Damoy Point Lockroy Historic Antarctic Station

Kent with the Explorers Tent

Damoy Point Skua

Damoy Point Argentinean Emergency Hut

Damoy Point British Survey Hut

Midnatsol Crew Show

This was our last stop before we began our journey back towards Ushuaia, Argentina, and our return to civilization. When we awoke in the morning the sun was once again shining brightly and white mountains surrounded us in every direction. The water was scattered with chunks of ice ranging in size from small to very large. The temperature was a comfortable 40 degrees Fahrenheit with no wind.

The landing site on this day was located on a small rounded hill with several penguin rookeries. Some guests headed out first for a snowshoe outing or a photography expedition in the snow. This is a paid adventure similar to the camping out and we did not feel compelled to pay to spend more time out in the snow and ice.

After breakfast in the dining room, we attended a lecture with a biologist onboard who spoke about the different birds found in this region of Antarctica. For it being so cold, there are quite a few birds that not only live in the region, but also nest and reproduce in Antarctica. Since there are no trees, grasses or vegetation (only algae and lichen), most of these birds rely on fish to survive. There are some however who rely on other birds’ eggs, chicks or dead animals to survive. The largest birds in the area have wing spans of about ten feet across which is just amazing. Most of the birds are white or shades of brown, black and white to blend in with the environment.

We were scheduled to go ashore about 2:30pm but the snowshoe group had not yet returned to the ship. Since the ship can only have 100 guests ashore at any time we had to wait to depart until about 3:15pm when more guests had returned to the ship. The skies were clear and sunny and the temperature was very warm. We wore lighter layers of clothes but it was still very warm hiking up the hillsides.

Damoy Point has a series of gently sloping hills leading up to the site of an ice airplane runway and a British Antarctic Survey hut built in 1973 and last used in 1993. Today the site has been repaired and converted to a mini museum. Unfortunately, it was closed on this day. There is also an Argentinean emergency shelter built in 1953. The views of the bay and the surrounding mountains from the airstrip are spectacular. We saw several penguin rookeries with busy penguins moving stones and a Skua bird resting on a rock. The ship had put up a small tent similar to one that had been used by previous explorers (Roald Amundsen) so guests could take photos next to it.

From the runway you could see down the hillside to Port Lockroy where you can find the most southerly operational post office in the world. The bay was discovered in 1904 and used for whaling between 1911 and 1931. During World War II, the British military established the Port Lockroy Station A on tiny Goudier Island in the bay. The station continued to operate as a British research station until 1962. In 1996 the station was renovated and is now a museum and post office operated by the United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust. A staff of four typically processes 70,000 pieces of mail sent by 18,000 visitors who arrive by ship during the five-month Antarctic cruise season. Unfortunately, it was closed on the day we visited the area.

The crew put on a talent show at 10:00pm where many of the ship’s crew had a part to play. The panorama lounge was packed with guests who came out to support the crew. The crew sang songs, performed modern dances, Pilipino folk dances, played the violin and more for about an hour. Some of the performances were good, others not so good, but the crew seemed to be enjoying themselves and the guests had a good time as well.

Gonzalez Vadela Station

Gonzalez Vadela Station Direction Sign

Gonzalez Vadela Station White Penguin

Gonzalez Vadela Station Penguin Eggs

Gonzalez Vadela Station Living Room

It was another beautiful sunny day with temperatures around 42 degrees Fahrenheit. The crew tells us that it is extremely rare to have so many lovely sunny days with little wind in a row as we have had. Whales and other wildlife have been present also.

Our landing on this day was at the Gonzalez Vadela Station operated by the Chilean military during the summer months. The station was named after a Chilean president who was the first head of state to visit Antarctica. The station is located on a small peninsula that juts out into the water and is covered with Gentoo penguins and all the poop that goes with them. Our walkway was surrounded by penguins nesting on their very well-developed nests of small rocks. There must be a much greater abundance of rocks at this location because many of the nests were very large. When the penguins stand up, many of them were hiding one or two eggs that they would adjust with their beaks before covering the eggs again. There was even one penguin that lacked much color and was nearly beige in color.

