Today we drove from the pier to Plaza de Armas, the main square has a statue of Magellan, Cerro la Cruz, a viewpoint overlooking the city, the Straits of Magellan, the port, and legendary Tierra del Fuego Island.
We walked through the park and also visited the Cathedral of Sacred Heart in the square. Luckily they were in the middle of mass, so John and I decided to stay for a while even though everything was in Spanish it was still nice.
Today we drove to the Central Train Station and took a ride on Tierra del Fuego Southern Railway, Train to the End of the World. This railway uses the original narrow gauge line that was part of the small train for prisoners that ran until 1947. Upon arrival at the Park Station, we boarded our coach for a drive through Tierra del Fuego National Park to Lapataia Bay, marking the end of the road which is 2,010 miles from Buenos Aires. We then got on a catamaran for our return to the ship via the Beagle Channel. While sailing, we saw the historic lighthouse, Les Eclaireurs, as well as Seal Island, Isla de Los Lobos, and Island of the Birds, whose names express the abundant wildlife you can view from the deck on our journey back to the ship.
Today we arrived in Port Stanley the Falkland Islands. We took a tender boat to the pier where a minibus took us on a short drive to our 4X4 to see the penguins. On our trip to the 4X4 transfer, the driver told us a bit about the history of Stanley and the battlefields from the 1982 Falkland Conflict between Argentina and United Kingdom.
After arriving to board our 4X4, we drove to the Bluff Cove Lagoon penguin colonies. As our convoy of vehicles navigated this rugged sheep farming country which included stone-runs (rivers of rock), we had the chance to see local Falkland’s life with our driver. When we arrived at the Lagoon, we saw about a 100 breeding pairs of Gentoo penguins and a growing colony of King penguins and their chicks.
After a visit with the smelly but cute Penguins, we visited the Sea Cabbage Café which is located right on the beach, and they served us a cup of tea and delicious home-baked treats, all within the Café’s cozy feeling, made more so because it was heated by a traditional peat stove. We enjoyed our tea, and home baked scones and homemade Diddle Dee Jam while viewing the parade of wildlife on the beach.
After an hour-long visit we drove back to meet our ride to the pier, and on the way one of the other 4X4’s got stuck in the mud and rocks, so our driver stopped and helped the other SUV, and it turns out it was his wife After saving his wife from being stuck we continued our drive to the minibus which took us to the pier to catch the tender boat.
Today we didn’t have anything scheduled we decided to take a walk into town and buy some souvenirs. We saw these wooden carvings which were different and artsy.
Today we had a private tour set up with Jaime the tour guide we met in Montevideo. He took us driving around Punta Del Este. The first place we visited was Casa Pueblo, the residence, atelier, and museum of late internationally-renowned artist Carlos Paez Vilaró. After visiting this unique home, we drove around and saw some neat houses with thatched roofs. We also stopped and looked at a hotel called Hotel L’Auberge. We decided to treat Jaime to lunch since he gave us another fantastic tour of Uruguay.
Our tour began with a drive through the city heading towards the Tigre river which is named for the “tigres” or jaguars that once roamed there. Along the way, we saw this big metal lotus flower. The petals close at night and reopen in the morning.
Upon arriving at the boat dock, we boarded a boat that was to take us on a tour around the island. The river delta is one of the world’s largest and is laced with canals that form a network of forested islands. As you cruise through the green waterway our tour guide pointed out that many of the riverside homes have a British flair. There are mock Tudors, Victorian mansions and even British-style gardens that reflect England’s influence and ties with Buenos Aires. The Tigre River Delta is still a popular weekend getaway for affluent locals. There is a garbage barge and a supermarket barge that comes around for the people who live on the island.
Driving back to the pier we stopped and visited the San Isidro Cathedral. Our guide pointed out the cathedral’s distinct neo-Gothic architecture, most notably its clock tower, which rises more than 225 feet into the air. This cathedral is considered one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Argentina, it has been declared a National Historic Site.
Tonight we had tickets to a Nighttime Tango show with dinner included. This was an amazing show. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take any pictures or video. We saw a tango show in Uruguay and one in Argentina and John and I both agree that the one in Argentina was the best one.
