Cape Horn

Hi again from near Antarctica.  After spending three days at the very Southern tip of South America we have passed Cape Horn and are on our way to a peninsula in Antarctica.  When we were in Punta Arenas (sand point) we took a trip to a penguin rookery in the wild.  We hiked in about a mile and saw the Magellan penguins on the beach, pictured below.  We also saw the ones marching from their nests to the beach, they were very close and it was great fun to see them.  We spend a day in Ushuaia, Argentina which is the Southernmost city in the world.  While there we took a narrow gauge train ride through Terra del Fuego national park.  Terra del Fuego (land of fire) is an island owned half by Chili and half by Argentina.  It is a lovely city carved out of snow capped mountains with very colorful buildings.  The next day we got up very early to view the passage around Cape Horn with its many glaciers like the one pictured.  We will now spend three days in Antarctica.  The ship has Antarctic experts on board that give lectures.  All of them with many years of experience.  One is an ice pilot, who plots our course through and around the islands, one is a marine biologist and the other is a geologist.  The latter two have connections to the University of Minnesota, having studied there or worked there.  We are learning a lot about this remote area of the Earth and will appreciate it more after this cruise.  We hope to see more marine life, whales, seals, penguins and many large birds like Petrel.  I'll try to get some good pictures.  Love from the sea,
Gwen

Magellan penguins, it was nice of them to pose for us as they marched to the beach.

Bottom of the Earth

Hi again from the bottom of the Earth. Today we are sailing through the Chilean fjords without going out to the big sea. The seas are much calmer and the view is spectacular. There are large cliffs of granite and snow capped mountains as well as glaciers. Some of the people on this cruise are going to fly to Antarctica tomorrow. It costs $3500 a piece and they have to have their clothing and shoes disinfected. They are very strict about what you can bring with you or carry out. Basically, nothing because they are trying to keep it pristine. Tomorrow we are going on an excursion into a penguin reserve. We will be hiking into a park to see Magellan penguins in the wild. I'll try to get some good pictures.
Some information about the people on this cruise. There are 1035 passengers, 800 of which are going all the way around the world, starting in Florida and ending up in Seattle, WA at the end of April. We are going to get off in South Africa. This is a very geriatric group. Who else could take this much time off and spend this much money ? There is one woman who lives on the ship and has been on it for ten years. They call her Miss Dolly, and she is probably living out the premise that it is cheaper than a nursing home. The single gentlemen vie for a chance to sit next to her at meals or in entertainment venues. I think she holds court in her suite as well. We haven't been invited. The crew are young of course and mostly from Indonesia. They give excellent service and are fun to talk to about their native country. Until next time,
Love, Gwen

Hi,
Yesterday, Monday, we were in Puerto Montt, Chili which is in Patagonia and in what is called the Lake District.  There are many beautiful lakes in the Andes mountains in this region and the fishing is great, they say.  The seafood on the ships menus has been wonderful, most of it I have never heard of but it tastes great... very fresh.  Dick needed a haircut so while we were in this town we stopped in at a local independent unisex hair place.  He got a haircut alright, very short kind of like a marine.  He says he likes it and it was a way to practice his Spanish.  All of the small coastal towns that we have visited have two things, a large "Iglesia" which is Spanish for church or cathedral, and they also have a statue of Jesus or a cross on the highest hill in town.

This is a picture of Puerto Montt with a snow capped mountain in the rear, very typical of the scenery around here.  Sorry about the quality, I took it through the window on the ship and there was a lot of salt water spray on the window.
More later, Love Gwen

Patagonia and the Chilean Fjords

Hi again from the Southern Chilean Fjord country.  This southern tip of South America is incredibly beautiful with snow capped mountains in the background and scenic islands and fjords along the coast.  It reminds me of Norway only a bit more spectacular.  Early this morning we passed through the Darwin Channel which is a fjord.  Our travel guide narrated the passing and she is full of interesting information and history.  During days at sea on this trip there are various lectures and classes that one can attend.  We attended two lectures this morning, one on the political history of this area and the other about marine life and the sea.  We are on our way to Punta Arenas and getting very close to Antarctica.  When we get to Ushuaia, which is in Argentina and the furthest south of any city on the planet, we are going to go on a narrow gauge train ride to a national park and former prison which is now a museum.  I'll take some pictures and send them.  I am having trouble downloading pictures today, I keep getting a message that the server isn't working.  It is a wonder that anything works out here at the bottom of Earth.  I'll try to send pictures later today.  Too bad about the Vikings!!
Love, Gwen

at sea along the coast of Chili

Hi again from another day at sea.  We are sailing toward Patagonia after a day sp on the Island of Robinson Crusoe.  It is a small island that was the inspiration for the novel "Robinson Crusoe".  Off the coast of Chili the islands were favorite pirate hideouts for much of the 17th century.  In 1708, Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk was plucked from the islands, having been stranded for four months.  A legend was born and widely circulated at the time and eventually inspired Daniel Defoe to write his novel. 
Today is Sunday and is lovely and sunny outside our windows from the top of the ship.  Tonight is "orange" night in honor of Antarctica and is formal.  After dinner we plan to watch the Viking game which is on at 8:40pm, we are three hours ahead of the Minneapolis time zone.  Many of the football fans on the ship like the Jets from New York and many others are Canadian.  I don't know who they favor.  More later from Patagonia and Antarctica.
Love, Gwen

Valpariso/Santiago, Chili

Hi again from Chili,
Today it is raining so we are waiting for the day to clear and we will take a tour of this area.  The picture at left is from Coquimbo, but it looks very much like Valpariso, hilly and seaside like San Francisco.  A little bit of information about the entertainment on the ship.  It has been very high quality, with singers, a harmonica player, a juggler and tonight a magician.  Kind of like watching the Ed Sullivan Show.  Most of the entertainers have been from Europe with some playing and singing classical music and others doing pop.  There is also a fun piano bar in the evening and the piano player looks just like Elton John.  More later.  Hope all is well with you.
Love, Gwen