Today for lunch we ate with three Australians we met on board. Marcus and Jim, from Sydney, were a couple who have been together for 23 years. They were traveling with their straight friend, Bryan, from New Castle. We had some laughs as we became better acquainted over lunch.

The station has about fifteen service members manning it from Chile. They welcomed visitors from researchers to cruise ship passengers. There is a small museum on the property with many black and white photos of historic events in the area. They were also selling some souvenir t-shirts, patches, pins and stickers for your passport. We were welcomed into the residence where the service members live to see the kitchen, living room and dining room. The residence was comfortable looking and they even had a lighted Christmas tree in the living room.

Back onboard the ship we sailed further south where there was much floating ice and icebergs to contend with. The captain had hoped to take us through a narrow channel with high mountains on the sides for its scenic beauty, but by 8:00pm when we reached the channel, there was too much ice to continue. Instead, we stopped our travel south and just parked in the sea to admire the beauty of the area as the sunlight changed the shadows of the ice-covered mountains.

Neko Harbor

Neko Harbor Penguin Pair

Neko Harbor Penguin Rookery

Neko Harbor Penguins

Neko Harbor Landing Site

Paradise Harbor Campground Island

This morning we went ashore at Neko Harbor with another gorgeous sunny day in Antarctica. The hike up the hillside was much less steep than in days past and Kent was able to make it up the hill to the penguin rookery for a look. The penguins had created a couple of penguin highways cut into the snow like a foot-deep channel going up the hillside to the rookery. We could see penguins’ heads bobbing along up and down the channel between the water and the rookery. The penguins were busy stealing pebbles from other nests and sitting on their nests.

Mark hiked up the hillside further to a place where the views of the harbor were easier to see and took some photos while Kent waited at the rookery below. Every vista and direction you look is different as the ice, snow and glaciers create unique beauty everywhere. This area is known for large pieces of ice falling and creating large waves so they kept us well off the beach when we were going ashore. We did not experience any ice falling on this day.

Later in the morning we attended a lecture on krill that most of the animals in the sea feed on. The krill are a small shrimp like crustacean that is very plentiful in the cold waters around Antarctica. There are two researchers onboard who are up in the bridge documenting the number of wildlife they see, along with their location. This will assist in making sure that the wildlife has enough krill in the areas where they live and hopefully allow fishing of the krill to be done in areas where there are more than enough krill. Krill are used for fish food, feeding livestock and fish bait. Research has found that krill oil can be effective in the lowering of “bad” LDL cholesterol and may increase “good” cholesterol. So, we may be seeing more things with krill in it.

At 5:30pm it was time for us to go out on one of the tender boats to explore the area around our ship called Skontorp Cove in Paradise Harbor. We saw some seals, several varieties of birds and the usual penguins. There is also an Argentinean research station on the harbor. Unfortunately, the weather was cloudy and colder than in the past few days. With a white cloudy sky, white ice and gray looking water, everything kind of blurs together and does not look nearly as beautiful as in the sunshine.

Before dinner we had our daily update for the activities planned for the following day. After the update the ship’s navigation officer gave us a short lecture on the navigation of the ship. We learned that the ship uses both paper maps, GPS, the windy.com website for weather reports, NASA satellite images for ice volume, sonar and a software program from Norway. The software tracks every ship’s navigation equipment in Antarctica to register the depth of the water at every point. The depth of most locations was last measured by a string and a weight in the early 1900’s and many of these measurements are lacking current conditions.

After dinner, 30 of the guests onboard headed out on a camping adventure on a nearby island. They paid $500 each for the opportunity to pitch their own tents and camp out until 6:30 in the morning. The ship provides the tents and down sleeping bags as well as some type of latrine since you are not allowed to leave anything on land. Oddly, this activity did not appeal to us.

Danco Island Landing Site

Danco Island Penguin Rookery

Danco Island Penguin Rookery

Danco Island

Chiriguano Bay Ice

Chiriguano Bay Ice Sculpture

Towel Animal

We arrived about 5:00am at Danco Island this morning. This island was charted by a Belgian Antarctic Expedition under Adrien de Gerlache in 1897-1899. Danco Island was the site of a British research station from 1956 to 1959 with the intention of researching the geology. The main hut was removed in 2004.

