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| First stop and gathering point for our group was Buenos Aires. We toured for a few days, took in the presidential palace, Eva Peron's grave and watched the tango. In the picture of the palace just above, the balcony on the left is where Eva addressed the crowds. | ||
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| After Buenos Aires, and on the way to the Antarctic, we stopped in Ushuaia (Argentina) to board our ship. Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world and is located on the shores of the Beagle Channel, at the southern tip of Tierra del Fuego Island. | ||
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| So after we sailed through the Beagle Channel, we entered the Drake Passage, where the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans meet. If the two day passage is calm, it's called the "Drake Lake." If stormy, it is the "Drake Shake.'" We had 30-foot seas and it was the Drake Shake. We quickly discovered why the tables and chairs in the lounge and dining room were secured to the floor. | ||
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| Here we are on the Drake Shake...Several passengers learned (and experienced first hand) why, during the Drake Passage, there are these paper bags placed every couple of feet. Oh yes...the beds in our cabins are the only beds I have ever seen that had seat belts! |
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| Along the way, we saw dolphins, whales and numerous birds, such as albatross and petrals. | ||
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| Here is a view of our ship from one of our landings on the Antarctic Peninsula. The staff was wonderful and after the first day knew everyone's name. As we were getting close to reboarding after one of our landings, we had a small iceberg to contend with. | ||
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As you can see, we loaded the Zodiac boats from the rear of the ship and used them to make our eight landings onto the Peninsula. |
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 Anthony and our tour guide, Nelson |
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