Monte Video, Uruguay

Chuck and I boarded our ship, the Norwegian Crown, on Sunday afternoon, March 25, in Buenos Aires. The first leg of our cruise was from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Santiago, Chile. It was the last sailing of this route for the season. Once we were on board, we learned it was the last sailing of this ship because the Crown had been sold to another cruise line. This made the trip quite nostalgic for the crew.

By the time the ship sailed away the sun was starting to set. We said our farewell to Buenos Aires from the back of the ship.


We were at our first port, Monte Video, Uruguay, when we woke up the next morning. Chuck and I had breakfast and headed out to see the city.

This first photo was taken from the main town square. I loved this building....so I snapped a photo so I could share it with you.


Here is Chuck in the middle of the town square. He is looking at the monument that towers over the area.


Since this was the last cruise of the season, the vendors were out in full force. They will not see another ship load of cruise tourists for another six or seven months.


Monte Video had lovely parks as you can see in this picture.


Next, I will share pictures from our next stop, Port Madryn, Argentina

More about Buenos Aires

A few more photos from Buenos Aires.....

"Guard Patrol." I honestly can not tell you what they were guarding. I saw them coming down the street and I just photographed them. They were stopped at a street corner waiting for the light to change so they could cross the street.


Quiz: Can you find the guard that doesn't belong?

Answer:


This man is learning to make an ice cream cone. He is practicing making the ice cream stand up tall. At this particular ice cream shop, they make the cones this way. We watched him practice over and over. He finally got it.


We were in Buenos Aires in late March.....which is their late summer/early fall. The weather was fantastic and just as in Europe, people enjoyed sitting, eating and drinking outside. There were many outdoor restaurants.


Chuck and I went to the weekly Saturday antique street fair. Besides tons of antiques and curios, there were many street entertainers. Below is a group of musicians enjoying themselves...while us onlookers enjoyed them.


Chuck and I were captivated by this man who was putting on a marionette performance. Notice the stage he had made....compact and mobile.


Next time I will start sharing about our cruise.

Have a great day!!

Iquazu Falls

While in Buenos Aires, Chuck and I went to Iquazu falls. Iquazu falls are located where Agentina, Brasil and Paraguay join. Here is Chuck and I posing for the obligatory photo proving we were where the three countries join.


Iquazu Falls are awesome. We haven't been to Victoria Falls in Africa yet, but found Iquazu to be more spectacular than Niagara Falls located between the U.S. and Canada. That is saying a lot because Niagara Falls is fantastic. The falls covered such a large area, that I could not do it justice with photos. Below you can see my attempt to capture the grandeur of the sight.




I had trouble trying to decide which pictures to share with you first because another wonderful sight are the butterflies. They are everywhere. They come and land on you and it was just amazing. I felt like I was in the middle of a Disney movie.



Between the falls and the butterflies this side trip was spectacular. We both came away with such a wonderful sense of communication with nature. If you ever go to Argentina, I would highly recommend going to Iquazu Falls. They are a little out of the way, but well worth the effort to get there.

Buenos Aires

In March and April of 2007, Chuck and I cruised from Buenos Aires, Argentina all the way around Cape Horn and back up the west coast past Chile, Peru, etc. and ended our trip in Miami, FL, via the Panama Canal.

We started our trip on March 11 when we flew to Buenos Aires 10 days before our cruise began. We rented an apartment for 10 days and enjoyed touring about Buenos Aires. This was a first time visit for both of us and we were both so pleasantly surprised. This city is fabulous. Here are a few pictures to give you a since of this city.

They invented the tango. In the beginning, the tango was only done in brothels. It was not accepted by society in Argentina until it became the rage in Paris. Now it is very much embraced. You can go to tango shows any night of the week. Here are a couple dancing in the street....a very common site.


Unlike other South American cities we have visited, it was apparent that Buenos Aires is very European. It was settled by Germans and Italians and their influence flavors the city. We noticed many Jewish people living there and this McDonalds reflects their presence.


This is just a fun picture I threw in. This clown agreed to pose with me for a picture. Just as Chuck snapped the camera this guy put is hand in an interesting place. What a surprise!.


Argentina is known for its' beef. It had it's beginnings in the Argentine grasslands when the gauchos (cowboys) would cook their meat on a pit of charcoal. They strung their beef or lamb on a cross like implement and cooked it much like it is being cooked in the picture below. This picture was taken in a local popular restaurant.


I have had an interest in going to Buenos Aires ever since I saw the movie, Evita - starring Madonna. We saw where she is buried. Here is one of the markers on her tomb.


This last picture is looking down on Florida street. Florida street is a very popular pedestrian street. This street seems to be a must for every tourist - tons of shopping. I took this picture from the balcony of our apartment.


Next I will share pictures from our trip to Iguazu falls.