Our tender boat took us ashore at 6:00am with beautiful clear skies and sunshine. Our landing spot is home to several penguin rookeries. The penguins were busy moving rocks, building nests, mating and just hanging out. Many of the penguins had already hatched their eggs which are about twice the size of a chicken’s eggs. Once in a while we would come across an eggshell which was broken, probably picked up by a predator bird.

There are about 15 vessels sailing in an area of about 35-mile radius but you would not know that anyone else was in the area. The sites where we stop are reserved by each cruise company about six months in advance and as the date draws closer and depending on the weather conditions they are changed or confirmed. This assures that two ships are not competing for space at any one site at any given time. The area is quite small because as you travel farther south the ice and ice flows prohibit you continuing. There are a few ice breaker ships that can cut through ice that is up to a yard thick, but these ships are booked long in advance and can only travel into the arctic circle a short time during the year.

We attended a lecture on the geology and ice of Antarctica, where the lecturer said the journey is not all about the penguins. We learned about how Antarctica is one and a half times the size of the United States. We also learned about how the land masses of the world have changed constantly over millions of years and how Antarctica was once a jungle. This has been confirmed by fossils found on the continent.

Our cabin steward cleans our cabin once each morning about 8:00am. On this morning he left two towel animals for us on the beds. After the cabin stewards are done cleaning rooms they have additional duties like assisting guests disembarking the ship at the tender pit or working in the dining room.

In the early afternoon the ship moved positions to the beautiful and picturesque Chiriguano Bay. Here we explored the area with cruising the bay on the tender boats. The floating ice is like a sculpture garden with all types of shapes and sizes of sculptures. Some have birds or penguins on them while others remind you of animals or architectural buildings. We even saw several Humpback Whales as they meandered the area spouting and waving their tails.

Kent and Mark in Orne Harbor

Orne Harbor Hike

Orne Harbor

Orne Harbor Iceberg

Orne Harbor Chinstrap Penguin

Orne Harbor Penguins

Orne Harbor Penguins

On this day we arrived at Orne Harbor on the western side of mainland Antarctica about 7:00am for a day of exploration. The harbor is about one mile wide and was filled with many floating pieces of ice. The skies were partly cloudy, it was dry and the temperature was just a little above freezing.

At 11:30am we headed out for a bit of a strenuous hike on shore. We had to climb up a switch-back trail to the top of a ridge about 1,000 feet above sea level. The expedition team had come along before us and created a trail for us to follow, well-marked with red flags and cones. They had plenty of walking sticks for everyone to use during the climb. Many folks chose not to climb to the top but we persevered and reached the summit. Once we reached the top of the hill we followed the ridge to a Chinstrap penguin colony. The penguins were busy building rock nests, stealing the neighbor’s rocks and squawking at each other. The smell of poop was not particularly pleasant but not as bad as it might have been.

The climb was treacherous enough that Kent fell multiple times on the walk up and the walk back down was even more treacherous. Kent lost his balance on the snow regularly and would end up falling. At one point he fell and began to slide down the slope towards the rocky bay below. Several crew members came running for him and telling him to put his legs in front of himself and to stop himself from sliding further. Once he stopped himself, the crew assisted him in getting the rest of the way down the hill to the tender boat for the return journey to the ship. All in all, we were out on the excursion for about 2.5 hours.

After a short break we bundled ourselves up again for an afternoon boat ride around the area. We spent about 75 minutes on one of the tender boats exploring the floating icebergs and area glaciers. It was like going to a sculpture garden with each ice berg like a unique piece of sculpture. Sometimes we would find penguins floating along on top of icebergs. The glaciers have crevices and cracks that appear very blue in color from the reflection of light from the water and sky. The glare from all of the water and ice would have been overwhelming if not for the polarized sunglasses we had. The glasses discolored some of the scenery and made it look almost like twilight at times but at least you could see everything with ease.

After our cruise we stopped on the eighth-floor bar where every afternoon they serve soup, cookies, cakes and fruits, along with coffee and tea. On this day the soup was a potato and leek soup that was very buttery and tasty. The cookies are small and very crispy but we are always able to eat them. They also put out an assortment of small squares of cakes.

