Las Toscas

The beaches, which here means the Atlantic Ocean, don't really start until Piriopolis.
Montevideo is at the mouth of the Rio de La Plata, a large bay I guess, that separates us from Buenos Aires. This means the city has essentially river beaches, although sometimes it's hard to tell. The vast expanse (nothing visable across the way), the sandy beaches with sometimes decent waves all add to the effect. If you can't make it any farther, it's not a bad way to pass the day. The water ranges from brownish on bad days, to greenish when the currents bring new and slightly salty water to freshen things up.
All along the coast, heading east to the Atlantic are small towns where people have been summering for years. My friend has a family home in Las Toscas, which is quite close to Atlantida, maybe the largest of this type. There are plenty of year round residents, but during the summer these towns fill up with folks trying to escape the heat.
I'm not sure if I've been in January before, but it was a little on the crowded side. The water, somewhat half-way in between salt and fresh water, is an even better imitator than those city beaches. Beautiful sand, some dunes, waves; it's a pretty reasonable facsimile.
We've been taking what chances we have to get to some water. Vincent spent two weeks with a friend and family in La Paloma. Luca is still in Colonia with friends. Janine will likely go with Vincent to Valizas Friday. In the absence of a solid rental for all of us, this will have to do. Not bad, not bad at all.