Tag: travel

Panama – Playa Bonita Adventures

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April 23-27, 2025

Once we landed back in Panama City, we were transported to our resort by San Blas Sailing’s shuttle. We arrived early, and unfortunately the hotel wasn’t prepared for us. Our group has had experiences with all-inclusive resorts, and it felt like it’s a relatively new concept in Panama. The check-in process was slow, and they gave each couple conflicting messages about when our rooms would be ready. (We were told 1 hour, others heard 2 hours, and the last couple heard to come back at 1PM). Regardless, most resorts would typically give you the wrist band so you could start enjoying the resort, but this one said we couldn’t get them until 3PM.

We decided to make our way back into town for lunch – Mark and I had found a restaurant with fun drinks and a “crunchwrap,” so naturally we ended up there. Getting around Panama was really easy, Ubers were very affordable!

After lunch, we were all excited to get settled into our rooms and freshen up again. (The catamaran was amazing – but the showers were more like what you imagine in a camper). So we made our way back to the resort.

This time, two of our rooms were ready and we were able to get changed up for the pool. One of the downsides of traveling during shoulder season is that sometimes you run into maintenance that needs to be completed during a less busy time. Basically, one of the main pools was being drained and it meant everyone was forced into the same area of the pools. But it ended up being fine – and it was nice to be at the pool.

The resort also had a rotation on their restaurants, so the first night we ate at their Asian restaurant. The food was all really good and we enjoyed it before heading to karaoke. The rest of the group loves karaoke and they are really good at it. It was also fun to watch other groups sing – there was a good mix of performers in Spanish and English.

The next day we went to the historic district again and our driver gave us an excellent recommendation for Panamanian cuisine – El Nacional – it was SO good. I think it was my favorite meal of the trip!

We did a little shopping after lunch before heading to the Panama Canal. We got lucky because we didn’t research the timing of things ahead of our visit, because there could have been a chance that no ships were coming through the lock systems.

The Panama Canal is a man-made waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It saves ships a huge amount of time, roughly about 8,000 miles by letting them avoid sailing all the way around South America. (Hello Drake Passage!) Instead of taking weeks, the trip through the canal takes about 8 to 10 hours. Ships pass through a system of locks that raise and lower them to move across the canal (and passing through Gatun Lake). It’s one of the most important shortcuts in the world!

We were able to watch a few ships and a sailboat pass through the lock at Miraflores Visitor Center. They also had a wonderful video on the history of the canal narrated by none other than Morgan Freeman that helped us understand the impact the canal had on Panama.

The next day we were set to go out on an eco-adventure that would take us on a tram ride through a forest, to monkey island on a boat ride through Gatun Lake (part of the Panama Canal), and to a sloth sanctuary. The tram ride was a cool way to get to see the forest and the canopy, we didn’t get to see a lot of wildlife when we were on it – but I’m sure on other days you might have better luck. From our vantage point, we could see ships making their way down the Panama Canal.

The next stop was the high-speed boat ride, which took us through the canal and to monkey islands. We got to see quite a few monkeys that would pop down to the boat to get a snack from our guide. I believe we got to see at least three different species – and they ranged in different sizes. They were really cute and I think it was a worthwhile stop!

From there we made our way to the sloth sanctuary. It was really cool to see the animals up close (but not too close – they were on platforms and we weren’t able to get up and hold them unfortunately) – they are so weird. I just love sloths. There were also poison dart frogs there and a butterfly section as well. Overall, it was cool to see some of the native Panamanian species.

Our tour also stopped for us at a convenience store, because I think all of us wanted to get some local snacks. We tried a bunch of different candies and chips – which is one of my favorite things to do when we are abroad!

We rounded out the night at a speakeasy that Mark had found in his research. This was another highlight of the trip and the drinks were superb. They were based on different tarot cards, and each card had both a drink/glass associated with it. I’d highly recommend Arcano to anyone who is visiting Panama City!

Our final full day in Panama was a more relaxing one – Andy and I started our day off with a massage before getting lunch and spending the rest of the day in the pool. We had such a fabulous time with our friends and floating in the pool. We didn’t want to leave, but had a great vacation there!

Up Next:
– Europe cruise (August/September)

Final days of Antarctica

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January 6/7/8, 2025

We woke up on our final day of the cruise to much smoother waters. We were relieved that we had survived the Drake Shake and that we could relax a bit more on the final day. We spent the morning getting our suitcases organized and watching some of the different crews science talks from our room.

There was one session we wanted to attend in-person, and that was the talk about where we all stopped on the cruise. It was really fun to be able to look back on the different stops and see the names and locations all in one map.