After dinner we departed our position and several Humpback whales were spotted along the way. More visible are the penguins who seem to be traveling in every direction jumping out of the water as they travel.

Deception Island Map

Deception Island

Deception Island Krill

Deception Island Penguins

Whalers Bay Buildings

Whalers Bay

Whalers Bay Boats

Leaving Deception Island

Fruit Carving Demonstration

We arrived at Deception Island about 6:00am in full sunshine and with temperatures about 34F degrees. This island is a caldera of an active volcano that has partially collapsed over time and filled with water allowing ships to enter the center of the caldera through a small passage. The volcano has erupted in recent years in 1967 and 1969 destroying scientific stations. The size of the island is approximately 7.5 miles in diameter with the highest peak being nearly 1,800 feet in height.

The island was the site of a short-lived fur-sealing industry in the early 1800’s. In the early 1900’s an active whaling industry was established. Whaling processing factories, a small cemetery and housing for workers were built. The overproduction of oil led to a collapse in the whaling industry and by 1931 the operation ceased production. Today, remains of previous structures, boilers and tanks, an aircraft hangar and British scientific station house exist.

Our first stop was Pendulum Cove names for the pendulum and magnetic observations made there by British expedition under Henry Foster in 1829. Here we found thousands of Krill washed up on the beach because the water is too warm for the Krill here due to the geothermal heat radiating from the earth. Some locations in the caldera are so warm that they create hot spots and steam radiates off the surface of the cold water.

There were a few penguins coming ashore, checking us out and then heading out again. Inside the caldera is too warm for them as well and the volcanic rock on the shore is not inviting to the penguins for nesting either. One loan fur seal was lying on the beach sleeping. We were escorted by the ship’s staff to get near the remains of destroyed meteorological and vulcanological research station buildings built in 1955.

Back onboard the ship Mark attended a photography class on how to capture great photos in the Antarctic. The class was taught by one of the onboard photographers and she covered all types of cameras from cell phones to go-pro devices. She talked about manual settings as well as ideas for compositions.

For lunch the ship has set up a light lunch outdoors on the top deck where they served soup and reindeer wraps. The reindeer meat was thinly sliced and placed on warmed tortillas with lettuce, pickled onions and lingonberry preserves. The meat is slightly gamey tasting but not bad.

Our second landing for the day was at Whalers Bay which has been named an historic site. It comprises pre-1970 remains from the early whaling period from 1906-1912, the Norwegian Whaling Station from 1912-1931, a British scientific and mapping activity from 1944-1969 and a cemetery containing 35 burials and a memorial to ten men lost at sea. Once ashore we were able to see a few penguins, whale bones, a leopard seal, the remains of two wooden boats, some storage tanks, a few research structures and some headstone markers. The site was very beautiful.

Landings in Antarctica are adventurers that require a lot of time and patience. Since only 100 people are allowed on land at any given time, the ship is broken into 15 groups of people and only three groups are called to go ashore each hour. Once the first group returns, the fourth group is allowed to go ashore. This procedure continues until all groups have had a chance to go ashore. Each group is limited to about one hour ashore so others have the chance to go visit. On this day with two landings a short distance apart, the landings took place from 7:00am until about 8:00pm. A long day for the crew and a lot of waiting for the guests onboard.

After dinner, several of the chefs onboard presented a fruit carving demonstration. They created penguins out of eggplants, carved roses in watermelons, a duck from a grapefruit and orange, as well as several other creatures.

The days are very long as we have moved farther south. The sunrise is about 3:00am while the sunset is at nearly midnight. This means that no matter what time you get up or go to bed it seems like the middle of the day.

Half Moon Island Map

Kent Modeling the Stormy Weather Bag

Half Moon Island

Penguin on Half Moon Island

Shipwreck Remnants

Polar Plunge Participants

Half Moon Island Sunset

They say that most travelers feel speechless when they arrive at Antarctica. The vast white wilderness, the crisp air and the staggering isolation of the region. The continent houses no permanent human inhabitants, but is home to millions of adorable and curious penguins as well as an astonishing array of other unique species of birds and animals. Antarctica today is dedicated to scientific research.