From the sea alongside Chili

 Hi again from South America,
After spending two days in the lovely city of Lima, Peru we are now in Chili.  The picture above is from Lima, specifically in front of their famous church San Francisco.  It is about 500 years old and is all about Francis of Assissi and his monastery.  We took a tour of the catacombs underneath the church and walked through ancient hallways lined with very old bones and skulls.  Yesterday we spent the day in Arica, Chili a small fising seaport in the northern part of Chili.  The other pictures are from Arica and an area where natives lived in caves and left pictures on the side of the mountains of animals and people, called geographs.  The Andes mountains here are very barren and solid sand so it is hard to believe that the pictures made from stones have survived all these years.  We will be stopping at five ports in Chili and then head to Antarctica where we hope to see penguins and other wildlife native to the area.  Today the sun is shining and we are relaxing by the pool on the ship.  Love to all,   Gwen

Greetings from Lima, Peru

Hi everyone from Lima, Peru
I feel like we are really in South America now.  Lima is a beautiful city with a lot of European architecture.  Yesterday we went to an area called Miraflores where there is a large shopping center built into the beach area with many decks and a beautiful view.  The park above the shopping area has many painted cows like the one above.
Dick looks like he is up to something in his Panama hat.  Today, Sunday, we are going downtown and visit a famous church, San Francisco, and several museums.  Hope all is well with you.
Love, Gwen

another day at sea

Hi again... from the shores of South America.  Yesterday we spend the day in Ecuador on the Equator, quite the change from Minnesota.  Interestingly, Panama hats are made in Ecuador, not in Panama.  They were everywhere, and yes Scott, I picked you up another one.  Last night the entertainment was a folklorio show from Ecuador, many native dancers and music.  They were very limber and entertaining.  I tried to take some pictures but it was really too dark in the theater, so no pictures today.  Sorry.  Tonight there is a formal black and white ball,  so we have to get all gussied up for dinner and the evenings entertainment which is a variety show of singers, musicians and a commedian.  We have seen each of these entertainers individually, but tonight they will be performing together.
Until next time from Lima Peru,
Love, Gwen

Hi,  These pictures are from Panama City.  We had a nice tour of the old city with a cab driver named Ronnie.  He is a native Panamanian so he was knowledgeable and Dick had a chance to practice his Spanish.  We stopped in this Havana Bar for a cold drink in the middle of the day.  The picture above is of our ship the MS Amsterdam.  It's capacity is 1300 people, 800 of the passengers are going all the way around the world and end up in Seattle at the end of April.  We are only going half way, ending up in South Africa.  We are at sea today on our way to Ecuador which is literally on the equator.  Some of the passengers are going to the Galapagos but not us.  It is a three day trip and Dick has already been there.  More later.

Love to all, Gwen

and a special Hi to Jerry

Panama Canal

Hi again everybody,
We had a lovely day yesterday crossing the Panama Canal.  The ship provided a narrator from Panama who was very knowledgeable about the canal.  They are adding new lanes so there is a lot of construction going on.  Today we are docked at Panama City, Port Amado and we are going to explore the city and look for some local wine.  The picture of the bridge is "The Bridge of the Americas" which is the entry to the Pacific Ocean.  The ship has a rug in the elevators each day with the day of the week on it, so when you first wake up you know what day it is.  Very helpful for us seniors.  Talk to you again soon,
Love Gwen

Limon, Costa Rica

Hello from Costa Rica,
Today it is a very warm 85 degrees under blue skies.  We are docked in Limon for the day.  Limon is a port on the East side of Costa Rica and a town of about 100,000 people.  One can see the mountains that line the middle of this country.  Ticos as the people are called are very proud of the fact that this country is peaceful and has no standing army or any military whatsoever.  Eco-tourism is their greatest commodity.  We walked around the port and saw lots of handicrafts and beaches.  Their common greeting in this country is MUCHO GUSTO.
Last night we were entertained by Doc Severinsen, he can still play that trumpet even in his 80's.  We saw him up close by the pool and he is a very small man,  Tonight there is a commedian for entertainment.  Hope you are all well,
Love Gwen

pictures from Ft. Lauderdale

Hi,

I found some nice person to help me, so here are the pictures from Ft. Lauderdale. More later.  Gwen

second day at sea

Hi everybody,
We are cruising through some rough waters today on our way to Costa Rica. It is warm by the pool though and we are reading and eating our way through this day. I am having trouble adding pictures to my blog and am looking for a Mac techie aboard ship. There are plenty of PC people around but I am hopeful that I will find someone to help me. Doc Severinsen is performing tonight so we are looking forward to that. More later.
Gwen

first day at sea

Hi Everybody,
I am writing this from poolside on our first day at sea. We are sailing by Cuba on our way to Limon Costa Rica. We (my friend Dick Weatherman and I) spend a day and a half in Fort Lauderdale with my granddaughter Kathleen and her husband Felix. We had a great time and caught up on all things current. We had dinner at a fun place called "Mangos" the food was delicious and there was live music. We walked around the ship this morning and are getting acquainted with everything this ship has to offer. More later. Love to all,
Gwen
http://gmarty64.blogspot.com/

Getting ready for the Big Cruise

Hi,
I am at Scott's house learning how to use this blog. Three days to go before I leave on the Big Cruise. It is below zero and this is what I am leaving for the Southern Hemisphere and hopefully some sun and warm weather. More later when I am on the cruise.