CRUISING through Christmas and New Year's

Saturday, December 3 - We managed to squeeze in a Christmas party tonight with a Christmas movie character theme.  My "Cousin Eddie" ensemble was hard to beat, and our hilarious bathroom announcement fit right in with it. It was a smaller crowd than usual with several of our friends out of town this weekend, but we had a great time, nonetheless, with some good food, libations, and a lot of Christmas cheer! 

Christmas Dudley! 

Christmas Byron!! 

Wednesday, December 7 - We headed out tonight with the intention of doing some Christmas barhopping, but the first one we went to downtown was packed with a long wait time to get in (and it's a Wednesday night?), so we opted for the next one where we at least had a reservation for dinner and drinks with our friends, Wendy and Charly, at The Miracle on Gallatin Avenue at the Pearl Diver tiki bar in East Nashville.  The food and drinks were great as usual, and we even found a fairly close place to park!  It was a Christmas miracle all right!! 

Saturday, December 10 - We were on the road to Cincinnati today for a wedding with Ashlee's cousin, LeeAnn, and her beau, Elijah.  After going years without a nuptial to attend, this is our 3rd one of the year, and they have all been destination (for us) weddings.    LeeAnn's mom, Leslie, even paid for us a sweet little room at the adorable and historic (circa 1920's) Mariemont Inn in the also adorable German-settled and -influenced "village" of Mariemont, Ohio, just outside Cincy.    It was all decked out for Christmas especially the awesome lobby (photo above).  
The wedding was just a few blocks away and was a lot of fun (at least until the end when we had to help clean up - free room earned!) 

Sunday, December 11 - We were on a short clock this weekend with our big South America trip coming up next weekend, so we had to limit our time in Cincy to mostly driving there and back (thanks to Bono's audiobook, "Surrender" again for the help in making the miles go by).  We did have time to pop into Santa's Workshop across the street from the hotel before leaving.  This Christmas walk-thru maze of restored historic animatronic Shillito Department Store (circa 1980's) elves working away in the North Pole was pretty cool.  Above is a shot of the mail room where all those letters from Santa arrive.  

Thursday, December 15 - Congrats to Sunny on graduating from here first obedience class at Pet Smart today!  OK, she's best at just lying in the floor relaxing, but everybody has a skill!  

Dani, our (differently-abled) foster (and maybe soon, forever) kitten has decided to skip education and go straight into business by opening her own tiki bar!!   Cheers, baby girl!! 

SOUTH AMERICA BOUND!!!

Sunday, December 18 - We were heading to South America today for our longest trip ever that included a 12-day cruise around the bottom of the continent and would technically check off four more countries for us to have visited.  Our flight was a little odd right off the bat since we had to go north first to go south with a connection in Toronto, Canada, via Air Canada, but we chose it to save money and keep our stops to just one.  They had already made a change from our originally-booked direct flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina, booked months ago to where we would board the cruise ship, by adding an annoying and time-swallowing stop now in Sao Paolo, Brazil, (1), so what else could go wrong?  Well, we were about to find out...keep up with the numbers in parentheses to see the long list of absolute bullshit that we had to go through with this joke of an airline.  This blog has always been meant to be positive in nature, but what follows is the absolute worst travel experience we've ever encountered and it must be documented.  

So, we knew we would have a long layover in Toronto, and we were fine with that since we chose this flight to start with.  We planned on dropping our bags and heading out to meet our friend, Sharon, who lives here for dinner, but, oh no, the flight delays start almost immediately (2).  So many and so much that we were going to miss our connection in Sao Paolo (3) that they added to begin with.   This is Air Canada's hub, yet we could find no one to help us with our connection issue (4).  We finally were told there was a customer service desk in the international terminal.  It was there all right with a long line of course and only two people working (5).  When we finally got to the dude behind the glass, he assured us we would be helped once we were in Sao Paolo, and that "international flights never get cancelled."  Two COMPLETE LIES (6).  So, we thought, OK, let's go see Sharon and relax and let this sort itself out.  NOPE!  The Air Canada information desk that was actually staffed was in the international terminal as I mentioned before, and YOU CAN'T LEAVE THE INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL (7).  Sorry, Sharon.  So, the LOOOONG WAIT began throughout the night with delay after delay being announced (8). 

We did have some decent food at least at Lee Kitchen in the International Terminal where we were trapped. 

God in Heaven! They finally cancelled the flight at about to two in the fucking morning!!! (9).  Sold out 400+ people completely fucked.  Booking our flight through Celebrity Cruise line did help some as their "emergency" travel agents were able to secure us a hotel room for the night while this bullshit went on with no immediate resolve.  No weather issue, no mechanical issue, zero information as to why this happened (10).   OK, so let's go get our bags and basically start over.  NOPE!  Baggage claim was another disaster with again only two people working the lost baggage desk and a long, slow line (11).  We finally were told we could not get our bags (they didn't even know about the cancelled flight (12) because they were prepped for the flight (THAT WAS CANCELLED!!) (13). 