The continent of Antarctica has tantalized explorers for centuries. In 1773, Captain James Cook, the famous British seafarer, came within about 75 miles of its shores before having to turn back because of ice. A Russian expedition in 1820 got close enough to actually see land. Between 1838 and 1842, an American expedition led by Lieutenant Charles Wilkes explored 1,800 miles of Antarctica’s coastline, surveyed 280 islands and brought back thousands of specimens.

In 1907, the Nimrod Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton aimed to reach the South Pole. Their route took them along a 140-mile glacier to an elevation of 10,000 feet. During the trek several members of the expedition were injured and four Manchurian ponies that pulled their gear-laden sleds died. The men persisted, pulling the sleds themselves as they walked into the howling winds. After a month and a half, they were exhausted and food was low. Less than 100 miles from the South Pole, Shackleton decided to turn back rather than risk their lives. After returning to England, he was greeted with cheering crowds and was later knighted for his achievement, trekking farther south than any explorer before him. In 1914, Shackleton returned to attempt a crossing of Antarctica with a crew of 27 aboard the aptly named Endurance. The expedition was even more harrowing after the ship was crushed by pack ice. They were not rescued for almost two years, although once again, Shackleton did not lose a single crew member. Theirs is one of history’s greatest stories of survival.

This morning we attended a lecture on penguins where we learned about the different varieties of penguins we might see while in Antarctica. They say that penguins are actually birds although they are unable to fly. They are great swimmers and have great feet for climbing hills on land. They often climb to the highest peaks on land because this is where the snow melts quickest allowing them an earlier start on their nests. They build their nests out of small rocks or pebbles which they collect. The male and females are identical in color and both have a brood patch where they have a bare spot and a concentration of blood vessels to incubate their eggs and keep the chicks warm. In captivity same sex penguins have been known to raise mating penguin’s second eggs.

The rough seas this morning woke us about 3:30am and were quite rough until midmorning before the sun came out. We had our first sighting of two icebergs in the distance. Winds were so strong that it was difficult for people to open the exterior doors of the ship to go outside on the deck. The weather was a mix this day with some beautiful sunshine and blue skies mixed with gray cloudy skies and snow.

Our first landing was on a very small island called Half Moon Island. The island is about 420 acres in size and is home to many Chinstrap penguins, fur seals and many species of birds. Our tender boat number is 2 and we were in the first group to go ashore on this day. We donned our long underwear, warm clothes, life jackets, gloves, sun glasses, two pair of socks, rubber boots and the windbreaker jackets provided by the ship before heading downstairs to the tender pit where we sanitized our boots before boarding the tender boat for shore.

Once on shore the exploration team had set up red flags and plastic cones to mark the trails of where we were allowed to walk. If there were two flags crossed in the sign of an X it meant that we were not allowed to cross. We found many small Chinstrap penguins nesting on the hillside or perched in the snow. Not too many of them seemed to be doing much traveling to and from the water to their nests.

Some folks decided they would do the polar plunge today including a group of high school students from Vancouver who were on the ship with their teachers. They shed their clothes and ran right into the frigid cold water for a few seconds. After getting out and drying off, they were talking about doing it all again the next day. Upon returning to the ship, we were required to stand in a boot-washing machine to have our boots cleaned and then into a solution to sanitize them.

At 6:30pm we attended a talk on the following day’s activities with photos, maps, geology information, history and an explanation of what to expect and what animals we might see.

About 1:30am we awoke to the ship rocking from side to side. The continual motion of the ship and the rattling of things in the cabin would wake us regularly until morning. The Drake Passage waterway connects the Pacific and the Southern Oceans. The enormous fast-moving ocean waters are squeezed between this narrow passage of about 400 miles creating sometimes peaceful and sometimes treacherous waters. Named after the 16th-century British explorer, Sir Francis Drake, this passage is a stretch steeped in history and legend, and a true travel milestone on the way to Antarctica. The staff say that our passage was fairly mild and that it is often much rougher.

For breakfast each day there is an enormous buffet breakfast with cereal, eggs, pancakes, fruits, breads, pastries, sausages, salads, seafood and so much more.

