It was a beautiful day Monday for taking pictures.
Atlántida started in 1911 as a summer playground for wealthy Montevideans, and the architecture reflects that.
Along the Rambla La Mansa:
There are a number of whimsical houses, including this one that I’ve never seen occupied on the Rambla La Brava:
And then there’s Edificio El Planeta.
First, a quick Spanish lesson: el planeta means the planet, and it seems like it should be la planeta. There a few Spanish words that don’t play well with rules.
Built in the 1930s in just one year (did Uruguayans once work fast?), it served as Planeta Palace Hotel until 1954. It looks like a ship preparing to steam out to sea, and was very fancy in its day, with private baths, hot water, and heating (heating? In Uruguay?). After the hotel’s closure, it was divided and sold as propiedad horizontal (i.e., condos). It was declared a national historical monument in 2005.
I have a friend who lives on Playa Argentina (or something Argentina) very near Atlantida. I took all sorts of pictures of the incredibly whimsical houses in the area. I loved it! Have you ever bee to “‘El Aguila”?, the huge stone eagle head right on the beach, so to speak? I remember the fine white sand on the beaches, just like sugar! I brought some with me to show it to friends.
I have a friend who lives on Playa Argentina (or something Argentina) very near Atlantida. I took all sorts of pictures of the incredibly whimsical houses in the area. I loved it! Have you ever been to “‘El Aguila”?, the huge stone eagle head right on the beach, so to speak? I remember the fine white sand on the beaches, just like sugar! I brought some with me to show it to friends.
It’s Villa Argentina. On the north side I walk almost every day with my friend Syd and my dog and his five dogs on a couple hundred hectares of “no man’s land.” I blog about it occasionally.
And El Águila, of course! Everyone who visits has to see it!