In two weeks we will be headed off on our next long trip: Paraguay, then Iguazu Falls, on to Buenos Aires, then aboard the Celebrity Eclipse around Cape Horn and up the western coasts of South and Central America to San Diego California. I will have my cameras along! And some new tools for handling/editing images along the way. Stay tuned…

Our last day for now in this complex city. Beautiful buildings, nice people, crumbling sidewalks, dog droppings an ever present hazard. Low prices, good food and beer and wine. Too many people living on the streets. Heavy traffic, horns honking and sirens blaring. This is one of those places where people stand in line at ATM’s or bus stops; no bunching or shoving or cutting-in… We enjoy BA and look forward to our next visit.

Rain and thunderstorms limited our activity today. Took a cab to what has been called “the second most beautiful bookstore in the world.” El Ateneo, an old elegant theatre repurposed as a bookstore and cafe. We had an early leisurely lunch, then took advantage of a lull in the rain to walk back towards the hotel. Our arranged ride will be here soon to take us to the airport for our overnight flight home. Sad to have the trip ending, but looking forward to being home!

A beautiful sunny day in BA! We walked to the nearest Post Office to mail some things home [helps keep the weight of the suitcases under control] and then walked to Cafe Tortoni, a famous coffee house, 160 years old. Then walked the length of Florida street (pedestrian-only shopping street), then walked back to our hotel in late afternoon. About eight miles altogether. Little shopping, mostly looking… Early evening we took a cab to La Cabana restaurant in the Puerto Maduro district to join some new friends for a great dinner. Then the four of us went on to a “speakeasy”. Too noisy, loud music, crowded. A quick retreat to a quiet neighboring cafe and we finished a good day with more conversation and good wine.

20181210-K1A_4268 20181210-K1A_4253 20181210-K1A_4248 Port in BA

… the end of this adventure. Arrived Buenos Aires, at breakfast waiting our turn to disembark. Anticipate a few quiet days in BA and then back home. It has been a good trip, and we have met several new friends.

Once we finally got off the ship and to our hotel, we wandered to and through the miles-long Sunday San Telmo street market. Bought a few gifts for people back home…

We spent a fairly quiet day in this unremarkable industrial port city. Our more ambitious fellow cruisers opted for a long drive to the Sao Paulo, but it seemed that the value of big-city venues were out weighed by the travel time and distance. So instead we took a long shuttle ride to an over-the-top modern shopping center in the Santos downtown. Meg bought shoes. Then a walk to and along the beach, a pause for refreshments, and back to the shuttle for the ride back to the ship. (Notice Santa climbing the side of the apartment building…)

An early morning sail-in to this beautiful city. After a slow chaotic departure from the ship, my group of eight met our delightful tour guide Leis. Another one of the exceptional tour guides we have booked through Tours By Local. We went to the top of Sugar Loaf, then the Corcovado for a closeup of Christ the Redeemer. Onward for some photo stops of famous beaches, a brief visit to the modern Cathedral, then back aboard. The morning’s chaos and delays led to a delayed departure, giving us great views of the city on the sail away!

Crossed the Equator today! Beautiful Frigate birds, crowds of people at the Crossing ceremony, a good view of the line as we went over, and a shot of one of the bar staff…

Adding this a few days later after many many sea days. It is all a blur…

in Las Palmas we did a bit of walk around the shopping area, found a nice pair of shoes not in stock in my size. Oh well. On to Old Town, a nice lunch, a little time in the house where Columbus stayed when passing through. Las Palmas seems a nice place, but quite large. There are quite a few ex pats from UK and Europe who spend winters here.

[Update - In September 2021 a major volcanic eruption occurred causing much destruction of property and the eventual evacuation of 7,000 residents and tourists. As I post this up date two months later, the lava flows continue... Photo below copied from an AP source]