Monday, December 19 - 

OK, LET'S TRY THIS AGAIN...

SOUTH AMERICA BOUND!!  

(with lost luggage?)

We were finally told that we would be on another late flight tonight with still a transfer in Sao Paolo, but this time on Ethiopian Airlines (WTF?).  With another day and most of the night to kill in Toronto and still no idea where our bags were thanks to Air Stupid (14) we figured we better do some shopping for some clothes in case we never see our bags again.  We rented a car since it would be cheaper than Ubers.  We hit up a pretty nice mall called Square One that even had a Wal-Mart attached to it and spent hundreds of dollars (15) on basic essentials for a 12-day cruise.  What a mess.  We did get a chance to drive out to the Mississauga suburb and have dinner and a visit with Sharon and her sweet mom at least.   

We got back to the airport as late as we could, so we didn't have to spend any more time in that damn international terminal than necessary.  There was another delay on tonight's flight (16) which had our nerves rattled at the thought of another cancellation and missing the start of the cruise.   The flight did finally take off and none of the phone chargers worked on the stupid plane (17) for a ten-hour flight.   Otherwise, it was a rather smooth and quiet overnight flight to Sao Paolo.  

Tuesday, December 20 - We didn't even know Ethiopia had an airline!  It was almost another snafu disaster when they weren't sure they could let us board their plane because our checked luggage wasn't aboard (WTF?) even though we had seat assignments and boarding passes.  Great job communicating to these guys, Air Idiots. (18).   They finally let us and some other equally upset and freaked-out Air Canada passengers aboard the plane.  One good thing about this layover and transfer mess is that we met a great older couple, Frank and Irene, who were headed to Buenos Aires as well for a different cruise.   They are definitely inspiration for us to keep on traveling and adventuring despite travel snarls and frustrations.  

At least someone is happy on this flight from Sao Paolo to Buenos Aires.  The plane was full of joyous Argentina fans coming home from Qatar where their national soccer team had just won The World Cup.  We have to give it to Ethiopian Airlines - the flight was smooth, the meal served was tasty and they were ON TIME TAKING OFF AND LANDING!! 

The airport in Buenos Aires was a madhouse with people arriving from all over after the big win.  Our friends, Danny and Brenda, who were cruising with us (and got here with no problem via American Airlines thru Miami) got to witness the parade madness earlier today when the team arrived in town, but we missed it (thanks Air Hernia - 19).  Our friends also tried to help us with an arranged cab ride to the hotel that turned out to be a bit frustrating as well when we couldn't find it, but we finally made it to the nice Anselmo Hotel rather late and turned in quickly as we were completely exhausted.  

Wednesday, December 21 - Still no word on our lost luggage. Air Crapada had most of the day to get them to us here in Buenos Aires before the cruise ship sailed out, but no bags ever came (20). So, we did some more clothes shopping just in case, and a little bit of sightseeing in between.   Check out this beautiful church near our hotel.   And the weather was very nice! 

That's The Obelisk (de Obelisco) of Buenos Aires in the distance there...a few million people were gathered around it last night for the World Cup Win celebration...then it became somewhat rowdy as it grew late.  Glad we missed that at least.  

We were treated to a great Buenos Aires sunset at least as we boarded the Celebrity Infinity for our cruise around the bottom of the world.  It also helped hide the ugly brown water around this port.  Yuck!  The ship had some age to her as well and a few services like internet were annoying hit-or-miss, but we were here for the location, not the ship I guess...

Thursday, December 22 - Our first stop today was Montevideo, Uruguay.  New country for us! CHECK!  And what a great little country it seems to be!   We had an outstanding city tour with a hilarious and knowledgeable guide.   The capital city itself is a neat blend of old and new, and I thought the shot above of the historic (1928) Palacio Salvo building deserved the black and white nostalgic look. 

We got to spend some time at a fun open market in downtown as well, and then we ended our tour at Matute/Mist Craft Brewing where we were given a four-taster flight of their surprisingly good beer and some finger foods. 

Here's the cruising foursome as we are imbibing at the craft brewery.  Much thanks to Danny and Brenda for their help, support and companionship during our cancelled flight/lost-luggage fiasco.  We had a great trip together to this amazing part of the world.  Cheers! 

After the tour, we were given the chance to walk back a mile or to the ship and explore the city, old and new.  Above is a part of old city wall dwarfed by modern skyscrapers.  We actually found some pretty good shopping here too for a few more clothes to wear while our bags still had not caught up with us (21). 

