Montevideo, Uruguay

Nestled between the two giant countries, Brazil and Argentina, Uruguay is the second smallest country in South America.  More than half of the nation's population of 3 million resides in the capital city of Montevideo.

The indigenous peoples were conquered by the Spaniards, followed by the Portuguese, British, French, Spanish again until finally taking advantage of the distraction of wars in Europe, Uruguay declared independence in 1825. 

The arch in the Plaza Independencia marks the remains of the wall which surrounded the old city. An epic bronze monument on a granite base of a 19th century pioneer wagon drawn by oxen was created by local sculptor Jose Belloni.

Eighty per cent of the country's economy is based on farming. Exports include beef, leather, wool, dairy products, wine, caviar, soy, wheat, rice, fruits and vegetables.


Carlos Ott, a Uruguayan architect, who lives in Canada, is known for his design of sweeping structures of steel and glass.  His tower in Montevideo is reminiscent of the one in Dubai.

 At the Port Market, local artisans sell their wares while fine cuts of beef are cooked over an open flame. We could not resist a taste for lunch at a cost of about $20 US.


Uruguay was a neutral country during World War II.  However, the first major naval battle was the Battle of the River Plate between three Royal Navy cruisers and the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee. The German ship was damaged and scuttled in the harbour.  Its anchor stands as a monument at the entrance to the port from the city.

It was an enjoyable day in Montevideo.  Our tour guide gave her insight into the political and economic challenges in the country.  We are realizing how very ignorant we are of the history and current events of these countries we are visiting.

Buenos Aires

Today we toured Buenos Aries by bus with an wonderful guide, Paolo.  We appreciated the air conditioning in the bus as the temperature reached 27 C (82 F) and the humidity was high. 
Our first stop was Plaza de Mayo located at the spot where the city was founded. On the way we passed the Colon Theater which has been recognized as the third best opera house in the world.

Since the revolution of May 25, 1810 that led to Argentine's independence, this city square with the Casa Rosada presidential palace has played a pivotal role in the politics of Buenos Aires.  On this balcony, Juan and Eva Peron addressed the crowds.  Opinions of the Perons are varied - he was a dictator but she is known for her support for the working classes.

Facing the plaza is the cathedral where the current pope, Francis, was bishop.

The floor of the cathedral is inlaid with mosaic depicting the passion flower - representing the Passion of Christ.



In the centre of the plaza is an obelisk erected in 1811 to celebrate Argentina's independence from Spain. The white stones inlaid in the walkway represent the white scarves worn by women protesters following the military coup of 1976.  At that time many dissenters simply disappeared. 

Our next stop was the historic neighbourhood of La Boca.  The multi-coloured houses, street vendors, and tango cafes give a European flavour to the street scene. On the way to our next stop we saw the Floralis Generica the United Nations Park. This steel and aluminum sculpture in a reflecting pool opens in the morning and closes in the evening.

Our final stop was Recoleta Cemetery containing 6400 architecturally diverse mausoleums. There we visited the black marble crypt of Eva "Evita" Peron.

On the way to Buenos Aires

We are travelling up the coast of Argentina to the mouth of the Rio de la Platte, originally meaning the river to silver, as it led to silver mines.



When word of Incan gold reached Europe in 1512, Buenos Aires was just a stop over along the river. In 1536, Spanish colonizer Pedro de Mendoza originally named the city Nuestra Senora Santa Maria del Buen Aire, "Our Lady St. Mary of the Good Air". The settlers were forced away by attacks of indigenous people. The Spanish were more successful in establishing a quiet isolated town in the 1580's.


The cattle boom of the 1880's brought an influx of European settlers. Soon beautiful buildings with architecture reminiscent of Rome, Paris, and London lined impressive wide avenues.

Today the population of the greater metropolitain area is more than 15 million .




At 5:30 p.m. we docked at the newest of the three ports that have been established over the years.  It is very entertaining watching the shuttle buses that take everyone to the Terminal and seeing all the containers ready to load onto ships.

  

Sea lions and Dinosaurs

The coastal city of Puerto Madryn on the shores of a huge bay, Golfo Nuevo, was originally settled by 150 colonists from Wales in 1865.  They came here to farm after a promise of 100 square miles along the Chubut River.  It is now Argentina's second largest fishing port and home of the Aluar aluminum factory and other businesses.  It is also a major whale watching centre as over half of the world's southern right whale population inhabits these waters. It is also home to major colonies of sea lions, Magellanic penguins and other sea birds.

