picture of what Uruguay looked like during this period.

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The Three Bs

So I went to my local carnicería today and had a nice long chat with my butcher. He first asked me if I saw my President while he was here. I said no, that he failed to drop me a visit. Then the butcher continued to tell me that just a few days before Bush's visit there was another well-known American here. It took me a while to understand the jist of what me was trying to tell me, there were some pertinent words that do not frequent my conversations, and so at first I did not understand.


The first word was filmó and then three "Bs" - barba, barbacoa, and Brouun.
I finally made out that a man with a big barba (beard) came to my butcher shop (ok, their butcher shop) and filmó (filmed) for his tv show on barbacoa (BBQ - I know, I should have known that one) to air on U.S. public television within a years time. The last B word was the name of said man - Rick Browne. Though I am Food TV fan, I had never heard of the big-bearded-bbq-Browne. A quick Google search later, and I found www.barbecueamerica.com.

Sweet.

Check out the baseball grill. That cracks me up.

This means a trip to the local cyber cafe for me, as I promised the butcher that if I found anything online I would print it out and show them. I think they will get a kick out it. After reading a short article on www.uruguaydailynews.com, I learned that Browne also prized Montevideo's Mercado del Puerto as the best place to eat asado in the world.

Wow. I must say I was feeling like a local today. I was able to give someone an explanation (in Spanish) about the two different 121 buses that head downtown, went to see an exhibit in Cuidad Vieja, and had my nice chat with the butcher. Oh, I also found out that they have fresh Milanesas ready for me in just about hour. For more on this very typical Uruguayan food check out...

BitterSweet

Enjoy!

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Time Change, Rainbows, and Other Random Things...

Hello friends and family! Pardon my lack of interesting posts lately, but I have been somewhat busy. Here is a quick update from ET and me.

Today marks the beginning of fall in Uruguay. Last night the time changed, just as it did in the states. However we fall back and the states spring forward. This is good news! There is now only a four hour time difference between Uruguay and California!

On March 8th it rained all day. It left us with a beautiful rainbow that we could see from our apartment.






Each Saturday in Plaza Matriz there is an "antique" market. Sometime ago we spotted a few copper pieces for the kitchen. ET is always eying copper products at William Sonoma back at home. I would look at the price tag and pull him away. But for a FRACTION of the price at the market we picked up a large copper casserole pan. Any tips for cooking with copper?




The seasons are confusing me. Though we are entering fall, it is MARCH. The cool weather reminds me of Thanksgiving, hot chocolate, Christmas, and winter break. But wait, we already had that here. Don't tease me if I come home wearing scarves in June.

ET is doing well. Still working and researching. But he is keeping balanced by taking breaks and hanging out with friends. He started a "guys night out" at a local parilla on Thursdays. Lots of meat, sausage, and beer. I started a similar gathering with the lady-folk. (subtract the meat, sausage, and beer and replace it with coffee, tea, and cake). Lots of fun is had for both parties.

We LOVE jazz music and we often have it playing on our laptop. Last night we saw the Memphis Jazz Band, a local Jazz group here in Montevideo. They played some dixieland, swing, and even some Chopin. The instrumentals were amazing. The singing however...well, let's just say that the instruments are their strong point. They are playing again on the 14th of April at a beautiful venue called La Colmena, Espacio de Arte. It's worth a visit.

Lastly, we love hearing from you! Thank you to everyone who has sent cards, emails, and blog posts. Drop us a line anytime!

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Feliz Día de la Mujer!

Today is Woman´s Day in Uruguay. Qué Aproveche!

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Fall is Upon Us!!

There has been a notable shift in Montevideo from last week to this week. Streets are crowded, stores are filled, and traffic has increased. School starts this week, and I see many young people with backpacks jumping on the bus to register for classes. I realize how much I missed the movement of the city. Less exciting is the weather change! The first days of March have brought cold, wind, and rain. It seems we are moving rapidly into otoño.

Seasons are always a time of change, and for us this means saying good bye to some good friends who will be heading back home this week. We will miss you two so much!

Last night I had a glimpse of Ciudad Vieja at night. Though it was cold and somewhat rainy, people were out enjoying the nightlife at bars, restaurants, and in the street. Many young people wrapped around the streets in a long line awaiting the night clubs to open at 2:oo am. We chose a quieter night - checking out a new restaurant on Bartolome Mitre, then stopping in at the goodbye party for our friends. I was exhausted by the end of the evening, and slept like a log as the rain poured down against our bedroom window.

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