If someone had told me a year ago that I would soon be traveling to Uruguay, I would have severely doubted that. Many countries ranked higher on my list of holiday destinations than a country that many people can probably not even point out on a map.
Before coming here, the only thing I knew about Uruguay was that the country had won the world cup twice in the 1930's and that it held the trophy the longest (during the world war). Add to that my mother's trivia knowledge about Uruguay (that Diego Forlan was named player of the tournament for the 2010 World Cup) and one would probably expect to come to a place full of football fanatics.
But to my great surprise, I did not come to a nation of beer drinking football fans but (quite to the contrary) passionate tea drinkers!
Mate Tea, the national drink of Uruguay (and Argentina), is drunken out of a metal straw by everyone everywhere and all day long. Many people walk through the streets with a cup of tea in their hand and a thermos flask under their arm; there are even leather bags especially designed to carry the tea equipment. If people run out water, shops and restaurants fill the flasks up for free so that people can enjoy hot tea all day long.
Being a big tea drinker myself, I immediately warmed towards the Uruguayans. And once I realised that they don't just love tea but also make excellent ice cream and have a delicious caramel spread for breakfast, I was ready to fall head over heels in love with the country.
Add to that people who offer help before you get a chance to ask; a countryside and villages resembling the wild west; a lovely contrast of endless lawns with frozen grass surrounded by tropical palm trees; colorful houses with cosy fireplaces, and horse wagon in the middle of the capital city and I think many people would struggle to resists Uruguay's charm.
No comments:
Post a Comment