Bit of a blog - HAL Oosterdam - South America & Antarctica - Dec/Jan 2023/24

[NorbertsNiece]

3 hours ago, LouChamp said:

Aloha. We have been b

to sail HAL since the 1970s and the Oosterdam and South America/Falklands and Antarctica as well. You will have a wonderful time in a wonderful ship and a wonderful priceless experience. We sailed a similar itinerary during Hanukkah and Christmas and New Year and it was magical. Looking forward to your posts and pictures especially of the food lol!

Hanukkah will be over by the time we board 😥

[NorbertsNiece]

Landed BA. The immigration control officer gave me much scrutiny.

 

Tip for travellers : Baggage trollies located towards carousel 1. We are at 8!

[NorbertsNiece]

[*Miss G*]

5 hours ago, NorbertsNiece said:

The crew presented Geoff with a bottle of bubbly and a card!

 

Wow!  How nice is that?!  Were they told ahead of time or is the airline just that impressive?

 

I am enjoying your trip report and look forward to following along.  Have a wonderful time and Happy Birthday, Geoff!!  🥂 🎉

[NorbertsNiece]

26 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Wow!  How nice is that?!  Were they told ahead of time or is the airline just that impressive?

 

I am enjoying your trip report and look forward to following along.  Have a wonderful time and Happy Birthday, Geoff!!  🥂 🎉

I may have told them 😉🤫

[NorbertsNiece]

Checked in to hotel after a 44 min drive along a very straight road. First impressions very green outside the city, interesting churches; very densely populated with many high rises as we neared the city. 

 

Room not ready yet. Passed a memorial to Eva Peron on the Government Health Ministry building. Glad I got a shot off.

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

We're staying at the InterContinental Buenos Aires 

This is more of a business hotel than one designed for tourists. We're on the 10th floor with a city view. A while back I emailed them requesting a room with USB points. Fortunately we brought adapters. There are just 4 sockets all in the desk, nothing accessible by the bed. And no USB points. It's a large, darkly furnished, room with a decent ensuite. There's no tourist information whatsoever. Looks like Viator, other tour companies are available, will be our way forward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 13, 2023 by NorbertsNiece

[0106]

Glad you have arrived safely to your hotel.  How did you get from the airport to your hotel?  I was thinking of using a remiss.  My understanding that the desks are located within the secure customs area and use can use a credit card.

[LouChamp]

5 hours ago, NorbertsNiece said:

Hanukkah will be over by the time we board 😥

Yes for this year. We had planned in advance because of the particular year’s holidays falling close. Originally we were going to do Australia and New Zealand when the ship would be in Sydney Harbor for New Years but decided on the South America voyage instead.

[NorbertsNiece]

38 minutes ago, 0106 said:

Glad you have arrived safely to your hotel.  How did you get from the airport to your hotel?  I was thinking of using a remiss.  My understanding that the desks are located within the secure customs area and use can use a credit card.

Our TA had arranged transfers for us. Not sure what remiss means. There were hire car booths as we exited the baggage hall.

 

Oh, speaking of the baggage hall, before we exited all our bags had to go through scanners.

[0106]

FYI for those looking for transportation from the airport to their hotel.

“Remis” serve Ministro Pistarini International Airport.  A remis (car and driver) is a private car, operating rides to the destination of the client’s choice. Thus, are remis and taxis the same thing? No. While Ezeiza airport taxis are metered and have their price formed by the taximeter, remises offer set prices according to the distance between the pick-up point and the destination’s location. Moreover, the fare for the remises services must be prepaid either online or at one of the company’s official desks. The remises kiosks are at the terminals’ public areas, right next to the customs. My understanding is that there  they are "safer" than a taxi. I plan on using Manuel Tienda León although there are other companies available at the airport.

If anyone has any additional info about remises, I would appreciate it.

 

[JMMKUK]

Have a fabulous cruise.

That is far too long on a plane though.

[NorbertsNiece]

39 minutes ago, 0106 said:

 

If anyone has any additional info about remises, I would appreciate it.

 

Our TA had us booked with a company called Grupo Summa SRL

 

We're both exhausted. Ordered room service. Absolutely delicious!

 

Have booked a small group BA tour through Viator in the morning. 0935 pick up and drop off at hotel.

[TravelBluebird]

Excited to be following along! We board Oosterdam on January 7,  same cruise, going in the opposite direction!

[NorbertsNiece]

Buen día and thanks for following.

 

Slept well enough. Been to breakfast which was lovely. GF croissants were not good lol but the chorizo was!

 

Discovered the pool, gym and a roof terrace. There's also a sauna.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 14, 2023 by NorbertsNiece

[SilvertoGold]

LOVE the photos, especially the lovely hotel interiors. Very elegant and spacious surroundings.  This is the first blog I look at in the morning now and really appreciate your postings.  Have a great day!

[TravelBluebird]

Lovely hotel! Sometimes a business-oriented hotel with good solid amenities is the way to go!  

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

What a beautiful city Buenos Aires is. We had a lovely guide, Lolita, and saw a few sites. Will be going back to Recoletta tomorrow by Uber more than likely, or Remis which is similar to what we call minicabs in the UK.

 

I recognised little from my previous visit 6 years ago when I took a totally different tour.

 

Pics from the minibus and our arrival at Plaza de Mayo, May Plaza.

