One of my uruguayan friends who has travelled extensively, says people in Montevideo just don’t realise the beauty all round them, they never look up while walking along – well, the uneven state of the pavements with sudden changes of level, sloped paving stones and missing tiles, to say nothing of actual holes, and occasional deposits of dog poo, are all fair deterrents to much looking up…

However, sitting under the magnificent sweeping grandstand roof out at the restored and now fully functioning Maroñas hippodrome /racecourse yesterday, I looked up and marvelled at the pressed or embossed copper sheeting lining the roof. Each sheet is about a metre sq. with 16 divisions in the pattern that look like individual tiles with roses, I think – the pic shows parts of 6 with the join line crossing the middle of the pic. The verdegris patina has been brushed here and there to show the copper underneath. About 4 years ago we visited the place a couple of times marvelling at what a magnificent place it must have been in the glory days before and just after the WWII. Although people still trained horses on the track, the course was not used for official races, and it was sad to see it all abandoned and just left to decay. Tiles had gone allowing water in, windows were broken and vines growing through, small self-seeded saplings growing unattended in the huge ornamental urns on the ballustraded terraces, squatters living it rough but relatively protected in under the grandstands, dirty littered marble stairs sweeping up from floor to floor…. Now, what a difference from that decaying faded glory – in DH’s opinion it was almost too late to save it the deterioration was so bad.
DH had a couple of wins, but my usual choice of either the name I like the sound of or “#4”, drew no luck at all! but we all had a lovely afternoon, and will go back some time.