Friday, December 23 - It was another port today in Punta del Este, Uruguay.  We had tender in on this shallow harbor, but the weather was warm and close to perfect.  

Back home, not so much...holy smokes! 

OK, not everything is terrible even if your bags are still lost (22).  

We had a fun and interesting tour again today with a very nice guide who we really enjoyed.  There was drive by beauty everywhere here along the shore including very unique lighthouse here built circa 1860 and is made with volcanic sand giving it a very pretty color. 

"Let sleeping dogs lie." Right?  Same goes for here at the famous La Mano (The Hand) sculpture on Brava Beach here in Punta del Este. Created in 1982, it's become the icon for this popular area. 

Man, who knew Uruguay had great wine?  But they really do!  At least at the beautiful Narbona Winery a bit away from the bustling beaches and port where we spent the afternoon with a yummy meal and lots of generous wine sampling.   I didn't get a good picture of it, but also a great memory was the unique, wavy and quite famous Leonel Viera Bridge that we went over coming and going back.  Our driver even gunned it a little on the way back for a bit of a rollercoaster effect! 

Saturday, December 24 - Merry Christmas Eve at sea from South America!  We lazed around the boat today enjoyed more sunny, mild weather.  

For dinner, Danny and Brenda treated us to a meal at Qsine - a fun, animated dinner projected right on your table, plates or hand even!  Four tiny cartoon chefs compete again each other each course of the meal.  The winner was the French chef, but the pig he had (and didn't serve up) seemed to gain him popularity over the others.  Rigged!! 

Sunday, December 25 - Merry Christmas from Puerto Madryn, Argentina.  Surprisingly, we actually had a port of call today and an excursion despite the holiday.   

We headed out on a pretty long drive to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Valdes Peninsula, a large area of semi-arid land and coastline with lots of flora and some interesting fauna.  These wild llamas pictured above are called guanacos.   Don't let the fence in this shot fool you. It's not for them.  They just jump over it with ease. 

While we saw penguins in the wild from a distance in the Galapagos Islands a few years back, these Magellanic penguins were much closer to us.  These cuties mate for life, and are safe and protected here in a large inlet next to the great big South Atlantic Ocean. 

Trust me when I saw we saw huge elephant seals and sea lions here too.  It was at a distance, and they mostly just laid around napping and not moving much.  This overlook view of the pretty inlet they share with the penguins is much more interesting.

When we got back to the harbor, we were delighted to see our pals, Frank and Brenda's ship, The Oosterman docked right beside us.  Unfortunately, we didn't see them before we headed out again. 

We got one last gift on Christmas Day with a great sunset as we headed back out to sea. Back on board tonight we ate at the speciality restaurant, Sushi on 5, and also watched Elf all bundled up at the outside theater on the top of the boat.    

Monday, December 26 - Day at Sea - blue water and blue sky!  The nightly entertainment on board hasn't been stellar, but tonight's show, "Broken Strings" was pretty good especially since they used some modern songs that we really love.  

Tuesday, December 27 - The weather was definitely looking suspect as we neared the bottom of South America in hopes of cruising around Cape Horn, Chile.
(SPECIAL DAY WARNING!!)   
Miraculously, the weather cleared enough for us to circumnavigate the entire island that is Cape Horn!  The lighting was ethereal, and we knew we were in a very special place! 

The Cape Horn Albatross sculpture is a memorial to all those who have lost their lives in this sometimes-unforgiving place. 

We even got a couple of rainbows to close out one of those truly special days. 

Wednesday, December 28 - When you wake up and walk out on your cruise ship balcony and this view above greets you.  You are pretty sure it's going to be another great day in Patagonia! 
(SPECIAL DAY WARNING!!) 
We cruised into Ushuaia, Argentina (the world's southernmost city) via the Beagle Channel today, and where the city sits is just mind-blowingly beautiful. 

Again, black and white photos seem to truly capture the sheer, raw beauty of this place.  Not that there isn't color, but the gigantic size and contrast of the place seems to pop more in this format.  This is some of the city of Ushuaia with part of the jagged Martial Mountain Range looming behind it.  Simply breathtaking. 

Our excursion today was a combo bus ride inside the Tierra del Fuego National Park, and then a catamaran cruise back on The Beagle Channel.  Our first stop off the bus along the Senda Costera (Coastal Path) was a corner of the crystal-clear Ensenada Bay with some of the most interesting volcanic, green-hued rock formations I've ever seen. By the way, the green color of the rocks in the photo above is not exaggerated.  

And although it didn't feel like it today, it is the start of summer here now.  

