South America/Antarctica "Medicare" Cruise 2019

January 28, 2019
   Medicare Cruise officially begins on Lana's 65th birthday! We depart ATL on a business class Delta flight.  Whooo hooo!

January 29, 2019
     Arrived in Santiago, Chile.  We were too early to check into our hotel, so we took a stroll around the area, had lunch on the charming roof top of our hotel, and then took a guided tour. The city of Santiago recently turned one of its busiest streets into a colorful urban art project titled Paseo Bandera.  Opened on December 21, 2017, designed by Chilean visual artist Dasic Fernandez, the entire 35,000 square foot mural sprawls across almost four blocks.

 Afterwards, we had a delicious dinner on our hotel's 8th floor terrace where we enjoyed great craft cocktails, dinner, and a yummy cappuccino.

  People watching was superb!

January 30, 2019

    We travel to Port San Antonio where we board Holland America's Vaandam for our cruise.

January 31, 2019
     Sea day!  Spending our time exploring the ship, reading, and enjoying cooler temps.

February 1, 2019
    Puerto Montt, our first port.  Unfortunately, we had to leave because the seas were too rough for tender operations. Our excursion would have included exploring a Germany town, but after seeing the water sail over the pilot boar, we were happy to remain on board and enjoy a relaxing day at sea.

February 2, 2019
     Castro, Isla, Chiloe, Chile was a very colorful small town to walk around.  We strolled around the local market before heading into town with an old church constructed completely of wood.  Waterfront buildings were all on pilings because the tides can fluctuate up to 20 feet.

February 3, 2019
   Puerto Chacabuco, took a bus tour around the northern part of Patagonia to Coyhaique City and Aysen.

Unfortunately, the bus was freezing, and I became so ill.  I missed dinner and slept for hours.

February 4 - 5, 2019
     We are cruising the Chlean Fjords, stopping at Tempanos Glacier. Love our little towel creatures each evening when we return from dinner.  Lily and David would love them too!

February 6, 2019
     We cruised through the Strait of Magellan, Cockburn Channel and Beagle Channel on our way to Punta Arenas, Chile.  Punta Arenas is said to be the windiest place on Earth.

  Chile is covered by 80% mountains.  They claim to have 7 sheep to every human.  We took a ferry ride to Magdalena Island to see the fabulous Magellan Penguins and Seagull Reserve. Indeed, it was windy, but such fun!

  We couldn't walk in certain areas, but the penguins didn't know that rule and constantly walked near us!

I didn't want to leave! Afterwards, Teri and Lana walked around downtown Punta Arenas which was a very clean, pretty, and well kept downtown.  Like most cities we have seen so far, they have all been very clean with very friendly folks. We enjoyed Café Lattes and used the Internet to check back with our families at home.

February 7, 2019
     Daylight cruising Glacier Alley to East, Espana, Romanche, Alemania, Francia, Italia and Holanda glaciers then then on our way to Ushaia.

  Ushuaia is said to be the "city at the end of the world.  They have the southernmost railways system in the world.  The church was built by convicts, and the old prison is now a museum. Our afternoon boat tour was amazing.

 We saw Imperial Cormorants, Petrals and Sea Lions.  Soooo many birds and lounging sea lions.

February 9, 2019
     Today we cruised around Cape Horn and then crossed Drake's Passage.  Cape Horn is the southernmost point in South America.  Dutch sailors discovered Cape Horn.  Drake's Passage can have seas up to 100 ft.  Cape Horn is known as the most dangerous passage in the world where the Pacific and Atlantic oceans converge.  Cape Horn has taken over 1000 ships and 15,000 people.  The captain sounded his "horn" as we traveled by in respect to all the lives lost. Luckily, as we passed through we experienced "Drake's Lake".

 Later we arrived at Deception Island, which as penguins, seals, and thousands of petrals.  Unfortunately, high winds prevented us from getting close to the island.

February 10, 2019
     Cuverville Island Nausen Island and Wilhemina Bay with several glaciers.  So amazingly beautiful!

