TravelswithCharie

Museo del Tango When you listen to La Cumparsita, you probably will identify it with Argentine tango. But it was composed and first played here in Montevideo in this approximate spot where La Giralda Café and Confectionery once stood. Now it’s part of the iconic Palacio Salvo on Plaza de Independencia in the center of the city. (Link to music video and tango below.) Gerardo Matos Rodriguez The inscription behind Rodriguez reads as follows: “On April 19, 1917, the most famous Tango of all times ‘La Cumparsita’ was played for the first time in this precise spot. Masterpiece of the great Uruguayan composer, Gerardo Matos Rodriguez.” This was the piano where Rodriguez first played La Cumparsita. Sheet Music for La Cumparsita Listen to the music here and watch tango dancers perform to La Cumparsita:  https://youtu.be/19hOIdOw77w?feature=shared Photograph of La Giralda Café and Confectionery, 1917 Notice that there are only men in La Giralda as women were not allowed here. Also note that...

Museo del Carnaval (Carnival Museum) Montevideo amazed me with all it has to offer its visitors. I was lucky to have met up with a good friend who was living in Uruguay for a few months and she had a lot of great ideas of what we should see and do. So off we went to explore the city starting at the Carnival museum which chronicles its beginnings in the 18th century and the huge influence of African culture in the longest carnival celebration in the world. More on this under a separate post. Address: 218 25 de Agosto de 1825 Street across from Montevideo Port and next door to the Mercado del Puerto. Itinerary Day 1 Carnival Museum Mercado del Puerto (Port Market) Lunch at Es Mercat  Dessert stop at Alfajores del Uruguay Teatro Solis solo dance performance (free) Coffee break at Solis Theater café Teatro Solis evening modern dance performance Day 2 Salvo Palace Tango museum Independence Square Metropolitan Cathedral Constitution Square Lunch at Jacinto Zabala Square Mercado del Puer...