We often joke about living in the Marble Palace because all the floors in my condo are marble, but today we saw a REAL marble palace, the Legislative Palace of Uruguay, a Greco-Roman eclecticist style building, whose facades, interior walls, vaults and columns are covered with different marbles from Uruguay, it took almost three decades to build. Marble, marble, marble … everywhere you look!

We were lucky to see the changing of the guard as we were leaving. (Video by Marsha Walker)

The second stop of the day was at the Memorial de los Detenidos Desaparecidos, which was built to honor the Uruguayan detainees—victims of enforced disappearance during the 1973-1985 military dictatorship. It was located in a beautiful park. The Memorial consists of two parallel metal framed walls of glass that stand on two concrete geometric structures where the names of 174 victims of enforced disappearance are engraved.

Afterwards, we walked down the hill and took a picture. As you can see, the weather has been perfect—not too hot, not too cold!

We then went up the hill to the Fortaleza del Cerro, a fortress built in 1809, the last Spanish fort built in Uruguay which now houses a military museum. There was a fantastic view from up there, as well as another Montevideo sign, this time in blue.

We piled back into Nacho’s car and got a quick bite to eat — a Uruguayan chivito. Chivito is the national dish of Uruguay. It is a sandwich of sliced beefsteak, mozzarella, ham, tomatoes, mayonnaise and black or green olives. A chivito commonly also includes bacon and fried or hard-boiled eggs. It is served in a bun, often accompanied by French-fried potatoes. Delicious, and the meat was really tender.