After our fun filled adventure in Montevideo, we sailed overnight to Punta Del Este – the final port for Uruguay.  Punta del Este is a seaside city and peninsula that started as a small town, it later became internationally known as a resort for the Latin and North American jet set and tourists. The city has been referred to as “the Monaco of the South”, “The Pearl of the Atlantic”, “the Hamptons of South America”, “the Miami Beach of South America”, or “the St. Tropez of South America”.  Surrounded by mountains, the city is built along the coastline with many tall buildings.

The beaches are said to be some of the best in the world with lovely sand and gentle breezes.  Generally, a resort town, it has several film festivals, wonderful restaurants and a growing art colony.   

We didn’t make it ashore here – way too much relaxing happening on board the ship.

Itajaí was our first port of call in Brazil. The city was founded on June 15, 1860, but the colonization of Itajaí had started in 1658 when the Paulista João Dias D’Arzão arrived in the region. In 1750, Portuguese colonists coming from Madeira and the Azores made this region their home. By 1823 it became a prominent region for Portuguese settlers and, at the end of the 19th century, received a great number of German immigrants.   Unfortunately, the seas were rough (I could certainly agree, as sleeping was less than wonderful due to the conditions) and as we had to use the tenders to go to shore ,the decision was made by the Captain that there would be no shore excursions.  A little disappointing as I had been looking forward to visiting the Bavarian Biergaten Pavillion where the biggest annual beer festival outside Germany happens every year.  

However, we had to stick around for several hours as everyone’s passports had to be checked and stamped.  After getting all the required clearances, the ship continued on to our next port – São Francisco do Sul.

São Francisco do Sul is another village founded by the Portuguese (1658) and has become quite an important part of the Brazilian infrastructure. It provides large bulk shipping facilities and is served by the major container shipping lines connecting with the South American east and west coasts, Africa, Asia, North and Central America, the Caribbean and Europe.  However, as we arrived on a Sunday there wasn’t much happening and we had not signed on for any excursions.  The 30 minute tender ride was the most exciting excursion of the day.

 

After our tour of Buenos Aires, and now onboard the ship, we moved into our cabin and immediately made-a-mess of the place.  Clearly it doesn’t take me long to spread out over every available surface.  However, once most of our stuff was put away, we gathered with the Bells and had a dinner at the Terrance Café.  Once back to our cabin we finished unpacking and put together our first load of laundry – as the clothing we had been wearing on the Iguazu Falls adventure never dried, and then, early bed.

While we slept, the ship headed out the Rio de la Plata estuary for Montevideo. Montevideo is the capital and largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country’s total population) in an area of 78 sq miles. Montevideo is situated on the southern coast of the country, on the northeastern bank of the Río de la Plata.

A Portuguese garrison was established in 1723 near the place which is the city of Montevideo. The Portuguese garrison was expelled in February 1724 by a Spanish soldier, Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst the Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region. There is no official document establishing the foundation of the city, but the “Diario” of Bruno Mauricio de Zabala officially mentions the date of 24th of December of 1726 as the foundation, corroborated by witnesses. The complete independence from Buenos Aires as a real city was not reached until the 1st of January of 1730. Montevideo was also under brief British rule in 1807, but eventually the city was retaken by Spanish criollos who defeated the British invasions of the River Plata. Montevideo is the seat of the administrative headquarters of Mercosur and ALADI, Latin America’s leading trade blocs, a position that entailed comparisons to the role of Brussels in Europe.

The city has preserved European architecture, being considered one of the cities with the most art deco influence. It is the hub of commerce and higher education in Uruguay as well as its chief port. The city is also the financial hub of Uruguay and the cultural anchor of a metropolitan area with a population of around 2 million.

Our first adventure of the day, City Landmarks, Wine & Dance Performance, was via bus to a winery.   Upon arrival in the Cuchilla Pereira wine district, we stopped at Bodega Spinoglio.

  This winery is currently being operated by the 3^rd or 4^th generation of the family who are working towards improving the overall quality of the product and enhancing the property.  Now we have been to a lot of wineries in our travels and this was similar in design and character to many we have visited.  Of course, they had a number of older pieces of equipment on display and some interesting concrete/stone wine vats (that are now being turned into B&B style bedrooms). 

Situated with lots of vines around the Bodega, we were first offered a lovely chardonnay as a refreshing treat upon arrival.

Once we had all gathered together, our guide gave a quick tour of the vineyard and brought us into one of the large rooms where we took our seats around various tables. 

