Buenos Aires, Argentina

2024 Tango World Champions!

We've now completed our 22-day Antartica adventure and are back in Florida.  It was an amazing journey that took us to so many special places.  Our time in Antartica was certainly the highlight, but there were many other special moments along the way.  Our final port of call was the sprawling city of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Close to four million people call the city of Buenos Aires home.  If you include the surrounding metro area that number increases to over 17 million people.  On the world stage Buenos Aires is considered an "Alpha City", meaning it plays a significant role in the international economic community.

Alpha, Beta and Gamma Cities

In recent years Argentina has had some struggles both economically and politically.  As the largest, and capital city of Argentina, Buenos Aires has been at the center of much of the news regarding these struggles. In addition to what we had read/heard from the media, the Cruise Director on the Oosterdam (who we had really enjoyed), wasn't very helpful.  Unfortunately, he had been the victim of a mugging in Buenos Aires in the past.  According to him it happened in the middle of the day and in a very popular city park that was full of families at the time of the incident.  While I can certainly understand the trauma this caused, I think he went well beyond reason sharing his story and warning us about the dangers that we were going to encounter.  It seemed that some people even changed their plans after hearing his port talk.  We even joked that we should probably exit the port with a white flag and our hands in the air!  

Great architecture near the city center

The Flower Sculpture in the Plaza de Lac Naciones Unidas.  The flower opens during the day and closes at night.  Unfortunately, it was recently damaged when a storm with hurricane strength winds hit Buenos Aires.  The storm also damaged the port area.

The open air market near the Plaza de Mayo was busy with locals and tourists.

The Casa Rosada (The Pink House) is Argentina's Government House.  It is located on the Plaza Mayo and is the site for both protests and celebrations.  The biggest celebration in recent years (and possibly ever) was when Argentina won the World Cup in 2022.

We had visited Buenos Aires twice before.  While it had been a few years back we had very fond memories from those visits, and were curious as to what we would find.  We booked a three-hour city highlight tour once we were off the ship ($30 per person) that we really enjoyed.  The tour covered many of the main tourist sites near the city center, some of which we had enjoyed previously.  It was a Sunday afternoon, and the city was very lively, really clean, and everyone was very friendly.

La Boca is a very colorful working-class neighborhood.  It's known as the birthplace of the Tango.

Food and drink were plentiful.  We found some amazing empanadas.....they didn't last long enough to get a picture. 

Colorful buildings and colorful murals!

Argentina is known for its great meat.  There was plenty on the grill in La Boca!

Yes, with any big city you have to be vigilant (and I'm not saying our cruise director wasn't). I have no doubt that the trauma of what happened to him is real, but to stereotype the whole city as an unsafe combat zone was very unfair!  If you find yourself in Buenos Aires, be safe but get out there and enjoy this dynamic alpha city! 

 

Montevideo, Uruguay

Plaza Independencia-Montevideo's main plaza

It's a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Punta del Este, Uruguay to Montevideo, Uruguay, but why drive when you can go by ship?  We departed Punta del Este as the sun was starting to set, cruised slowly overnight and arrived in Montevideo shortly after the sun had risen.  We were no longer cruising in the Atlantic Ocean but on the Rio de la Plata. Depending on the source of information, the Rio de la Plata is referred to as a river, an estuary, a gulf or a marginal sea.  For this blog we'll go with what is most common, which is that it is a river.  It's not real long, only 180 miles long, but at its widest, it's over 140 miles wide, which makes it the widest river in the world. 

Montevideo is the capital and largest city in Uruguay.  Around 1.4 million people call Montevideo home, which is roughly one third of the country's population.  Since 2005 Montevideo has held the distinction of being the highest rated city for quality of life in Latin America, according to the Mercer Quality of Living Report.  It doesn't take long to see how Montevideo earned this lofty ranking.  

The city is busy, but not too busy, and very clean, safe and easy to navigate.  The port is located near the city center and just a short walk from Sarandi Pedestrian Street.  We were off the ship early and enjoyed an early morning stroll along the pedestrian street before many of the shops and restaurants opened.  From the main plaza (Plaza Independencia) we headed toward the promenade along Rambla Gran Bretana.  The promenade was busy with walkers, joggers and bikers enjoying the sunshine and great views of the Rio de la Plata.  Our walk took us as far as Playa Ramirez (beach) and to the edge of Parque Rodo, a large city park named after Jose Rodo, a Uruguayan writer.  We walked through a small section of the park stopping frequently to enjoy watching the families and people of all ages laughing, talking and generally just having a grand time. 