The lecture hall is right by the Science Center, so on our way out we were also able to take a look at all of the animals that had been spotted throughout the trip. It was pretty cool to see what animals and what days they were spotted on. Antarctica – and the surrounding area are just incredible. I’m writing this about a month after we left the ship – and it feels like a fever dream to know that we got to be in these animals’ natural (almost undisturbed) habitat.

I hope that for years to come other explorers get to see the pristine wilderness of Antarctica. We only scratched the surface! I know many people view Antarctica as a once in a lifetime trip, but I sure hope that I can go back again one day. I LOVED it.

The evening of our last day, the officers hosted a toast to all of us and previewed a video that the professional photographer put together with his pictures. It was really beautiful to see – and also, even though we were on the exact ship – see some of the pictures (and videos!) of wildlife that we missed! If you’re interested, it’s actually hosted on YouTube and you can view it here. It is long – but I swear, it’s worth it!

After dinner, our group of new friends made our way up to the lounge one last time. Davon, the professional pianist gave me a proper send off with some of my favorite 90s music. I really hope he has the most wonderful life in front of him, he definitely made our experience more enjoyable throughout the trip!

Sure hope he has been practicing his Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys!

We all toasted our friends good night before heading off to bed before an early wakeup the next day.

We woke up in Ushuaia the next morning and had breakfast with Craig and Kim one last time. They were on an earlier flight and we wanted to have a proper send off with them before they made their way to the bus.

We were the last group to be called to get loaded on the buses, but what we didn’t realize was that we were getting a proper tour of the city before getting dropped at the airport! We had about an hour to walk around and pick up some souvenirs. (Which was great, considering the only place we could even get postcards was from Port Lockroy and the Penguin Post Office!)

Ushuaia really is a charming little town – and I wish we could have had a bit more time there. But we were glad that we got to see a bit of it before heading to the airport.

This was going to be the longest travel day ever. We were set to fly from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires, which was a 3.5 hour flight. Once we landed in BA, we had an 8-hour layover. We had toyed with the idea of getting a hotel, even if to just take a nap and freshen up before our next flight, but the hotels were more expensive than we had thought and would take about an hour roundtrip to get to/from.

We opted to stay in the airport for those 8 hours. We were flying AeroMexico, and their check-in counter didn’t open until closer to 8pm. That meant we had to sit on the other side of security for a few hours. Our new friend Dena was in a similar position, so we looked around at the only restaurants that were outside of security. And we landed on Outback Steakhouse. (This one was for you, Ash!)

Dena parted ways with us and we made our way to Starbucks to sit for a bit longer. We finally had a check in counter, and now we just needed it to be staffed. I don’t think we’ve ever been so relieved to see the gate agents making their way to the counter!

After dropping our bags we made our way through the longest security line and made our way to a lounge to relax before our flight. Our next stop was Mexico City – just a short 9.5 hour flight. 🙈 We aren’t sure how, but we somehow got upgraded to “extra room” seats. It was nice to have the extra space on that long flight!

Shortly into the flight is when I started to have the “sickening” aka when I started to feel like I was getting a chest cold. I started to get full body aches – and I knew this wasn’t going to be good. Something similar had happened to me on the way back from Australia and I wanted to be anywhere but on a plane.

After landing in Mexico City, we cleared customs and tried to find somewhere to hole up for a few hours so we could stretch out. One perk about having travel credit cards is lounge access – can’t stress this enough – it makes a layover that much more enjoyable with free food and comfier chairs, in addition to quieter environments.

Our final flight was from Mexico City to Tijuana – another 3.5 hour flight. We finally made it home on Wednesday, January 8! It was a long journey from the end of the world, but it was an absolutely incredible trip!

Next trip:
– Panama for Andy’s 40th!

The Drake Shake

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January 5, 2025 

After all of the excitement from the previous days, we were ready for a day to relax. However, Drake had other plans for us. I woke up in the middle of the night to rolling waves and a deep shuddering. The shuddering was so intense I thought I was going to vibrate right out of the bed. I don’t normally get sea sick and I had taken Meclizine tablets in preparation the night before, but despite my best efforts I woke up feeling like I was going to be sick.

For about an hour I had bounced back and forth between thinking that I was going to throw up and then reminding myself that I was going to be fine. After that hour, I finally decided to wake Andy up to get one of his motion sickness patches. Once I had that, I started to feel better pretty quickly and was able to fall back asleep. 

