We visited Montevideo, the capital and major city of Uruguay, on the north bank of the very wide River Plate estuary. Montevideo is a major port and is famous for being where the British navy bottled up the German pocket battleship Graf Spee during the opening days of World War II. The Germans eventually scuttled the Graf Spee in the estuary rather than surrender her into British hands. A memorial on the Montevideo quay commemorates this engagement.

Near the entrance to the Montevideo harbor is a striking slender building that bears a strong resemblance to the famous Burj al Arab skyscraper in Dubai. They were designed by the same architect.