Glaciers and Ushuaia

Sunday morning we awoke to our cruise through the Beagle channel and an area known as Glacier Alley. It was just beautiful and we took a zillion pictures. It was Sunday and I certainly felt close to God with the scenery around us.

                      And our happy day selfie at the base of a glacier from our balcony cabin.

We got off the ship around noon into the little port town of Ushuaia, Argentina and visited the Maritime museum which is housed in the building that was once a prison. Very interesting ! Each cell in the rehabbed block contained an exhibit or a prisoner history. 

Someone having fun.

Some of the model ships in the museum depicting Magellan’s ships and those that sunk in the trip around the horn.

And then our afternoon was a ship excursion which took us on the Pan American highway to the “End of the World”. Yes Alaska is 17,848 kilometers away or roughly 11,100 miles.

Wow it is Monday Again

Finally some time to catch up. We have been off the ship the last two days and busy while sailing to the next port. We are still loving the sea days, and have had much fun in the south of South America.

So Saturday was a day in Punta Arenas, Chile. This was a lovely little Chilean port town with a typical cathedral and one of the top 10 cemeteries in South America. It seemed a little strange to take pictures in a cemetery but since it was a highly recommended tourist attraction I was like everyone else and took pictures. The Cathedral was very beautiful inside and we were happy to see that there was little graffiti on it from the Chilean protesters.

                                      A look down one row of  the above ground graves at the cemetery.
                                                   The trees were very unusual too.  European cypress.

Steve between the rows of trees at the cemetery.

Sadly the protesters had gotten into the cemetery and defaced this mausoleum.

                                Another example of the huge mausoleums in the cemetery.

Yes my feet are in the Pacific Ocean in February south of the equator. Our ship at anchor. It was a water shuttle port that went much more smoothly than Easter Island. And I know we have missed a few selfie days.

Signing off for now. The internet makes loading pictures from the phone or camera to the tablet time consuming and we are getting ready for another Tuscan wine pairing dinner tonight. Will post tomorrow about Ushuaia, Argentina, and our Sunday adventures.

Latest Update -Maybe Politics

It is now Friday February 7. We are cruising along the coast of Chile known as the Patagonia. It is a beautiful day with temps in the mid-60s and plenty of sunshine. We are about 20 miles off the coast but the mountains are very apparent. Our week has been interesting because we were detained in San Antonio for almost 2 extra days. The port closed on Monday night reportedly because of weather before they had restocked and refueled the ship. The captain updated us throughout Tuesday saying we would miss the next port but would hopefully get back on schedule. We were not allowed off the ship.  The casino and shops were closed because of being in port, and everyone was anxious to get on our way again. When Wednesday morning came and we were still in port the rumors began to fly. The captain came on and said there was a conference call being made at 9am with Princess Corporate and the Chilean government.  We concluded that perhaps the weather was not all that was keeping us tied up at the dock. We were finally told we could leave at 1pm even though supposedly the port would still be closed. Everyone was out on deck to watch the exit through the narrow channel and see how rough the seas were. And we were all surprised by the apparent ease we escaped back to cruising. I don’t expect we will ever know what really transpired but there are many stories being passed around the ship. The pictures were taken as we backed out to turn toward the exit channel and then out of the port.

So our schedule is off. We missed our visit to Puerto Montt and we will not be cruising close to the Amalia Glacier. Tomorrow morning we should be on Puntarenas Chile and hopefully enjoy a day on land.
We have heard much about our sister ship the Diamond Princess which is on quarantine in Japan. We are thankful that the corona virus has not shown up in South America thus far.

San Antonio/Santiago Chile Port February 3

Monday Funday!!! Today we had a private excursion with four other ladies for wine tasting in the Casablanca Valley of Chile. Our driver and guide Gonzalos, was waiting for us as we exited the ship around 8:30 AM. After about a 45 minute driver we arrived at our first winery, Villard. The drive out to the winery reminded both Steve and I of Napa Valley.

The climate is very similar to Napa too. Chile has been experiencing drought conditions this year although this area looks pretty green. The harvest is usually around the middle of March.

The inside display of the wines that are produced here.  We were told that between 80-90% of Chilean wine production is exported. The government places a 40% tax on wines sold in Chile meaning we can buy Chilean wine for less in the US than in Chile.

The table inside was set for our tasting but...

So was the outside table so we chose to be outside to enjoy the views, the weather and the wine. Our guide Gonzola and the Villard wine sommelier Alexandra

Back in the van and off to winery 2, Emilian. The ladies we were with had been to this winery on a previous cruise but enjoyed it so much they had scheduled it again. And of course we chose the outdoor seating.

An added bonus was their family of llamas

By winery #3 it was time to put something more substantial into our stomachs.

A grazing board but still plenty of wine glasses filling the table.

A fun courtyard and play on words as we left called for posing.

And finally the last winery, Casa Marin. Another very scenic area and an outside second floor balcony for the tasting. 

And we made it back to the ship although I was lagging quite a ways behind Steve.

La Serena/Coquimbo, Chile

We arrived in port this morning and took a taxi from the port in Coquimbo to the historic town of La Serena. This is our view from the balcony of the ship.

The town of La Serena founded in 1544 is known for being Chile’s second oldest city. It is now a very popular holiday resort with many of the high rise condominiums along the coastal drive. We drove the length of the beach from the ship to Old Town La Serena and it is very much like Fort Lauderdale or Miami with some very upscale looking restaurants and hotels as you can see in the background. The entire drive is divided between the two cities of La Serena and Coquimbo.

There is an area that suffered from the 2015 earthquake and resulting tsunami and that is currently being rebuilt. Our cab driver told us people from all over Chile, Argentina and Ecuador vacation here.

While we were in the Plaza de Armas or main square we visited the Cathedral of the city of La Serena.

The door to the church was very impressive wood carvings.

Unfortunately the picture Steve took with me doesn’t show some of the local problems.

Much of the area has been marred with graffiti including statues and buildings. Many of the words were anti government and church. Our cab driver told us the youth of the country are opposed to working but enjoy demonstrating for social justice. A sad state for the country because it has the potential to be a very nice American tourist area.As we walked back to the ship we went through the local fish market with the fresh catches.

On our balcony writing up the blog post we were entertained  watching a local tourist company running Pirate ship tours right past our balcony.

Lazy Saturday at Sea

Time to catch up again with how things have been going. I am preparing a knitted wardrobe for baby Mereu with group knitting in the morning and lots of afternoon free time too. Two of the outfits for baby are finished and a third is nearing completion.I am also working on a cardigan for myself.

This one is actually a prettier pink than it photographed.

A smocked top dress and hat.

A little cardigan with sleeves being worked on

A project for myself.

The morning knit group includes a knitter from NC who is also a potter who makes buttons for her local yarn shop. She was so taken with my little girl things she wants to send me some of her homemade buttons . So much fun to share time with such interesting ladies. My afternoon quiet knit time usually includes an audio book and I have finished the two cruise book club books and one other. Steve has been tearing through books too and thankfully there is a passenger exchange library onboard.

We have enjoyed our 7 PM regular dining table by the window and have enjoyed that we get to met a new couple nearly every night sitting at the table for 2 next to us. I can’t remember if I have said this before but we continue to be surprised at the number of people that are taking this cruise for the 58 days round trip from Fort Lauderdale. Many are escaping cold climates but we have also met a couple from England, a couple from New Zealand, a couple from Amsterdam and of course several Canadians. Pictured is a lamb shank entree and our wonderful waiter Amorn from Thailand. He has been on Princess ships for over 15 years. 

Tomorrow we will be in Coquimbo Chile. It will be nice to put our feet on the ground again.