Then began another Tango presentation along with various wines and tasty snacks!  It was a authentic and interactive presentation and the wines were quite good.  They have a number of varieties including Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc and Tannat.  

It was an interesting presentation of dance, wine and snacks.  Naturally, once all the entertainment was complete there was an opportunity to buy a bottle or two to take home.

Once back on the bus, we headed back into town and stopped in the main square to view the various significant buildings and afterwards did a drive through several significant districts of the city.  As we took in the key sights during our panoramic drive through downtown, we saw a number of landmarks including the Solis Theatre, Legislative Palace, historic Centenario Stadium (The stadium was built between 1929 and 1930 to host the inaugural 1930 FIFA World Cup).  

An impressive equestrian statue of José Gervasio Artigas , The Father of Uruguay , was one of the most significant ‘freedom fighters’ during Uruguay’s struggle for independence.   

Once back on board the ship, we relaxed for a bit and then met up with Sally and Jim at one of the specialty restaurants on board, Jacques – a French themed eatery.  

The dinner was clearly set to celebrate Janeen’s birthday with all the trimmings and attention to her needs as one could hope.  For dessert, a special cake had been ordered (thanks to Jessica our travel advisor!) which came as a wonderful surprise at the end of dinner – along with a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday to You sung by the wait staff. This was a lovely reminder of the song in German, Spanish and English which our grand girls serenaded Janeen earlier.  

When we returned to our cabin, after dinner, another birthday surprise greeted Janeen with balloons and ‘towel’ art on the bed.  All-in-all a very nice day to celebrate Janeen’s birthday.

While we had spent the previous night in Buenos Aires, we really didn’t tour much beyond the bus ride from the airport.  Buenos Aires is the capital city of Argentina having gained independence from Spain in the early 1800’s.  It is the largest city in Argentina, and has become quite cosmopolitan. Its center is the Plaza de Mayo, which is lined with stately 19th-century buildings including Casa Rosada, the iconic, balconied presidential palace (from which Eve Perón would wave to the people below). Other major attractions include Teatro Colón, a grand 1908 opera house with nearly 2,500 seats, and the modern MALBA museum, displaying Latin American art. 

It is known for its preserved eclectic European architecture and rich cultural life.  It is a multicultural city that is home to multiple ethnic and religious groups, contributing to its culture as well as to the dialect spoken in the city and in some other parts of the country. This is because since the 19th century, the city, and the country in general, has been a major recipient of millions of immigrants from all over the world, making it a melting pot where several ethnic groups live together. Thus, Buenos Aires is considered one of the most diverse cities of the Americas.

The following morning, back on the bus for a highlight tour of Buenos Aires, our first stop was to visit The La Recoleta Cemetery.  This cemetery holds the remains of many notable people including, several presidents of Argentina, Nobel Prize winners and lots of others. However, the tomb that is visited the most often, is for Eva Perón, the former first Lady of Argentina who died in 1952.   Her memorial isn’t grand or excessive but part of a Duarte family vault within the cemetery. She was revered by the lower economic classes and helped enact a number of reforms and policies to their benefit.  She also helped bring about the passage of Argentina’s women’s suffrage law. 

 There are many elaborate marble mausoleums, decorated with statues in a variety of architectural styles, including the honeymoon bride.  The Bride died while on her honeymoon and this was done to memorialize her for all time.

After the visit to the cemetery, we stopped for a coffee and pastry at La Biela – a historic eatery specializing in salads, sandwiches & classic Argentinean mains.  It was a nice stop under the old trees with delicious croissants. 

From there onto the bus for more highlights of the city.  Our first stop was at ‎Plaza de Mayo to view the various buildings including the presidential palace and Metropolitan Cathedral of Buenos Aires.  

If you look closely, below the horse statue there are hundreds of stones. These were placed there by loved ones as remembrance of those who died during the Pandemic.

You may recall that this was the home church for Pope Francis – who was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires prior to his elevation to Pope. 

After walking around and taking in the sites, went to La Ventana for lunch and a Tango Show.   The La Ventana is clearly the place to go in Buenos Aires to see a tango show. The cellar restaurant was packed to capacity with long family style tables (although we scored a table for four) and waitstaff juggled pasta, beef or chicken brought from stacking carriers. A dulce de leche was finished just as the lights dimmed and the curtain to the side opened on a grand piano, double bass, guitar and an accordion like instrument which set the rhythm for the dancers. Three pairs of dancers appeared with opening moves, gliding and twisting. When the tango singer set the mood, one couple at a time began their play of seductive moves to the music. 

