Ushuaia, Argentina Ushuaia refers to itself as “fin del mundo,” the end of the world. It is currently the southernmost city on the globe. It may be in a remote area, but today it was very busy with four cruise ships in port on route to Antarctica. Even in the height of summer, the city is surrounded by snow capped … Read More
Antarctic Cruise – Day 4
Punta Arenas, Chile Thank the stars, the sea calmed down early evening. The swells subsided, the patch kicked in and I began to feel better. I even got a good night’s sleep. In the morning we were in Punta Arenas in Chile. It’s famous for being a port where excursions to Antarctica depart from. It’s also a place I’ve been … Read More
Antarctic Cruise – Day 3
Puerto Madryn Argentina Without a call at Puerto Madryn, the ship would be at sea for two days. It is the northernmost edge of Argentinian Patagonia. We were the only ship in port, a good thing or we would have overwhelmed it. Nearly everyone took a shore excursion hoping to get their first glimpses of penguins and other Patagonian wildlife. … Read More
Antarctic Cruise – Day 2
First day in open seas Today we are heading from Montevideo Uruguay to Puerto Madrone Argentina. A full day at sea. I’ve spent a lot of time watching the ocean, which has been getting progressively rougher. A couple of times I’ve had to grab for a railing to maintain my balance. Also there are mysterious creaks and groans. There are … Read More
Antarctic Cruise — Day 1
Montevideo Uruguay The ship docked early this morning in Montevideo. We’d signed up for a tour of the city. I will confess the start of the tour didn’t convince me I’d ever want to return. The main square has a mash-up of many different architectural styles. I don’t think they’ve ever heard of a planning board. Compared to Buenos Aires … Read More
Buenos Aires – Day Two
After a leisurely breakfast Sue and I headed to La Boca, a neighborhood I remembered with great fondness from my previous trip to Argentina. Originally La Boca was an immigrant area. People used whatever they could find to build shelter. Given its proximity to the docks, the easiest material to get cheaply was used shipping containers. The corrugated steel was … Read More
Buenos Aires, Day 1
Although the flight from New York to Buenos Aires is long, ten plus hours, there’s only a two hour time difference. I managed to sleep on the plane, not exactly great sleep, but sufficient. Sue didn’t do as well, barely sleeping at all. We got through immigration quickly, snagged our luggage and were on our way to locate an ATM … Read More
London – Day One
Getting through Heathrow felt like a forced march. It took a full hour to get from the gate to the Heathrow Express train—and that doesn’t include getting through passport control. We did finally make it and in fifteen minutes were at Paddington Station, directly adjacent to our hotel. Our room, of course, wasn’t ready. Sue and I drank caffeine and … Read More
Munich
Today in Munich was my worst nightmare weather—rain that froze upon hitting the ground and glazed over everything. Forty years ago, I fell on ice and shattered my elbow, so I’m now paranoid about it. I managed to get through the morning with the help of a friendly arm from my travel companions. We watched as a couple of people … Read More
Salzburg
This is a whirlwind tour, frankly too fast for my liking. We boarded a train from Vienna to Salzburg in the early morning. Then we had five hours to explore a city that deserves at least a couple of days. The train ride was beautiful, through a snow-covered landscape. That snow will stay for a long time, the temperature isn’t … Read More