Admittedly, this was not my favorite part of the cruise. Two days without land in sight had me regressing to high school English class and repeating Coleridge’s lines from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner:
“Water, water everywhere
And all the boards did shrink
Water, water everywhere
Nor any drop to drink.”
Not that I was bored. As mentioned already, keeping passengers occupied is a cruise line’s business. As we inched northward, the temps did rise, but still I wasn’t in the swimsuit and sunscreen mode of my fellow passengers from climes where it must not reach 100 in the summer. There were a lot of people sunning at near 60 degrees.
I was glad to see Punta del Este, Uruguay. We didn’t opt for any of the three excursions offered so we just tendered in to the port area and wandered around. Large yachts, lots of families on vacation break from school, fascinating catches of seafood. I had, by this time on the cruise, managed to acquire the cough making the rounds of the ship and I quickly found my way back to the ship.
But this night was the big party up on the pool deck with food stations and ice sculptures and a “British Invasion” revue put on by our very energetic and young entertainment staff of singers and dancers. Loads of fun and a terrific sunset.
Overnight, we slipped into Montevideo, Uruguay, and docked, which is so much better than tendering in and one of the advantages of a smaller ship. Our excursion was to the Juanico Winery, an old family business with a nifty cellar and a lovely tasting menu. We didn’t need dinner after sipping wine and trying cheeses and empanadas. We slept on the bus ride back to the ship.
How could this be over? Where did our 16 days go? As anxious as the crew was to welcome us aboard, they were ready for us to be gone the next morning as we docked in Buenos Aires. We had stuffed our belongings into our suitcases and left them outside our door the night before, hoping to find them on the dock after breakfast. We did, as well as our Argentine guide to the hotel where we would spend two days learning a bit about the country and its people.
Our city tour with Chris and Ian was fun and informative. We began at the Floralis Generica, a large aluminum flower donated to the city of Buenos Aires in 2000 by architect Eduardo Catalano. It opens and closes with the sun. We also visited the grave of Eva Peron in the Recoleta Cemetery.
Dinner at El Mirasol, a restaurant recommended by our guide, was fantastic. Chris and I split a Caesar salad and an Argentine rib eye that rivals any other I’ve had.
On Thursday, Dana and Ian went to a ship museum and Chris and I wandered around the Ricoleta area. We went into shops and found a most impressive ficus tree.
In the afternoon, we had a tasting of Argentine wines. We had to make our reservations online at Anuva Wines. The tasting room was a taxi ride away and behind a large black door. We announced ourselves through an intercom, climbed a steep set of stairs and found ourselves in a lovely tasting room. A quite delightful way to spend the afternoon!
There was a tango show that evening, but it started so late, I was almost asleep by the time it was over. I don’t know that I could adjust to Argentine hours.
Too soon, it was time to bid Chris and Ian good-bye as they journeyed on to Brazil. We played the pack and wait game at the hotel until it was time to leave for our 10:25 PM flight home. At the gate, we met several of our fellow Silversea travelers and played the “what have you been doing?” game. As ever, we anchored the rear of the 777 on the way home and were so tired, we slept.
The cats welcomed us home, after a fashion, because first of all, they had to let us know we were in the proverbial dog house for deserting them for three weeks, never mind how well tended to they were. We had to adjust to the real world again: no one to call me madam, to carry my plate from the buffet line, to pour me bubbly before each meal but breakfast, to put my cloth napkin on my lap, to give me clean towels everyday.
And we came home? Of course! It’s a privilege to go somewhere new and have your eyes opened to another world and way of life, but it’s a joy to come home every single time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floralis_Genérica
http://www.Uruguaynatural.tv/English