 

Almost all the most important political events in Argentine history occurred here. Its name is in homage to the Revolution of May 25, 1810, which occurred in this same square and which began the feat of Argentine Independence, from which a form of self-government arose. It is also the place where the City was founded for the second time , on June 11, 1580 by Juan de Garay, with the name of the City of the Holy Trinidad and Puerto de Santa María del Buen Ayre. The primitive village grew around this square, until it became the political center of the country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Statue on top of the Diario La Prensa building, the HWhat a beautiful city Buenos Aires is. We had a lovely guide, Lolita, and saw a few sites. Will be going back to Recoletta tomorrow by Uber more than likely, or Remis which is similar to what we call minicabs in the UK.

 

I recognised little from my previous visit 6 years ago when I took a totally different tour.

 

Pics from the minibus and our arrival at Plaza de Mayo, May Plaza.

 

Almost all the most important political events in Argentine history occurred here. Its name is in homage to the Revolution of May 25, 1810, which occurred in this same square and which began the feat of Argentine Independence, from which a form of self-government arose. It is also the place where the City was founded for the second time , on June 11, 1580 by Juan de Garay, with the name of the City of the Holy Trinidad and Puerto de Santa María del Buen Ayre. The primitive village grew around this square, until it became the political center of the coWhat a beautiful city Buenos Aires is. We had a lovely guide, Lolita, and saw a few sites. Will be going back to Recoletta tomorrow by Uber more than likely, or Remis which is similar to what we call minicabs in the UK.

 

I recognised little from my previous visit 6 years ago when I took a totally different tour.

 

Pics from the minibus and our arrival at Plaza de Mayo, May Plaza.

 

Almost all the most important political events in Argentine history occurred here. Its name is in homage to the Revolution of May 25, 1810, which occurred in this same square and which began the feat of Argentine Independence, from which a form of self-government arose. It is also the place where the City was founded for the second time , on June 11, 1580 by Juan de Garay, with the name of the City of the Holy Trinidad and Puerto de Santa María del Buen Ayre. The primitive village grew around this square, until it became the political center of the coWhat a beautiful city Buenos Aires is. We had a lovely guide, Lolita, and saw a few sites. Will be going back to Recoletta tomorrow by Uber more than likely, or Remis which is similar to what we call minicabs in the UK.

 

I recognised little from my previous visit 6 years ago when I took a totally different tour.

 

Pics from the minibus and our arrival at Plaza de Mayo, May Plaza.

 

Almost all the most important political events in Argentine history occurred here. Its name is in homage to the Revolution of May 25, 1810, which occurred in this same square and which began the feat of Argentine Independence, from which a form of self-government arose. It is also the place where the City was founded for the second time , on June 11, 1580 by Juan de Garay, with the name of the City of the Holy Trinidad and Puerto de Santa María del Buen Ayre. The primitive village grew around this square, until it became the political center of the country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Statue of Pallas Athena, made by Maurice Bouval, in the House of Culture in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

City Legislature building

 

 

City Hall

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Juan de Garay arrived from Asunción to found the city of La Trinidad y Puerto de Buenos Aires on June 11, 1580, he set aside for the main church or cathedral the same quarter of a city block that it occupies today. Two brothers from the Jesuit Order, architect one and bricklayer the other, completed this first cathedral, as well as several other religious buildings of this early city.

 

This is the final incarnation of the Metropolitan Cathedral. 

Edited December 14, 2023 by NorbertsNiece

[FLCruiser97]

Love the pics of the hotel. The architecture inside and out looks very old world. I have never been to BA but looks like a city I would love to visit. 

[NorbertsNiece]

HUGE apologies for my posting foul up in previous post. Need to get ready for dinner/tango so no time to edit again. 🤦‍♀️🫣

[Mickb]

What man excellent informative blog! BA seem to have upped their game a bit in Club! Let’s hope HAL lives up to expectations!
Look forward to the rest of the trip.

Bon Voyage!

[NorbertsNiece]

Good morning and thanks for following. Will keep posting in chronological order.

 

Plaza de Mayo contd.

 

 

 

The Casa Rosada, the Pink House, is the headquarters of the Executive Branch of the Argentine Republic. Inside is the office of the president of the Argentine Nation and its different secretariats, and the Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers.

 

Originally built in 1594 on the River Plate as a fortress the building has been rebuilt and renovated over the years. 

 

Under the presidency of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, 1868 -1874, the building was painted pink, a color that it preserves to this day.

 

According to legend this color is due to Sarmiento's desire to symbolically represent the fusion of the parties that carried out the bloody civil wars of the first half of the 19th century. It arises from the combination of lime paint with bovine blood, the latter being used for its water-repellent and fixing properties.

 

 

Pirámide de Mayo

May Pyramid

19 meters high, it was built in 1811 to celebrate the first anniversary of the May Revolution. 

 

From its summit emerges a figure representing Liberty. Around her, starting in 1977, the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo began to gather to demand the appearance of their children kidnapped during the last military coup in 1976. 

 

On the ground, around the Pyramid, are painted the characteristic white scarves that the Mothers wear on their heads.

 

 

 

 

The Equestrian monument to General Manuel Belgrano

 

 

The stones around the statue are in memory of the victims of Covid placed by their loved ones 😢

 

 

The National Bank of Argentina

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Have a great cruise.

[NorbertsNiece]

Pics from the tour bus. We are headed towards Caminito, a street museum and a traditional alley, located in La Boca.

 

Messi and Maradona feature heavily in murals etc. 

 

There are comic strip characters scattered around BA as small 'statues'. More about them here.

 

 

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Edited December 15, 2023 by NorbertsNiece

[NorbertsNiece]

Here is a link to a detailed history of Caminito.

 

We were given some free time at a small shopping arcade. Geoff changed some US $ : 950 pesos per $ at an official cambio.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited December 15, 2023 by NorbertsNiece