February 11, 2019
     Paradise Harbor - lots of icebergs and whales feeding.  Another day of breathtaking sights.  Large iceberg (over 11 miles long) and many mountains of granite/volcanic rock.

Went through Newmayer Channel and Borgen Bay with 9,000 foot mountains and many glaciers.  This morning, as I opened our curtain to proclaim my daily, "Good Morning, Antarctica" I was greeted by an iceberg floating by with two baby seals and a penquin! Even the captain remarked that we have had the best weather of any cruise they have ever experienced in Antarctica.  HAL only has three of these cruises each year, and we were lucky enough to book this on our first try!

February 12, 2019
     Gerlache Strait - logs of whales, many sleeping.  Charlotte Bay was also on today's agenda.

February 13, 2019
     Sadly, it is our last day of Antarctic cruising.  Went sailed past Admiralty Bay at King George Island.  Unfortunately, ice kept us from going in too far in some areas.  Many countries have stations on King George Island.  We saw old whale bones on the beaches from old whaling operations that used to be here.  Nelson Island allows visitors for 45 day minimums.  While there you work collecting or categorizing whale bones and picking up debris.

February 14, 2019
    Cruising today, so we relaxed, worked out a bit, and enjoyed life at sea. Today, I met a lovely artist who was with a large group of art students from Australia.  I purchased one of her lovely Antarctica  watercolors.  She extended an invitation to me, and the Stewarts, to attend an art exhibition later in the cruise.

February 15, 2019
     The Falkland islands have over one million penguins!  The have Megellanic, King, and Gentoo penguins.  King is the second largest.  They also have Oystercatchers, Blue Eyed Shags, Rock, Cormorants, Giant Petrals, Striated Caracara, Kelp Gulls, Upland Geese, the Falkland Steamer Ducks - which are rare and flightless ducks, as well as the largest colony of Black Browed Albatross.  Since the 74 day way in 1982, they have lots of active mines till being searched for and destroyed.  The penguins, fortunately, do not weigh enough to set off the mines.  The population is about 3000 and 75% of the population live in Stanley, which is a very clean, really fresh looking city.  There are more sheep than people in the Falkland Islands.  Our excursion to Bluff Cove was AMAZING! From town we took small vans and then got on four wheelers to finish our journey to Bluff Cove, which was quite the bumpy ride over the peat bogs. Our time there flew by.

 Hattie and her staff treated us to coffee/tea and beautiful scones topped with Diddle Dee Jam, pastries and cakes. The jam is made from the Diddle Dee berries that grown all over and was truly delicious.  Hattie and her family have a beautiful gift shop with treasures made  by locals.  Could have stayed here all day.

 BUT, eventually, we had to return to downtown Stanley where we explored the museum, Whalebone Arch, and eventually enjoyed a tasty lunch.  I called home from the Visitor's Center where I had to sit in a special spot, not moving, to make the connection.

February 17, 2019
     Puerto Madryn, Argentina.Very small town, where I eventually bought a coffee to be able to download Internet and call home. Back on board, enjoyed watching the birds and penguins on a cement dock near the chip.

February 19, 2019
     Montevideo, Uruguay.  During Jewish Services, I met a lovely couple who had booked a Jewish Tour which we were able to join.  We had such an amazing tour, including a visit to a home being restored.

  Montevideo hosted the first Fifa World Cup in 1932.

Uruguay is one of the smallest countries in South America, and truly helped Jews during WWII.

After the tour, I walked around the port town, purchasing a few treasures and calling home.

February 20, 2019
     Buenos Aires, Argentina - hot, hot, hot! Traffic jams that could rival any large US city.  Six million people!  Our tour took us to the world's most beautiful book store, formerly a beautiful old theater. and Eva Peron's grave, in Recoleta Cemetery. We drove by the Florabis Generica designed to bloom during the day and close at night.  It appeared in 2002, created by Eduardo Catalano. We had plans to go back into town after the tour, but the heat and traffic convinced us to stay on the ship.

 Our last happy hour on the lovely Zaandam included lots of discussions on how quickly our 22 days passed.  Truly a cruise to remember! And that fast, it was time to fly home.