The Sarandi Pedestrian Street was still a bit sleepy on a Saturday morning 

Plaza Zabala

Plaza Constitucion

Along the Rambla Gran Bretana

Not our usual place to stop, but this McDonalds was conveniently located with a great beach view (Playa Ramirez)

We enjoyed the riverside walk on the way out, so we mostly retraced our steps on the way back.  Thankfully, we turned up a different street a few blocks earlier on our way back.  We passed a busy neighborhood cafe named Bar 36 that was serving up what looked and smelled delicious.  We walked past,  but quickly made a U turn and took one of the last outdoor tables.  The menu was all in Spanish,  and our friendly server spoke about as much English as we do Spanish.  We quickly worked things out and had a couple of amazing local sandwiches called Chivitos, which happen to be the National Dish of Uruguay.  We got one with beef and one with chicken.  Both were filled with ham, mozzarella, tomatoes, and a fried egg.  They were both really tasty, but we agreed that the beef one was our favorite and that we could have done without the egg.

Bar 36-We were lucky to get a table!

Chivito's and Sangria-Lunch of Champions!

Bar 36

With full bellies, we slowly made our way back towards the ship.  We stopped to spend some time in the Plaza Independencia, Plaza Constitucion and Plaza Zabala reminiscing about our previous visit to Montevideo,  as well as expressing our gratitude to be back in such a wonderful city.  A Traveling Idiots Life is a pretty good life!

By Saturday afternoon things had become a bit more lively.  We were told because this area was a business district many of the shops and restaurants would not open on a Saturday, which happens to be when we were visiting. 

Punta del Este, Uruguay

 

Uruguay is probably a country that isn't on too many people's radar.  Many of the 3.5 million residents of this small (about the size of Kansas) country are most likely happy to keep it that way.  We had visited a few places in Uruguay some years back and really enjoyed it. We were looking forward to exploring a bit more.  This was our first time in Punta del Este, and to sum it up in one word…Wow!!

Punta del Este has been referred to as the Monaco of the South, the Pearl of South America and the Miami Beach of South America..........pretty lofty comparisons!  After spending a day roaming around the seaside town, we certainly agree!

As is often the case with us, we had no real plans.  We simply took off along the promenade on the oceanside of the peninsula.  One thing that we did want to see while we were there was the Fingers of Punta del Este.  The sculpture, who's official name is La Mano depicts five fingers coming out of the sand.  As far as large sculptures go, I would have to admit it was pretty cool to see.  It is located on one of the main oceanside beaches, which was crowded with travelers and locals enjoying a sunny, warm summer day.

La Mano

Playa Brava on the Oceanside of the peninsula
 

Close to La Mano were several beachfront bars and restaurants.  We enjoyed some refreshments at Vista Mar before continuing on our rambling about.  Although we're not shoppers, we enjoyed walking down the main shopping street,  (Av. Juan Gorlero) which was buzzing with activity thanks to vacationers and cruisers, many of whom seemed eager to part with some of their money.

The peninsula of Punta del Este looked to be about a half mile wide so after walking the Av. Juan Gorlero for a bit we turned right and were soon on the bayside promenade.  As you would expect, the water was calmer on the bayside.  There were also numerous beaches along the bayside, which were also crowded with young and old people enjoying the beautiful weather and spectacular setting.

The bayside promenade.

Marina with the city center in the background

After enjoying a day roaming up the oceanside, down the city center and then up and down the bayside it was time to head back to the ship.  Without question, Punta del Este can hold it's own with any lofty comparison to other global beachside resorts!

Puerto Madryn, Argentina

 

After our windy walkabout in the Falkland Islands, we had a very welcome "sea day".  The long hike in the wind combined with a little 12-24 hour bug that I caught had taken it's toll.  I spent most of the day laying around the cabin.  Thankfully, Beth didn't catch whatever I had, and my recovery was quick.  When we arrived, we were ready to explore Puerto Madryn.

We had been traveling north since leaving Antartica.  It was still cold in the Falklands, but we were greeted in Puerto Madryn with sunny skies and a temperature of around 70 degrees.  It felt good to be back in shorts again!

Puerto Madryn is a city of around 100,000 people in the Patagonia region of Argentina.   It was founded in 1865 by Welsh immigrants who arrived by boat.  In recent years Puerto Madryn has experienced significant growth,  thanks mainly to tourism.  Tourists come to enjoy the combination of warm temperatures, low humidity, wide beaches, abundant wildlife and friendly people.  During our one-day visit we enjoyed much of what the area has to offer and can see why it is becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination.

