BUENOS AIRES

Buenos Aires Cathedral

La Boca district

Tango dacers

Tigre passenger boat

 

GRAND VOYAGE : FIRST SECTOR – SOUTHAMPTON TO BUENOS AIRES

The voyage is divided into 5 sectors:

Southampton to Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires to Valparaiso

Valparaiso to Sydney

Sydney to San Francisco

San Francisco to Southampton

Each sector is where there is a passenger/crew/entertainer changeover.

We sailed into Buenos Aires on Wednesday 26 January and it wasn’t too long before it started to rain. Our city tour was due to start at 0930 and although we were late leaving, the coaches were on their way by 1000.  Thankfully the rain had eased by the time we reached our first stop, the Plaza de Mayo, where the sight of huge white sheets printed with Spanish words regarding the Falklands greeted us!  These protestors had been there 1000 days and planned to be there for the immediate future. We also saw the Casa de Rosada, the pink Presidential Palace where Evita had appeared on the balcony and our final visit was to the Cathedral.

From there we were shown various city areas, the most interesting being La Boca, the area where the tango was born.  Our final stop was to Recoleta where Evita’s family tomb can be seen in this huge cemetery.

We arrived back at the ship at 1400, had lunch, and then got ready for the Tango Show & Dinner.  Our coach left at 1745 to take us to a restaurant short distance from the ship.  We both had the same, empenadas to start (a cross between a Cornish pasty and a samosa!). That was followed by the biggest, thickest and most tender steak I think we have eaten and dessert was cream caramel. Wine and water flowed freely. We then left the restaurant to cross the road where the tango show was to take place.  A glass of sparkling wine was waiting for us and the show was absolutely fantastic, the music, the dancers, the atmosphere, everything was perfect.  The room seemed to be like a dark, seedy nightclub-type of place recreating where in the past prostitutes danced with the wealthy men while they were waiting for their ‘ladies’ to become available!

Thursday: A beautiful day dawned, still nice and warm, around 28c.  We got the coach, this time to take us on a Tigre river delta cruise.  Very interesting, again good photo opportunities, and fascinating to see how people lived along the banks of the river, where their houses were built on stilts and their motor launches were moored at each individual jetty.

We sailed at 1745 for the Falklands, which we reach on Sunday 30 January. We had a warning about the weather from the captain, 3-4 metre swell for tomorrow, and Saturday will be similar but wave height will be up to 5 metres!  However, the one good thing is that the weather in the Falklands is forecast to be fairly calm which will enable us to go ashore by tender.  We have been told to expect rain and the weather is good for a summer’s day, around 12c!

So as we sail down the River Plate on our way back to the Atlantic, we will enjoy the warm weather while we can!