Falkland Islands, Penguins and FUN!

The Falkland Islands were one of the reasons I wanted to take this cruise. How many people have been to the Falkland Islands? No one that I have ever met and I wanted to see it. Nothing like dropping a little bit of England in the middle of an ocean. It was drizzly and a bit cold when we got there. The drizzle let up while we visited and that made it a pleasant trip out to see the penguins at Lagoon Cove.

All the white you see on the ground isn't snow...it's penguin feathers!

This colony of Gentoo penguins was large and it also included a King Penguin with her chicks.

It was quite a ride out to see the penguins.

We boarded 4x4's driven by Island residents...who are among the nicest people you could meet anywhere. It was an adventure greater than an amusement park ride. We were up and down in the mud and peat. The guys still can't believe

we made it. Oh yeah...the guy in red with the

rubber boots (the smart one) was our 70 yr old driver.

It was the last tour of the season at this beautiful seaside property. The owners and hosts treated us to a bbq and the most delicious local treats. What a wonderful accordian player. It was really a memorable experience. Thanks to all the wonderful Falkland Islanders!

The only way to go!

Puerto Madryn, Argentina & Penguins

Our visit to the Punta Tombow Penguin Reserve was one of the absolute highlights of this trip. Even though most of the penguins had already left (including the chicks), there were plenty of adults still finishing their molt. They really were not afraid of us at all. If you wanted to get up close however, you had to get on their "level" and just be patient. My husband Jack had no trouble with that. This curious penguin just kept eyeing up Jack until his curiosity got the best of him and he went in for a closer look. This part of Argentina is Patagonia. There was only this type of scrub vegetation for as far as you could see. It was windy and you needed to keep your hood up to protect your ears!

It was a 3 hour drive just to get to the Penquin rookery. We spent about an hour there and it really was worth the drive. Back at the port we got a great picture of the city of Puerto Madryn. You can see the buildings along the shore of this protected port and the open land just beyond.

This was one of the best days of the cruise!

Next day at sea and then...the Falkland Islands (another favorite).

A good rain...again!

With all the drought we have had, the rain this evening is so welcome. My gardens are looking really good and are in full force right now. The Globemaster Alliums are one of my very favorites. I was looking back at the hail damage to my gardens that happened on May 31 last year. It pretty much devastated my gardens for the season. They recovered, but they never gained their grandeur after that storm. The white "snow" you see in the picture is actually the hail. I tried to scoop it up in buckets so my plants wouldn't freeze.

My Purple pavement rose is so hardy and it smells wonderful right now. It's the best plant. YOu do absolutely nothing to it and it grows like crazy.

There is nothing more relaxing than wandering through the garden!

Montevideo, Uruguay

Monday, March 30, 2009 found us waking up in the port of Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay.

Greg and Nancy, some fellow cruisers from the Cruise Critic forum, had arranged a walking history tour of Montevideo. We opted to join them. Our hostess was a British ex-pat. She was absolutely delightful. She kept us moving and gave us an historical perspective. She had old maps and showed us where the city used to be and where the remnants of the old city are located. I really hadn't known much about Uruguay before this visit, and I felt pretty happy walking away with the knowledge I had acquired. The picture you see is the arch that leads to the park in the center of the city. There was a gaucho pulling a horse drawn cart during our walk. While that was charming to see, we also saw our fair share of feces (both animal and human...enough said).

We walked back towards the cruise terminal to visit the markets just outside the Mercado del Puerto. We found some leather goods and tshirts for the kids. We had walked through the Mercado building in the morning when they were bringing in the wood for the grills.

It smelled wonderful then, but now with all the different food cooking...it was irresistible. We had read about the Estancia del

Puerto and were eager to give it a try.

It was fun to watch all the action at the counter. The different salsas were fun to try and I can honestly say I had the best chorizo I have ever tasted. If only I could have brought some home.

We had a nice walk back to the ship. The weather was fabulous and it was a great day! Next day was "at sea" and our next destination will be Puerto Madryn, Argentina. Penguins...here we come!

South America Cruise

Well,

It is time to begin the cruise review!  We started our cruise in Buenos Aires, Argentina after a long overnight flight.  This was the view of the ship..the Norwegian Sun in port.  Our cabin was at the very top of the ship, right in the middle.  

We had the best views!  We also had some big waves, but more on that later!

We shot this next picture as we were leaving the harbor in Buenos Aires.  Jack is hanging out on our balcony (Cabin #1001).  The view you see is the newest area being developed in BA.

You can also see the smog!  We were so tired, we forgot to snap pictures of the city of Buenos Aires.

We stopped in La Boca, but the only thing we could do was find a cup of Cafe con Leche!  Next stop...Montevideo, Uruguay.