The Oosterdam docked at the main pier, which was conveniently located near the city center.  Additionally, there was a long waterfront promenade going in both directions.  We opted to turn left as we exited the pier.  A young lady in the tourism office gave us a few suggestions and we were soon on our way.   

We enjoyed the walk along the promenade stopping at a beachside restaurant for breakfast.  It's summer in South America and the beaches were busy with families as well as what seemed like thousands of kids who were attending various summer camps.  We continued walk for a total of around 3 miles until we reached the Tehuelche Monument, which honors the indigenous people of eastern Patagonia.   There is also a panoramic view of the city of Puerto Madryn from there.

Puerto Madryn from the Tehuelche Monument area

On our way back towards the city center Beth flagged down a cab and that's when the fun really began.  The cab driver had grown up in Puerto Madryn.  His English was pretty good and his love for the area was off the charts.  He took us about 10 miles out of town to Punta Loma where groups of sea lions, including numerous babies were enjoying both the sand and surf.   He was a diver and shared with us stories of doing night dives around shipwrecks in the area.  He showed us numerous pictures and YouTube videos of close up encounters he and others have had with whales, dolphins and sea lions in the area.

Punta Loma has a protected beach for sea lions. 

A bull male, watching over numerous females and their young.  At certain times of the year there are orca whales in the area.  The orca's will sometimes come up on the edge of the beach to try to catch an unsuspecting sea lion.

Our taxi driver really entertained us when we came back into town and there was an anti-government protest going on.  He shared with us that the country (which has struggled economically in recent years) had just elected a new leader.  The protesters, which were mainly young people, were protesting that not enough change was happening quick enough.  He told us "they're protesting because they had everything handed to them without working for it, and they want it now".  He clearly isn't a big fan of the Gen Z crowd, however Beth and I quickly became fans of his, thanks to his knowledge, enthusiasm and entertaining narration.  We ended our time with him only after he had taken us to one of his favorite empanada shops, which was located near the city center.

Even the lifeguards took part in the protest!

Our friendly taxi driver. Our only regret was that we didn't get his name!

Puerto Madryn was a great place to spend a day and certainly a place we would enjoy if our travels ever take us back to Argentina's Patagonia region.

  

Breezing around Stanley, Falkland Islands.

There was only a little rain……

….but a whole lot of wind!

After four days, we left Antarctica behind and headed north back across the Drake Passage to our next port of call, Stanley, Falkland Islands.  

We had the “Drake Lake” heading south to Antarctica.  The northbound passage was a little different story.   We had two days of a pretty good “Drake Shake”.  Winds were blowing around 50 mph and waves were in the eighteen foot range.  In spite of the bumpiness, we tolerated it without any problems.  In hindsight, it was kind of nice to experience both the “lake” and the “shake”.  

The Falklands (there anre two main islands, creatively named East and West) are located approximately 300 miles from the Argentina coastline.  Around 4,000 people call the Falklands home, many who have been there for multiple generations.   If you’re keeping score, there are around 100 times as many penguins in the Falklands as there are humans!  

The great majority of the Falkland Islands residents live in Stanley

The Falklands are self governed, but overseen by the United Kingdom.  There has been disputes over ownership of the islands for several hundred years.  In 1982, Argentina invaded the Falklands in an attempt to take control.   They underestimated the resolve of the British, and Margaret Thatcher,  and were soundly defeated.  The islands have been peaceful since that time, and the defeat of Argentina remains a source of great pride to the several thousand residents of the islands.  

Stanley Anglican Church, the southern most Anglican Church on the planet!

We had visited the Falklands about ten years ago on a previous cruise.  We enjoyed spending that day at a King Penguin colony, but we  didn’t get to see any of the small, well maintained town of Stanley.  

This time around we decided to stay in the town area.  We hiked from town to Gypsy Cove where there was a small colony of Magellanic Penguins.  The hike was quite scenic and somewhat enjoyable.  It would have been more enjoyable if the wind wasn’t blowing near Category 1 hurricane strength the entire thirteen miles!  We were pretty “wind blown” and wiped out by the time we returned to the pier area.   Thankfully we had a few more hours to look around and really enjoyed their national museum (The Historic Dockyard Museum) which was located along the waterfront.  If you end up in Stanley be sure to put the museum on your agenda. 

penguins in Gypsy Cove

We were watching the penguins on the beach.  When we turned around we found that this guy had been watching us!

The Lady Elizabeth has been rusting near Stanley since 1913.  

One of the many displays in the museum.    