This was a day of preparation for our landings in Antarctica. Each cabin was assigned a group number and a name from an animal that lives in the arctic. Most of our group was group 2 and our group name was the Chinstrap Penguins.

We met with one of the expedition leaders in the theater for a 75-minute lecture on the do’s and don’ts of traveling in Antarctica. The expedition companies that take guests to Antarctica have formed an association where they have set up rules for all companies to abide by when traveling in Antarctica. Nothing is to be taken from the region and nothing is to be left in the region. No food is allowed on shore and there is no peeing in the snow.

We learned about the tenders or rubber rafts that would take us ashore, how to get in and out of them. They explained about how to dress in layers to stay warm, but not to be over layered where you are uncomfortable to walk. We learned that we are to avoid the penguin’s highways up and down the hillsides and that we were to stay at least fifteen feet away from all wildlife.

From noon until 4:30pm there were vacuuming stations set up in the lobby areas on several floors where we were instructed to vacuum all of our outer clothing we would be wearing ashore. Camera bags, hats, gloves, coats, pants, etc. would need to be vacuumed to assure that we would not introduce any seeds or pollutants into this unique and pristine environment.

Dinner on this evening was a sit-down dinner served at an assigned table for two. The menu included an appetizer of goat cheese on walnut toast with honey, onion soup, a choice of chateaubriand or halibut, a strawberry sorbet and an apple tart for dessert.

After dinner, we attended a briefing by the expedition team where we learned about where we would be landing the following day. They prepared us for the local weather conditions, what we might see and more. We are expected to arrive at our first stop about 1:00pm on a very small island where we should see our first penguins.

We attended a fashion show by the onboard shopping shop keeper who showed a large variety of items available for sale. About 14 crew members including the captain modeled t-shirts, polo shirts, jackets, sweaters and even bold black and white striped vintage style swimwear for those wanting to do the polar plunge.

Midnatsol Ship

Ushuaia

Ushuaia Shops

Ushuaia

This was an early morning as we had a 5:15am wake up call to begin our day. A continental breakfast was served for us from 6:00am to 6:45am before heading to the airport for our flight to Ushuaia, Argentina. Our flight left Buenos Aires about 9:30am arriving in Ushuaia about 1:00pm.

We were taken on a brief tour of the town of Ushuaia with a population of about 80,000 inhabitants. The temperature was only about 60 degrees and windy. Patches of snow were still visible in the surrounding hillsides and mountains. Ushuaia is the world’s southernmost city. The city is surrounded by the Martial Mountains and situated on the Tierra Del Fuego archipelago. This bustling port town is an adventure hub for hiking, skiing and sailing.

After a couple of photo stops at the Ushuaia sign and the old airport for a view of the city, we had free time to explore the city center on foot. The city center is comprised of two main streets that stretch about ten blocks running parallel to the waterfront. There are many eating and drinking establishments, as well as a few souvenir shops, clothing shops, drug stores and shops selling outdoor gear. Some of our travel companions chose to eat crab at Freddy’s. We decided to stroll and Kent looked for and found a little penguin figurine for his travel collection.

At 4:00pm we boarded our bus for the short ride to the pier to meet up with our new home, the Hurtigruten ship called the MS Midnatsol. This ship was specially designed for cruising Arctic and Antarctic waters. Named for the Midnight Sun, the ship includes bright interiors and colorful décor, including Norwegian modern art. The ship has a two-story panorama lounge over the bow for viewing, multiple bars, a café, an a la carte restaurant as well as a traditional seating restaurant. There is a library, gift shop, sauna, fitness room, two heated outdoor Jacuzzi’s and an amphitheater for lectures. The public areas of the ship are very nicely decorated although our cabin is quite small. One of our beds folds up to become a sofa by day. There is a small desk and chair and a small bath with a shower.

Our first stop was to turn in our mandated physician’s report to the onboard doctor for review. It says we are physically fit to take the ship’s excursions. HA! Next, we received a light weight jacket with a hood that is water proof and protects us from the wind during landings or while out on deck. They also provided us with a metal water bottle to be used instead of any plastic water bottles that might find their way into the waters. The ship has multiple locations where you can fill these bottles with your choice of still or bubbly water.

