CHAPTER XIII

MONTEVIDEO 161

The surroundings of the capital--Pleasant resorts--The Prado--A well-endowed park--Colón--Aspects of the suburbs--Some charming _quintas_--A wealth of flowers and vegetation--European and tropical blossoms side by side--Orchards and their fruits--The cottages of the peasants--An itinerant merchant--School-children--Methods of education in Uruguay--The choice of a career-- Equestrian pupils--The tramway route--Aspects of the village of Colón--Imposing eucalyptus avenues--A country of blue-gum--Some characteristics of the place--Flowers and trees--Country houses--The Tea Garden Restaurant-- Meals amidst pleasant surroundings--An enterprising establishment--Lunch and its reward--Poçitos and Ramirez-- Bathing places of the Atlantic--Blue waters compared with yellow--Sand and rock--Villa del Cerro--The steam ferry across the bay--A town of mixed buildings--Dwelling-places and their materials--The ubiquitous football--Aspects of the Cerro--Turf and rock--A picturesque fort--Panorama from the summit of the hill--The guardian of the river mouth--The last and the first of the mountains.