If the wind is whipping and you want to hike to Gypsy Cove, good luck!

Antartica…..a little difficult to reach….impossible to describe!

The seventh one is checked off!

We did it!   We’ve now visited all seven continents.  There have been so many amazing experiences along the way.  Some of them are easy to describe, others difficult to describe, and a few that are downright impossible to put into words.  Antartica falls into the impossible to describe category.  

Size wise Antartica is huge.  It’s larger than the contiguous United States.  According to what we’ve learned from the Antartica experts on board, 61% of the world’s fresh water can be found in Antartica….as ice.   Ironically Antartica is considered a desert.  The accumulation of ice and snow has been millions of years in the making.  

Antarctica is the only continent without a human population    Thanks to some forward thinking people the Antarctica Treaty Alliance was signed on December 1, 1959.  The treaty was signed by twelve countries (including the US), to protect and preserve the fragile and important ecosystem.  The treaty provides oversight for all activities in Antarctica.   Scientific research projects must be approved and tourism is very limited.   From the limited research I did on the treaty it appears to be working extremely well, and is a model of international cooperation for the benefit of everyone.   Hopefully it continues!

From Cape Horn we cruised southward across the Drake Passage for two days.  We felt very fortunate that we had the “Drake Lake” both days…….smooth water and dropping temperatures as we made our way.   We’ve seen icebergs on other adventures, but we quickly realized that there are icebergs and then there are Antartica icebergs.  It wasn’t unusual to pass between two icebergs that appeared to be much larger than the ship.  We did learn that no matter the size of the iceberg, only around 10% is visible.  We didn’t see it, but we were told that the largest iceberg out there is A23A and that it is currently 4 times the size of New York City.  Thankfully we have on board skilled ice pilots who along with our very personable captain kept us from turning into the Titanic.

The Cape Horn Lighthouse. A family of four and a cat live there.  Their nearest neighbors are a few hundred miles away!

One of many Albatrosses that entertained us around Cape Horn.  

One of the first iceberg sightings as we traveled south across the Drake Passage.  Note the lake conditions.  There are no pictures of the “Drake Shake” conditions because the outside decks were closed.

Our cruise took us to the Antarctic Peninsula, which with a little imagination looks somewhat like Florida jutting out.  We had four wonderful days cruising in and out of bays and channels, as well as getting close up looks of both Deception and Elephant Islands. All the while we were marveling at the scenery and enjoying watching hundreds of thousands of penguins swimming along beside the ship and standing guard over their babies on the rocky shore line.   We also had a daily dose of whales, sea lions, Antarctic birds and snow.   

The weather was about as cooperative as the weather can be in that part of the world.  The skies were mostly overcast with the temperatures ranging from the single digits to the upper twenties.  It was never intolerable when we were outside, especially since we were never more than a few steps away from being out of the wind and weather and back in the cozy confines of the Oosterdam.  Sunset was close to midnight and sunrise around 4 am, but it never really got completely dark.

It really is impossible to describe Antartica with words.  Pictures capture just a glimpse of how spectacular this frozen continent really is.  Below are some of our favorites.  I’ve captioned some with specific points of interest……enjoy!

Approaching the Antartica Peninsula! 

The Palmer Research Station.  It’s one of the US Research Stations.  In the summer it is staffed by around 60 people.  During the winter it is staffed by around 30 people.  

The dark line leading to the water is the penguin trail.  There are a few penguins near the water’s edge.  

The great majority of the coastline around Antarctica is classified as “glacier”. 

A future iceberg calving off the glacier.

The two things that look like logs are actually humpback whales.

Iceberg with a built-in swimming pool.  We had seen one earlier that had a seal frolicking around inside.  

Morning Tai Chi by the indoor pool

Penguins on the slope!

Penguins on the Rocks!

Penguins chilling on ice!

Polar plunge in the outdoor pool.  No!  We did not participate!

 

We didn't earn the Polar Plunge Certificate.  However, we were inducted into The Order of the Moss Back for rounding Cape Horn and The Order of the Red Nose for traveling to Antartica.  I'm not sure what benefits come with being inducted other than these spiffy certificates.  

Elephant Island.  It was so named because the island resembles the head of an elephant.  It was here that 22 men spent four months after their ship was destroyed by an ice pack. They survived under lifeboats, eating penguins and seals.   True to his word, the expedition leader  (Ernest Shackleton). who left to seek help did come back to rescue them.  The small thing sticking up in the lower middle of the picture is a monument to the rescue.  

Penguin covered rocks at Elephant Island.