We went to Montevideo for two days flooding kept us from Punta Del Este. Before we arrived in Montevideo Terry Bishop the lecturer on the ship told us all about the saga of the famous WWII German warship, Graf Spee, whose sunken remains rest on the floor of the ocean a short distance outside the harbour. John and I decided to walk to the pier and get a cab to drive us around. We were lucky to meet this guy named Jaime he was such an excellent guide he was very knowledgeable and spoke perfect English. The first stop on our tour with Jaime was Battle Park named for Jose Battle y Ordonez, Uruguay’s president from 1911-1915. We also saw the monument dedicated to the Fallen Soldiers of the Navy.
We visited the nicest hotel in Carrasco called Hotel Sofitel Casino Carrasco, an imposing building which overlooks the coast and is full of Uruguayan tradition and history.
Jaime also took us to this neat building which was the Gaucho Museum. The inside of this house was fabulous. To end a great day we had lunch at the famous meat market. It’s this big building full of different restaurants that all have tons of meat being cooked on spinning grills.
December 21, 2016 – Second time to Montevideo (back to back cruise)
Today we drove north to the Carrau Winery, a major exporter of Uruguayan wines located in the Colon residential area. Situated in a park-like setting, this winery was constructed in 1894 and is the site of an ancient granite cave. We were treated to a tasting of fine Uruguayan wine and champagne, accompanied by a light snack of cheese and ham. The only problem we had with the winery was the room was too big, and it was full of people, and you couldn’t hear the sommelier explaining the wine even though he had a microphone.
After the wine tour, we took a steam train ride and took some photos of the landscaping of Uruguay.
Our tour ended with a visit to Casona Mauá for a Tango Show. Casona Mauá was built in the 1870s and has an outstanding architectural and heritage significance. The venue belonged to Baron and Viscount Mauá, an influential businessman, visionary, and entrepreneur who founded among other things, Mauá Bank, the first bank in Uruguay which opened its doors in 1857 and the first one to print currency within the country. Nowadays and after an excellent restoration process, Casona Mauá maintains its original beveled glass, Carrara marble, floors, ceilings, skylight, and moldings, making it a bastion of Montevideo’s historic Old Town.
John and I had such great lunch the last time we were in Montevideo at the meat market that we chose to grab a bite to eat there again today and once again it was great.
I found it amazing that they were turning this huge cargo boat with such ease that I posted this video.
The story we heard behind all these sunken ships was that the Asian fisherman would come to Uruguay and they fell in love with it so they sank their ships as an excuse to not have to go back.
Maria
Gaucho MuseumFront doors of the Gaucho MuseumGaucho Museum StaircaseGaucho Museum StaircaseGaucho Museum Staircase
Maria & JohnFallen Soldier TombGuards of the Fallen Soldier
Maria & John at Hotel Sofitel Casino CarrascoInside the Hotel Sofitel Casino CarrascoMaria & John Inside the Hotel Sofitel Casino CarrascoMaria Inside the Hotel Sofitel Casino CarrascoMen’s restroom in the Hotel Sofitel Casino CarrascoWomen’s restroom in the Hotel Sofitel Casino Carrascoinside the women’s restroom in the Hotel Sofitel Casino CarrascoIglesia de las Carmelitas in PradoInside of Iglesia de las CarmelitasInside of Iglesia de las CarmelitasInside of Iglesia de las CarmelitasJohnMaria & John with our tour guide JaimeMontevideo Meat Market (Mercado del Puerto)Montevideo Meat Market (Mercado del Puerto)Montevideo Meat Market (Mercado del Puerto)
Carra WineryCarrau Winery
Steam Train RideMaria
Maria & John – with our friends George and Richard
Today we took a walk to the pier and walked around and shopped at the little markets set up in tents and bought the little wooden painted boat and a few pieces of handmade costume jewelry.
Today we arrived in Sao Paolo, and we didn’t have any tours set up we decided to take a cab to the local mall and walk around and do some shopping. We spent about two hours walking around the mall and on the way back to the ship we shared a cab with the Food & Beverage Director’s wife Samantha. Today was a relaxing day nothing scheduled and no time restraint.
