Phot-o' the Day: Feral Cats by the Sea; Montevideo, Uruguay

Feral cats beside the sea. Actually, it's the Rio de La Plata in Montevideo, Uruguay, which is (technically) an estuary. But it's salt water, so that makes it "the sea," by any reasonable definition. There is a very large colony of stray cats strutting around the Faro de Punta Carreta, the lighthouse at the southernmost point in the Montevideo metropolitan area. They appeared healthy and tolerant of bipedal forms of life.

Visited November 2013.

Phot-o' the Day: Jose Artigas, on Horseback, Views the Palacio Salvo; Montevideo, Uruguay

So much Uruguay packed into this single photo.

The man on the horse is José Gervasio Artigas, who fought for the independence of Uruguay in the early 19th Century. He's the Simon Bolivar, or the George Washington, of his country, to analogize. (And, befitting the George Washington parallel, there is a statue of Artigas in Washington, D.C., at Constitution Avenue, 18th Street and Virginia Avenue, across from the OAS building.) The statue is in Plaza Independencia, in the center of Montevideo, separating the old city from the modern metropolis. He is pointed towards Palacio Salvo, the signature building of the Montevideo skyline, with its art deco "rocket ship" decorations flanking the main tower.

Visited November 2013.

Phot-o' the Day: Meat on the Grill, Mercado Del Puerto; Montevideo, Uruguay

When you think of Uruguay, what do you think of?

The two World Cups in soccer and the fact that Uruguay is the smallest nation (by far) to have ever won that international soccer championship? Yes, probably, but what else?

Soccer hero Luis Suarez and how he likes to take a bite out of the competition? That is distinctive, but not really representative of the whole country.

Zooilogico Del Futuro? Well, I do. But I think that's only me.

The answer? Meat! Lots and lots of meat, grilled to perfection. This photo is from inside Montevideo's famous Mercado Del Puerto, the historic marketplace filled with lunch restaurants serving grilled meat (steak especially). Visited November 2013.