MSC SEAVIEW: Camboriu, Brazil - Camboriu, Brazil - 11.01.2027. - 8 days

     Montevideo is the picturesque capital city of Uruguay, nicknamed the "South American Switzerland", and the country's commercial and cultural centre. It is a highly prosperous city with many historical and architectural attractions and a lively social life often centred around the many street cafés. 'Love your guest' is a popular local saying.
     The heart of Montevideo is the atmospheric old city, a stone's throw away from ultra modern skyscrapers. The city enjoys an atmosphere similar to Rio de Janeiro, Salvador Bahia and Buenos Aires, and its one-and-a-half-million inhabitants account for half the country's total population. Particularly attractive is Plaza Independencia and the Sarandi area, the cultural centre of the city, where the Torres Garcia a Museum is located, nearby to where Jorge Luis Borges used to stroll. The Cathedral is the spiritual centre of the city.
     The best shopping is to be found near the port where there are colourful market stalls open 24 hours a day, plus entertaining street artists and musicians. The area also includes several restaurants where dishes such as parrillada chivito, a highly flavoured steak sandwich, are among the staple diet. Other notable shopping districts include the Pocitos, Carrasco, Punta Carretas and Tres Cruces quarters.

     A stunning city of complex culture, tradition and charm, Buenos Aires is an extraordinary melting pot of the various civilisations that have contributed to its development. The years immediately after its colonisation by Spain in the 16th Century - it was founded by Spanish noble Pedro de Mendoza in 1536 - were marked by turbulence and resistance at the hands of the native Indian tribes, the Querandì.
     Development of the town was interrupted several times and in 1580 it was rebuilt at the mouth of the Paranà river. But by the time of Argentine independence in 1816 and into the 20th Century, Buenos Aires had become one of the most dynamic cities in South America, attracting thousands of European immigrants.
     The Italians, French, English, Germans, Dutch and Belgians all established their own distinctive communities, contributing to what French architect Le Corbusier described in 1922 as a giant urban centre of insatiable energy. The Buenos Aires of today is no less energetic, evident in every metre of the huge conurbation that is home to 12 million people, one third of the total population of Argentina. The setting of Buenos Aires is spectacular, lying on the estuary of the River Plate and surrounded by vast pampas.
     The city is blessed with numerous art galleries and museums reflecting its multi-cultural influences. Tree-lined streets and various plazas give the city centre a pleasant, European atmosphere and the downtown area is packed with restaurants, bars and fashionable shops. The nearby barrios are particularly interesting, home of some of the city's wealthiest citizens. One of the most colourful quarters is the Italian suburb of La Boca, lined with wooden houses painted in yellow and blue, the colour of the Boca Juniors soccer team. The residents can be heard speaking in the Ligurian dialect of their Italian ancestors.

     Founded in 1535, Santos was one of the first Portuguese settlements in the New World. Situated a few kilometres east of Sao Vicente, the city was developed on an island, with the port facing inland and ships approaching through a narrow canal. The heart of the city is very much connected with the port activities, and the main buildings lie along a network of narrow alleyways and streets.
     There are several street markets, where bartering is the order of the day, just as it was in ancient times. One of the most important attractions in the city centre is the Rodoviària, near Praça dos Andradas. The commercial centre is found along Rua XV de Novembro and Rua do Comercio.
     The city's train station, built in 1860, is a copy of London's Victoria Station. Nearby is the Baroque-style Santo Antoñio do Valongo church and Convento do Carmo. The city's commercial importance is now complemented by the tourist industry, with many visitors preferring the coast of Santos to Rio de Janeiro.
     On the south side of the island, which has a 400km coastline, are a number of bays with large beaches, protected inland by green hills, giving a Mediterranean feel to the area.