I got a feeling some sunlight would make the color of these clear waters really pop, but, alas, it was clouds and bit a of rain for us instead today.  But you take what you can get.  This is the glacial-fed Lake Acigami (aka Lake Roca), our second stop off the bus. 

Welcome to The End of the World!  Our bus ride concluded here at Lapataia Bay, the farthest place south you can drive a motor vehicle in the Western Hemisphere and also the end (or the start) of the longest motorway on the planet (Alaska is only about 10,000 miles yonder way north).  

We boarded the large catamaran boat and headed due east back into The Beagle Channel at a good clip.  So fast, in fact, you couldn't really get on the outside of the boat for the scenery.  There was, however, some pretty good wine and local craft beer for purchase and we did just that!
After a pretty good distance, however, the captain slowed her down to a crawl for a good look at Tern Island, a rocky little outcrop that these marine birds had taken over.  There were even a few sea lions on the other side, but they were vastly outnumbered by this busy colony. 

Oops, I did it again.  So, look, this red and white Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse in The Beagle Channel was in serious need of a paint job, so the black and white is serving double duty in this shot. 

Oh, by the way...there are glaciers outside. Just a casual mention at dinner as we sailed away from Ushuaia by the cruise director.  Well, more like a half dozen giant glaciers, scores of waterfalls and snowy mountains all along "Glacier Alley" in The Beagle Channel as we headed westward! And it was a long show since sunset down this way wasn't until around 10 PM!

The giant Italia Glacier - as in the pictures shown previously in this post, the color was not enhanced in this photo.  The ice is just that blue! 

Zero color manipulation here also, by the way.  No need for black and white prints now!  

A glacier waterfall...are you kidding me?   Talk about nature porn!  Wow!  This is the bottom of Romanche Glacier. For reference that water is fall 800' easy.  

I did miss my big camera during this stretch of the trip.  The IPhone zoom is limited at best.   That's a house, or weather station, there at the water's edge with booming waterfalls just behind it including one big rooster-tail about halfway down.  Amazing!! 

Thursday, December 29 - Today we were supposed to stop at Punta Arenas, Chile, but with the windy weather and our need to tender in from the ship, it became more like PUNT Arenas, Chile, unfortunately when the port was closed to small ships.  So, we spent the day cruising around in front of the city in the Paso Ancho (Wide Passage) of the Strait of Magellan.  As the day wore on, the sun gave way to clouds and the sea and mountains took on a steely gray look to them. 

December 30 - We continued slowly cruising the Strait of Magellan today with no more ports until the cruise was over.  We indulged in as many of the ship's amenities as possible including the interesting and relaxing thalassotherapy (therapy of the sea) heated pool (pictured above).

Here's a tracking of the "lost puppy" sailing that we did when the port at Punta Arenas was closed to us. We continued enjoying what the ship had to offer including a pretty good comedy show from stand-up comedian, Fred Beville.  A showing of the new Jurassic World trilogy:  Dominion.  And an amazing (and world record holding) juggler named Jaz Danion.
 

December 31 - Happy New Year's Eve from the sea!  We made it to dinner in the main dining room most nights (despite not having our suitcases/clothes on many of those nights).  The food was good, not great.  The service started out bad but improved as the trip continued.  My Baked Alaska was a highlight for me in the realm of desserts.  

We made it to midnight here (where it's 3 hours earlier than at home) and toasted the new year with champagne in the main foyer under a fun balloon drop.  

January 1, 2023 - Happy New Year's Day at sea!  It was another relaxing day of cruising today with improved weather outside also. 

Good job, Captain!   Our ship's crew did an outstanding job of avoiding a lot of nasty weather which everyone's stomachs appreciated! 

January 2 - We were docking in Valparaiso, Chile this morning before daylight, but we woke up to a busy view of colorful homes stacked on top of each other on the hills overlooking the port.  

Our flights home from Santiago, Chili, were late in the evening, so our four opted for a winery tour on our way to the airport.  Our first winery stop in the lovely Casablanca Valley (which has 22 wineries within it) was Casas del Bosque (Houses in the Forest) where we took a tour of the large facility and had samples of three of their wares (two whites and a red). 

We moved to the picturesque Estancia El Cuadro Winery where we were treated to a great barbecue lunch of beef and chicken and all the fixings as well as some Chilean folk dancing from some of the young locals.  

They have quite the vista and quite the nice selection of wine of which we had several.  Cheers! 

Well, goodbye (for now) South America.  Our two flights home were uneventful other than a slight delay getting back to Nashville from Toronto due to some bad weather here.  A great trip.  A frustrating trip.  But definitely a memorable trip in more ways than one.  

January 3 - There was great excitement and joy when we got home from our longest trip ever.  Damn, ungrateful cats!!