Two Wheels, a Park, and an Ocean
Recently, I’ve taken a few bike rides to get familiar with the city and immediate area to our home. It’s impressive how easy it is to get around Montevideo by bicycle. While riding, I make a conscious effort to stay present and take in the sights and sounds around me—something I don’t always do, but am trying to improve.
On Thursday, I headed east to one of Montevideo’s major parks: Parque Roosevelt. Yes, that Roosevelt—President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Uruguay renamed the park in his honor in 1947 due to his role in strengthening U.S.–Latin American relations through the “Good Neighbor Policy” and his support for conservation.
The park includes rare tree species, animal species and a high and low ropes courses, bike trails, and picnic areas. THere are snack bars and a skateboard park. During Family Week (Easter as it is known in the old country), it hosts a major event featuring food, dancing, and gaucho riding competitions, with participants from Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. On a Wednesday morning, however, it was quiet, calm, and ideal for biking—my personal preference.
Corey, when the Nagle family makes its way down here, we’ll plan a visit. We can spend half a day at the park, cook out on a parrillero, and let you experience Uruguayan nature—given your love of nature walks.
One thought did occur to me: Uruguay may want to keep an eye on the old country. If Trump ever learns about Parque Roosevelt, he may demand it be renamed after himself and force the Uruguayan government to pay for it. After all, Uruguay named the park after a president they admired, respected, and had a positive diplomatic relationship with—and we all know how the orange man feels when another country likes a U.S. president more than him. As you may know, Latin America is NOT a fan of CH.
On Sunday, I rode south with the goal of reaching the Rambla—the waterfront “highway.” The Rambla is a paved promenade that stretches along the Atlantic Ocean for miles, following the edge of Montevideo. It took me about ten minutes by bike to reach the water. The weather was not the best. It was very cloudy and the surf was rough given the rain storms we had all day and night Saturday.
I rode along the Rambla for about twenty minutes before heading home. There’s something about being near water that immediately calms me and puts the world back into perspective.
No, I did not get in the water. Absolutely not. That water is cold AF. I stayed on my bike, took a few photos, and appreciated both the natural scenery and the human-made touches. Being this close to the ocean is one of the environmental features that initially drew me to Uruguay.
My next rides will take me north toward the countryside and west toward downtown Montevideo. For now, I’m off to acquire some orange Cheetos (I know some will get this joke and others may not).
Check out the photos from both bike rides in the gallery!
Thank you for sticking with me to the end.
As always, be kind to one another—and be kind to yourself.
