Montevideo: A City of Roses

Montevideo, capital of Uruguay, is located downstream of the Río de la Plata neighboring southern Atlantic Ocean, opposite of Buenos Aires across the river. The city’s main attributes are a mild climate shaded by trees all year round and beautiful flowers.

Montevideo is one of the most beautiful cities in South America, and its scenery is glamorous: clean streets, densely planted trees, mild weather conditions, and fresh air.

Montevideo consists of two parts: old city and new city. The old city preserves the style which Spanish colonists once applied when ruling this area. The Constitution Square is the center of the city, which is where a Catholic Church built in the 18th century is located at. In the new city, tall buildings stand densely together. At the Independence Square, there is a past military general’s bronze statue and his tomb. There are many attractions near the square: modern tall buildings, theaters, and the Natural History Museum. There are also seashore beaches, where you can sun bath and swim.

The main street in the new city is the July 18th Avenue (18 de Julio Avenue), which looks like an artery of a person, vibrant during day and night. This street was named when the first constitution was announced on July 18th, 1830, and is connected to many smaller streets on either of it sides. This city’s design is like a chessboard. These smaller streets were named after historical celebrities and provinces of Uruguay.

There is a freedom square, located halfway along the street, which also contains a freedom monument. Located on top of the monument is the Statue of Liberty which holds aloft a torch. Surrounding the square are banks, hotels, hostels, marine-land-air transportation companies, foreign currency exchange shops, and all varieties of roadside stalls. As night falls, the city will be lit up by all kinds of lamps and look extremely extraordinary. The freedom square is the place where young students and workers gather to demonstrate.

As a big city, Montevideo is surprisingly suitable for taking a walk. The unique seaside atmosphere is mesmerizing, with densely-wooded squares, magnificent buildings of the colonizing times, decorative art, and cement buildings of the 1970s. The old city is extremely charming, for you can listen to the songs of old artists under the foot of an old building, and then enjoy the delicacies at the nearby food stalls.