The South American and Antarctic experience on the Zaandam

[scubacruiserx2]

Oops , this was the view of the port .

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

We also had a great view of the Torre Banco Macro through our window

 

 

Across the street was this beautiful tower that had a name change in 1982

 

 

 

 

From Wikipedia

 

Torre Monumental and before 1982 Torre de los Ingleses (Tower of the English) is a clock tower located in the barrio (district) of Retiro, Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is situated in the Plaza Fuerza Aérea Argentina (formerly Plaza Británica) next to the Calle San Martín and Avenida del Libertador. It was a gift from the local British community to the city in commemoration of the centennial of the May Revolution of 1810.

After the Falklands War in 1982, the tower was renamed Torre Monumental, though some still call it Torre de los Ingleses.

 

There is also this beautiful train station

 

 

There is also the Monument to the fallen in Malvinas

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

This giant egg sculpture was near the park . It's called Nosotros Afuera , which means We, the outsiders

 

 

It was lunch time and we were headed to an Irish Pub a few blocks away

 

 

We had our hearts set on some fish and chips and a pint which we had missed in the Falklands

 

 

 

But they were not on the menu and the server was unfamiliar with them  . So I had a Chicken Cordon Blue

 

 

And DW had a St. Killian's

 

 

 

Edited April 11, 2019 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

In this photo you can see our hotel , the English Tower and the port in the distance

 

 

We had a key to the Executive Lounge with had breakfast and snacks throughout the day . The had free wine in the evenings .

 

 

It has a great view of the park and downtown

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were told that the train tracks separate the downtown area from the poor area

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 12, 2019 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

The building was all lit up and we remembered that on a previous trip to BA we had a large power failure . It was pretty hot until the AC kicked on at 2 AM .

 

 

We wanted to take some photos of the tower and the hotel from across the street

 

 

A young man approached us and said " English not so good , not good to be in park with camera at night " . We thanked him in Spanish and heeded his warning .Thats why these were taken from the property - up close .

 

 

 

A new day dawning

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

While eating breakfast in the lounge we saw MSC ship pulling into port.

 

 

It backed in near the Zaandam who had spent the night

 

 

 

 

In the front of the hotel were a number of flags .  Conspicuously absent were the British and American flags

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

We were planning to go to the mall for some shopping and then have lunch but we saw some fast moving clouds that made us wait for a little .

 

 

 

 

Here's the mall that we went to Galerias Pacifico

 

 

 

 

They have some interesting paintings on the ceilings and a great Christmas tree

 

 

 

[pspercy]

Thanks for the hotel and local pics, we're booked there for next February and trying to decide whether to come in early pre-cruise.

Edited April 14, 2019 by pspercy

[scubacruiserx2]

4 hours ago, pspercy said:

Thanks for the hotel and local pics, we're booked there for next February and trying to decide whether to come in early pre-cruise.

 

You're welcome . We hope that you enjoy you're visit there .

[scubacruiserx2]

The concierge on the Zaandam recommended this place

 

 

We were pleased to see that they flew both British and an American flag

 

 

They had good provolone 

 

 

and grilled vegetables

 

 

The steak was also good but we ate it before we had time to take a photo !

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Another view of PG and a collage

 

 

[TayanaLorna]

Collage is really beautiful.

[scubacruiserx2]

25 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

Collage is really beautiful.

 

Thank you , it encapsulates a number of the places and things that we saw on the Zaandam and our stay in South America .

Edited April 14, 2019 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

From our eye in the sky perch we could see the green life jackets on the Promenade deck preparing the next cruise for the safety drill

 

 

The Costa Favolosa was out the port before the Zaandam

 

 

 

Away she goes

 

 

on her next adventure in Antarctica 

 

 

We saw some great photography on Netflix this morning . It is called Our Planet Episode #2 : Frozen Worlds . The first half was Antarctica and showed whales , killer whales and penguins .

[scubacruiserx2]

The Aerolineas lounge was quite comfortable early in the morning . We had a number of Pesos left over so we bought a new backpack to replace our old brown one .

 

 

After being called for the plane we had to stop at a table and open up all of our carry on luggage and remove all of the electric devices and turn them on before boarding . We had packed them a certain way and trying to repack them so that every thing fit was a real pain .

 

 

 

Fortunately there were only 8 people in business class

 

 

 

Lunch is served

 

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Flying over Miami we can see cruise ships in the Port of Miami , South Beach and the triangular shaped Fisher Island . You can also see the water treatment plant at Virginia Key .

 

 

 

 As of 2015, Fisher Island had the highest per capita income^[3] of any place in the United States. The CDP had only 218 households and a total population of 467. From Wikipedia

 

 

 

Access to the island is on a ferry boat 

 

 

Oprah , Boris Becker , Mel Brooks , and Ann Bancroft have owned property here . It cost $250,000 initially and $ 22,000 a year for the ferry and other amenities .

 

https://www.businessinsider.com/fisher-island-miami-florida-tour-richest-zip-code-2018-1

 

The island has the last fire station that I worked at before I retired .

[scubacruiserx2]

As the ships leave Government Cut to the Atlantic Ocean you can see Fisher Island on the right and South Beach on the left 

 

 

Looking back at the downtown area with Fisher Island on the left and South Beach on the right .

 

 

South Beach adds a lot of color to the beach like this art deco crankshaft

 

 

and art deco life guard towers

 

 

Solar powered tower

 

 

Walking along Government Cut 

 

 

I got a free model shot with the Fisher Island condos behind them

 

 

South Beach 

 

 

A couple of sail outs

 

 

Here comes the Sun

 

 

Dinner with my wife and a friend

 

[scubacruiserx2]

The Port of Miami and downtown 

 

 

The City of Miami and I-95 . It runs 1900 miles from Miami to Maine .

 

 

Marlins park was built on the former Orange Bowl stadium site . The Orange Bowl was where the University of Miami Hurricanes and Miami Dolphins played . It was around for 70 years before being demolished in 2008 .

 

 

I really felt like we were back home when I saw a rescue truck of my former employer outside of our window . The return drive home took 4 hours , twice as much time as the original trip from home to MIA .

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

A walk around the Zaandam

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[scubacruiserx2]

Near the future cruises desk are some Egyptian artifacts which are copies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Pinnacle Grille

 

 

 

 

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The secret stairs

 

 

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