Our guide, Sol, said that the beginnings of the tango are thought to have been brought over by African slaves, and then adapted to the favelas and brothels of the city. The arms and legs of the dancers twist and turn spin and kick as they glide together across the floor.  

 At the sound of drums, El Gaucho came on stage stamping his heels and eventually, both he and his companion Gaucha swung the bolos in rapid wheels, tapping the floor in a rhythm with the drums.

A solo male singer shared the songs of the barrios, and a single spotlighted woman shared “don’t cry for me Argentina” in Spanish. 

After the show, we motored around looking at various neighborhoods before heading to the harbor to board our ship, Oceana Marina!

 

Several years ago, Janeen mentioned that seeing the Iguazu Falls was on her ‘bucket list’.  Iguaçu Falls are waterfalls of the Iguazu River on the border of Argentina and Brazil. Together, they make up the largest waterfall system in the world.  Not having been in this part of the world I had no ready reference to how to get there or how to coordinate the trip.  After looking at a variety of tour options, my travel agent found a land excursion as part of an ocean cruise that would work out wonderfully.  So, we signed up – the trip, started in Buenos Aires and ends 30-plus days later in Miami, Florida visiting several countries along the way.

After connecting flights from Dulles via Houston we arrived in Buenos Aires, the final flight of 10 plus hours connected us with our friends Jim and Sally Bell and we overnighted at the Hotel Emperador.  We have been friends of Jim and Sally for the over 40 years – and when they heard about our upcoming adventure, they signed on to join us for the trip.  We had previously travelled with them when we did our Panama Canal transit in 2020 – just before the world changed and cruising become impossible for a while.  

Our first night was at a lovely hotel – Hotel Emperador where we crashed early.  Following breakfast, at the hotel, we transferred to the domestic airline for our 90-minute flight to Iguazu.  After arriving, we boarded the bus and headed into the Iguazu Falls National Park on the Brazilian side.  The Falls are located within the Park as was our Hotel for the evening.  After lunch, the fun began.

The afternoon adventure was to be a “motorized Boat Cruise” a Zodiac adventure.  

However, prior to getting on the boat there were 240 steps down from the parking area to the river.  Going down, not so much of a problem, climbing back up was a bitch.

We were repeatedly told that “You will get wet on this trip” and they weren’t fooling around.  Once down the steps, we donned life jackets and climbed aboard the boat for the trip.  Our first views, of the Falls, was from quite a distance but they take up a good amount of space and are maybe two or three distinct sections – each several hundred feet wide with LOTS of water flowing.  

After getting in the boat, I am fairly certain the skipper was aiming for the big waves as we headed towards the falls as several times I was slammed with a big wave of water – yes, I got wet repeatedly!  

After getting close to the falls, we then motored directly into them and through the downpour!  If you could get any wetter, I would be very surprised.  No wonder they gave us dry bags for our shoes and other stuff before leaving the dock!  Fortunately, I had the foresight to get a waterproof case from my iPhone and was able to take a bunch of pictures throughout the adventure.

After the trip through the St. Martin falls (twice!), the boat headed back to the dock where we got out and headed back up the 240 stairs.  Needless to say, Janeen and were the last to get to the top and it was not an enjoyable climb, particularly after using up 150% of any adrenaline during the boat ride.  Once we are at the top, we climbed into the ‘truck’ to take us to the Hotel.  As we got closer to the hotel and the drop off point, it started to rain.  Nothing like getting wet all over again! But as all guides repeated “It’s a Rain Forest!”

Once in the Hotel, a truly lovely place with a fantastic view of the Falls from our room, we changed into dry clothes and tried to relax for a bit before going down for dinner.

The following day we gathered for a walk along the lower walkway that traverses through the Park with spectacular views of the falls.  All of the Falls have names and our guide was able to tell us a bit about each of them and how they got their name. 

 In many areas, where the mist was rising from the Falls, there were rainbows. 

 Along the elevated walkway there were lots of different plants and some wildlife – it is a jungle after all.  

While I did see some monkeys after the boat ride, I wasn’t able to get any pictures – and the Toucan that several people saw flew away before I got to see him.  All very beautiful and wonderful adventure for sure.  After our walk, we returned to the hotel for some lunch and the final bus trip back to the airport for the flight back to Buenos Aires and the Hotel to be reunited with our cruise luggage.