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Published: April 2nd 2009
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Confeitaria Colombo
A wonderful cafe - built in 1894. South America Cruise #5~
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: On this port day Larry had to work a lot, however, we were still able to wander off the ship for a little while in the morning. Shortly after, we stumbled upon a little market where we bought Havianas (Brazilian flip-flops) for some family members back home. When Larry had to get back on the ship, I thought I would show Nicole the café that we went to last time, Colombo Confeitaria. We had a lovely lunch there and then did a little shopping before heading back onboard.
Buenos Aires, Argentina - Day 1: Today was our 4-year anniversary (3 years engaged), and so we had special plans for the whole day long. First, we started the day off by doing a little exploring of the city by foot, and then we decided to do an open-air city bus tour. This was really nice as we got to drive around and see all the sights up close with great photo opportunities. We decided to end our tour early though, as we made a stop in an area known as La Boca (the colorful houses with tango dancers in the streets) -
where we wanted to stay longer. Here we bought a lovely piece of tango artwork, a painting from a local street vendor. Afterwards it started to rain, so we made our way to Puerto Madero for lunch. This is a modern area of the city along the river where there are tons of fancy restaurants. We chose a place called Estilo Campo - a really delicious steakhouse. From here, we had to go back to the ship as Larry had a little work to do…but later on, we had some really lovely dinner plans as well. We had reservations at a fancy little hole-in-the-wall known as Casa Cruz - in the trendy Palermo section of town. All in all, a WONDERFUL day!
**There are also some photos of the surprises we had for one another…our room filled with balloons and rose petals the night prior to our anniversary from Larry, and a cute little anniversary cake and champagne before our dinner from me!**
Buenos Aires, Argentina - Day 2: On this day I did a 10-hour tour called “A Gaucho’s Life” through our ship. Larry had to stay on the ship all day and work, so it was
My anniversary surprise!
We've been together 4 years on this day (Feb. 16th), and engaged for 3! nice that I had such a lovely tour to keep me busy all day. This tour involved a 2-hour bus drive to a beautiful “estancia” - otherwise known as a ranch - where we could see a day in the life of a “gaucho” - or South American cowboy. When we arrived, we were welcomed with drinks and fresh empanadas. Then, we were free to wander around and join in a whole plethora of things to do - such as horse riding, taking a carriage ride around the estancia, watching them cook our lunch, go shopping in the gift store, etc. During lunch, we watched a really nice gaucho / tango dance show. But after lunch is when the real fun began… This is when we all gathered out in a big field and watched the gauchos play a game while riding their horses. This game involved getting a tiny stick inside an even tinier ring hanging about a foot from an overhanging pole. If they got the stick inside, the ring would come off the pole and onto their stick making them the winner of that round. It was amazing how much skill was involved in this game and
was a lot of fun to watch!
Montevideo, Uruguay: On this day I did a little shopping with Larry in the downtown area of the city and bought some souvenirs for ourselves and our family at home. Then, we spent some time using a local café’s free Internet and drinking delicious sangria. Afterwards, Larry had to go back to the ship, but I managed to find Ryan, Jason & Gillian at the Copacabana Café (another café with free Internet that the cast likes to frequent) and hang out with them for awhile. Before we came back to the ship, we stopped at Burger King and bought some carry-out for dinner that night. By the way, whoever said Burger King crowns were for children?
Port Stanley, Falkland Islands & Cape Horn: In Port Stanley this time around, Larry and I decided to try some local fish ‘n chips from a new place - the Globe Tavern. Well, unfortunately we didn’t think they were very good here (and WAY overpriced compared to other local pubs and restaurants), but I guess that’s the price you pay for going to the closest restaurant near the ship’s pier! Cape Horn was really unique
The Obelisk
Stands in the center of the "Avenida de 9 de Julio" - 9th of July Avenue (MY birthday!) on this trip though, as the waters were extremely calm and the weather was nice. Going around the Cape is known to most sailors as one of the places with the roughest waters in all of the world, and so this was a nice change for us. Our captain was able to get really close, as you can see by the pictures, and we were able to get some really close and clear shots!
Straits of Magellan: Here we saw the lovely glaciers packed oddly in between large cliffs and mountains. It’s such a sight to see…especially since there’s a lot of greenery in the mountains, and the ice doesn’t necessarily fit in with its surroundings.
Punta Arenas, Chile: In Punta Arenas, we just headed into the main square of the town, otherwise known as La Plaza Munoz Gamero. Here there is always a large market set up, selling things such as wool scarves, baby clothes, jewelry, art, and other knick-knacks. So, we spent most of the morning shopping here, before having lunch at little place called Hernando de Magallanes. It was funny how we just came across this place as we were walking around exploring the city,
and it ended up having such delicious food and wonderful service, but literally I think there were about 5 tables in the whole restaurant!
Amalia Glacier: Another gorgeous glacier to behold as it pierces through the fog.
Mardi Gras Party in the Crow’s Nest: This was a theme night up in the Crow’s Nest, and so the cast members were asked to wear up some of our costumes to add to the festivities! We had a conga line going and everything…it was good fun for all.
Darwin Channel: On this scenic cruising day through the Darwin Channel, we were lucky enough to have beautiful weather and sunshine. In fact, I think this was by far our nicest trip through this channel.
Master Chef Dinner: Ha-ha! Well, this is a little something extra we have to do on our cruise ship. It’s called the Master Chef Dinner and it’s usually performed on one of the last days of each cruise. In this “performance,” the cast dresses in chef and waiter costumes, and we parade around the dining room during each course of the meal (and TWICE total, since there are two separate dining room seatings!) It starts
with “The Napkin Ballet,” followed by “Miss Pepper Romaine and the Lettuce Tossers,” and ends with a big finale - “Sugar, Sugar,” in which we enter dancing with a huge baked Alaska dessert, do a kick line down the stairs, and finish it off with confetti shooters! Let me tell you…it’s quite a hoot!!
Baby Hip Hop: AKA - Danny! Larry thinks this nickname is fitting, and the cast agrees! So, of course we had to get him a costume…
Well, that's all for now. Enjoy our blog!
Love,
Larry & Melanie
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