For dinner, a wonderful buffet was served in the very nice sit-down restaurant complete with linen napkins. The buffet had fresh salmon, crab meat, crab legs, shrimp, leg of lamb, cheeses, salads, a pork dish, varieties of rice, many desserts and more. The food was excellent and as usual we ate too much.

We began sailing about 7:15pm, exiting through the Beagle channel into the ocean beyond. At 8:45pm the captain introduced the ships officers and the Adventure Team that will be taking us to Antarctica. There are many types specialists on the adventure team including biologists, nature guides, geologist and more.

La Boca Shop

La Bocca Bar

Empanadas

Floralis Generica

Eva Peron Family Tomb

Spanish explorers landed in the area early in the 16th century and founded Buenos Aires as a colony in 1536. The capital did not last long as native tribes destroyed its buildings and it wasn’t re-established until 1580. Over time, Spanish immigrants arrived to stay in Buenos Aires and other cities. The vast region attracted others, some of whom brought a Spanish ranch culture to farming and cattle-raising as gauchos. The more remote regions of Argentina remained under the control of the indigenous people.

On this day we took a tour of some of the local neighborhoods or barrios. The weather was cooler and the humidity was lower, making for an enjoyable day. We first headed to the historic downtown area of Buenos Aires around the Plaza de Mayo where the government house sits. The government house, called “The Pink House” because of its pink colored stone exterior, is where the president works although he lives outside of the city and commutes daily by helicopter. This central plaza is the site of much unrest and protest against the government.

Next, we headed to the La Boca neighborhood, home to the La Bombonera football (Soccer) stadium and an enclave of Crayola-Colored households. This neighborhood is located along the river and was formed by the union of immigrants who arrived at the port. The homes were originally painted with leftover paint from shipping vessels and are still painted in vibrant colors today. Today the neighborhood is filled with souvenir shops and the streets are filled with artists who set up stands in the streets to sell their art and handicrafts. Tango dancers can be found at many street side restaurants and stages.

We visited the Recoleta neighborhood surrounding the famous cemetery known for the burial of Eva Peron (Duarte) and many previous presidents and local famous people. The cemetery dates back to the early 1800’s and the monuments are very elaborate and beautiful. Over 90 of the vaults have now been declared National Historical Monuments. Upscale restaurants and shops can be found in this neighborhood. French style architecture is most prevalent in this neighborhood. The local Basilica del Pilar, a picturesque 18th century church, is used by all of the wealthiest families to celebrate weddings.

The San Telmo neighborhood is still reminiscent of the colonial city during the early years of Buenos Aires. It was not until later when wealthy families brought European architects and artists to create grander homes with differing styles. Antique shops, flea markets and handicrafts can be found in this neighborhood.

With the beginning of spring time, the city was filled with beautiful purple blooming Jacaranda trees and purple and white agapanthus. Monuments are found throughout the city in parks and parkways along the roads. One of the monuments is an aluminum and steel sculpture by Eduardo Catalano. It is called Floralis Generica and represents a generic flower which opens and closes with the sun light. Parks and tree-lined streets are found everywhere making it a pleasant city to navigate. Traffic is hectic around the city and bicycles and scooters can be found starting to pop up around town.

After our city tour we were taken to a custom leather goods shop that produces its own leather clothing. They take your measurements and make the clothing custom just for you so it fits perfectly.

After a snack of empanadas at a local shop we headed out on foot to explore a few pedestrian streets. The streets were not nearly as clean and well maintained as I recalled from 14 years ago when we were last here. People filled the streets on a week day afternoon making it difficult to have a casual stroll. You were constantly trying to avoid running into someone or triping over a pot hole in the sidewalk. With the devaluation of the local currency, we found people everywhere wanting to exchange currency for us. Nothing particularly unusual or unique about what they were selling. Not much sign of Christmas decorations yet as they usually put the décor up in early December and leave until January 6th.

We rested for a while at our hotel before heading out to dinner with Paula, our group leader. She took about 16 of us out for dinner to a local Italian restaurant she likes. We enjoyed some delicious small sized calamari in a cream sauce with onions. We then both had a fresh pasta dish with pesto or Arrabbiata sauces.