To the ends of the earth . . . . . . . . . . .

Buenos Aires, Argentina: 

March 6-8, 2018

First stop when heading south to reach the embarkation point 

for most ships sailing to the end of the world.

After joining our friends form California, Paula, Kim, and Rob at the Dallas

airport, we met up with the majority of our soon to be 105 'new best friends/shipmates' 

here in the vibrant Argentinian capital - home of TANGO - and a city I

 visited back in 2013 HERE on the way to Antarctica.  

Paula and I were thrilled to see two familiar British couples among the crowd, we all

 met on another Noble Caledonia ship 5 years ago when we went to Japan and

 Kamchatka, Russia. 

In Buenos Aires nothing seemed to have changed. . . . . . a huge bustling city

 of contrasts, from screaming colors and tango music of barrio San Telmo, to

 the quiet neutrals in the Recoleta Cemetery.

~ Floralis Generica ~

Designed and paid for by Argentine architect Eduardo Catalano, the Floralis Generica, 

a giant silver flower, has been a striking city landmark since it opened in 2002. 

The enormous metal flower blooms anew each day in a pool of water next to the

 National Museum of Fine Arts, revealing four long stamens inside.

No one goes to Recoleta cemetery without a visit to Evita’s grave. By Recoleta

 standards, however, it is quite nondescript. Three years after former First Lady Perón

 died of cancer in 1952, her body was removed by the Argentine military in the wake

 of a coup that deposed her husband, President Juan Perón. 

The body then went on a transatlantic odyssey for nearly twenty years before

 finally being returned to the Duarte family mausoleum in Recoleta Cemetery.

 She now lies in a crypt five meters underground, heavily fortified to ensure that

 no one can disturb the remains of Argentina’s most beloved and

 controversial First Lady.

I have hundreds of pix from sunny, hot Buenos Aires but no way to share

 them all - so here's Bob checking the time and telling me it's time to get back on

 the bus, so that's it for now!

Next time I'll show you our quick stop in Ushuaia where the Hebridean Sky was 

awaiting to welcome us and sail away to the actual bottom of the world!

We arrived home on Friday after the 8 hour flight from Santiago, Chile

to Miami, then another 2 hours to Raleigh. Greeted by sunshine but very 

chilly temperatures - apparently March was quite fierce whilst we were gone - 

I was glad for my own bed. . . . . .and silly things such as my coffee mug, pillow,

and our tweeting pair of Carolina wrens on the front porch.

Early in the trip (and I'm still suffering) I did come down with the dreaded 'bug' 

which seems ever-present these days when flying and spending time in close

 quarters on ships etc.  No matter how hard one tries with hand sanitizer, germs

 are spread, and I still have to say those European colds/chest infections always

 hit me hard when I travel, seeming to be much more intense than our run 

of the mill American upper respiratory bugs!

Anyway, we did have a wonderful time on this latest expedition trip - and 

gradually I'll share all the amazing days at sea as we cruised the Chilean

fjords, met lovely people, saw places few have the privilege of visiting - for

 lack of that always fabulous rubber Zodiac boat - and were just thrilled by water, 

mountains, glaciers, wildlife, rainbows and stars.

Recalling the days. . . . . . . . .

Remember those days - those precious days

when backs were hardly thought about.

Youth had no time for aches and pains.

Getting out of bed to start the day was easy.

Doing anything was easy, and pain free.

Did you run, skip, do handstands, and back bends?

Were you a gymnast, a skier, a cheerleader, a dancer?

Did you dance the romantic tango?

There are about 16 treatment rooms at my physiotherapist practice.

I've been stretched to my limits in most of them, then relaxed with a 

heating pad and ocean sounds. I always choose the ocean which is 

so peaceful, and sometimes, I admit, I have a little 15 minute snooze 

at the end of my session.

This vibrant print was hanging in Monday's treatment room. . . . 

I love it and wish my back could do those sensuous tango bends.

Meanwhile, there is good news, the hip and leg pain caused by my

arthritic spine problem is so much better after two months of PT. . . 

and an injection. I am so thankful to those who have helped me.

Chronic pain is so debilitating and depressing.

I will go on my trip next week and hopefully be able to do 

everything - but I will be careful too.