 The Welsh settlement is in the town of Trelew. Also located there is the Museum of Paleontology, a centre for scientific research. It has permanent and traveling exhibitions of fossil remains of flora and fauna of Patagonia dating back 400 million years.

Today we enjoyed sunny skies and a temperature of 17 C (63 F). Jack got to wear shorts for the first time this trip!

Free Rock Hopper beer in Stanley

We left Cape Horn and sailed for 24 hours to Stanley, the capital located on the tip of the East Falkland Island.  Because of the threat of impending stormy weather, all tours were cancelled but the shuttles were running.  Jack got to shore and realized he had not brought along his wallet.   A friendly fellow-passenger, seeing his sad face, invited him to a local watering hole for beer (actually 3 beers).

Thank you, Peanuts!

   Port Stanley was established in 1845 by the British as a deep water port specializing in repairs for boats travelling through Magellan Strait on their way to the California gold rush. Here one can see the world's most southern  Anglican cathedral.  The Whalebone Arch is made from the jaws of two blue whales. Along the shore, spelled out in rocks are the names of the patrol ships of the Royal Navy that have been stationed here to protect the sovereignty of the islands.


The economy of the islands depends on exportation of meat, wool, and fish and there are oil reserves.  Vegetables can be grown on the island but no fruit as there are no insects to pollinate the blossoms.

The Falklands War in 1982 was a 10 week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom government has consistently maintained that they continue to protect their interests in the islands because it is the will of the residents.  Lives were lost and clearing of land mines is ongoing by the British government.

War memorial 

Tribute to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher

The Falklands teem with hundreds of species of flora and fauna.  Most notable are the penguin species - kings, rock hopper, gentoo, Magellan.  The rookeries are remote and can only be accessed by four wheel drive vehicles.  Some of the group of islands have no rats living on them.  Since rats eat eggs, the penguins number in the thousands.

The End of the World

Isla Hornos  (Horn Island) is a Chilean Island at the tip of South America, part of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. The southernmost tip, Cape Horn, is 640 km (398 miles) from Antarctica. Although there are a few islands south, this is called "the end of the world". Jack bought the hat.

Our ship arrived at 8:00 a.m. on a cool, blustery day.  It is not always safe to circle the island but the captain determined that we could do it. The Chilean Navy maintains a station on the island consisting of a residence, chapel, utility building and lighthouse. To the right of the station shown in the picture is a metal sculpture, called "The Albatross", erected in memory of all the sailors who lost their lives rounding the Horn.

From a distance, the monument looks like two triangular sails.

We did not land, but if we had we could have seen this.




Seeing the rocks in the Drake Passage, it is easy to imagine why old time ships, without the technology we have today, had such a difficult time navigating Cape Horn.

Ushuaia, Argentina

 As we sailed along the Beagle Channel, named for the ship that carried Charles Darwin, we saw five spectacular glaciers named for the countries of origin of those who discovered them.  

Italian Glacier

Along the way we were entertained by sea lions alongside the ship as we headed for the port of Ushuaia (pronounced oos-way-ya), our first stop in Argentina.  

The area was originally inhabited by the Yamana Indians until Captain Robert Fitzroy arrived in 1833 on a British missionary voyage. Rev. Thomas Bridges devoted himself in the late 19th century to creating a dictionary of the native language.  Sadly, the natives were wiped out by disease by the early 20th century.  

The town of Ushuaia is a former penal colony nestled in a U shaped cove adjacent to the Beagle Channel.  The prisoners constructed the town's railway, hospital and port. Now a metropolis of more tha 70,000 residents, it is the gateway to rugged wilderness adventures by boat, rail, 4X4 or on foot.  It is also one of the emnarkation points for cruises to the Antarctic. 

On our catamaran cruise of the Beagle Channel,  we saw many native birds - Imperial cormorants (which look like penguins), rock cormorants, kelp gulls, skuas, and kestrels.  A male sea lion with a mane oversees about ten lighter coloured females. 

Once again we were fortunate to have a beautiful sunny day - temperature 14 C (57 F).