The expedition team had some activities planned for us – and a lot of different lectures that we could attend during the day. We watched a few from our room and then went to the buffet for lunch since it was on a lower floor. (We were hoping it would make the motion sickness better). But as we sat near the window, we saw just how big the swells were – we later found out that they were about 25-28 feet. It’s really hard to do these waves justice in pictures/videos, but I assure you they were bad!

We were grateful that we didn’t have the Drake Shake both ways, because it really put a damper on the morale of the ship because so many people were sick.

We made the best of it though, and we attended a Bridge tour. We’ve done a handful of cruises in the past, and this was our first time being able to see what it looked like. The crew were incredible – they actually allowed me to pretend to be the captain and use their binoculars. It was really cool and a lot different than I thought it would be. 

After that, we attended the Officer Q&A, which was pretty fun to hear the different questions and answers. I naturally wanted to understand how the restocking process works since we don’t stop at any ports. Come to find out that they only restock once a month for non-perishable items, and then restock each time they dock in Ushuaia with the perishable items. The hospitality manager said that we had let her down when it came to the amount of beer and wine we had drank during that cruise, and we had more left than she thought we would have. (We all saw this as a challenge, naturally! 😂)

Most people weren’t feeling their best, and so most of the sessions were pretty quiet. The crew let us know to expect similar conditions the next day, which none of us were thrilled to hear.

Up Next:
– Another day on the Drake  

Deception Island & Whaler’s Bay

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January 4, 2025

Our last stop in Antarctica was Deception Island – specifically, Whaler’s Bay. Deception Island is a volcanic island in Antarctica, famous for its hot springs and stunning landscapes. It’s still an active volcanic caldera, having most recently erupted in 1970. It’s considered a “restless” caldera, which means it shows ongoing signs of activity – such as, earthquakes, geo thermal activity (part of the beach was steaming), and gas emissions. The caldera formed 10,000 years ago when the volcano collapsed after a major eruption.

Whaler’s Bay was once a busy whaling station from the 1900s to the 1930s due to its natural protection from wild weather). The bay was home to a major whaling station operated by the British, where whales were processed for oil and other products. The station had large processing facilities, and after the whaling industry failed the station was abandoned. All that stands today are the decaying buildings, rusting equipment, and bone fragments that provide a rather haunting view into the past.

That morning our crew let us know that we would be passing through Neptune’s Bellows, the narrow entrance into Port Foster (Deception Island). It’s a very small gap that is the only way into the crater of Deception Island – many people gathered outside to get pictures and videos. I have to say, it was really cold, so we didn’t last for very long outside due to the wind!

We started our day’s adventure off with a zodiac tour, to our amazement we immediately saw a leopard seal! Our driver told us that it’s very unusual to see leopard seals in that area because they really like being on the ice, so we were excited that it decided to grace us with its presence!

Upon first glance, you could already tell this stop was different from the rest. It was very rough and jagged – with lava rock lining the beaches. As our boat drove around, there were Chinstrap penguins swimming along next to us and jumping out of the waves. It was so cute to see them playing in our wake! The island is home to colonies of over 70,000 Chinstrap penguins, which we could see every direction that we looked. It was also incredible to see the steam rising up from the shore due to the geothermal activity.

After our zodiac tour, we went back to the ship and we had a decision to make. Most expedition ships offer the polar plunge to their explorers – which usually entails being harnessed to the ship and jumping off the side. HX only offered the polar plunge from shore, which most of us were not thrilled about. In my humble opinion, and because you’re here… It’s in the name right? Polar plunge. Not slowly wander into the cold water from the beach.

I was teetering back and forth on if I wanted to do it, because you would have to wear your swimsuit under your winter wear for the landing. (Which also meant hiking in it!) And I just didn’t love the idea of hiking in it, and then having to be taking back by zodiac to the boat. I had a glass of champagne with our new friends, and another… and decided that if I was in a nursing home later in life I would regret not doing it.

So I suited up – and then bundled back up. Our group met at the Expedition Launch and we made our way to the zodiacs that would bring us to shore. We went on a short hike to a scenic viewpoint – on the way we walked past a lot of wildlife: penguins, seals, birds, and saw whale bones scattered among the lava rock.

The whale graveyard in the background

I personally had a one track mind. I didn’t want to chicken out of doing the polar plunge, so as soon as we got to the approved “plunge” area I started stripping. Our goal as a group was to go in at the same time, but I was hot to trot because frankly, I wanted to get it over with!

Unfortunately for us, the team hadn’t put us close to the geothermal water that was warm. We were in a cold area – and since we were strolling in, it felt like my toes might actually fall off. I dunked down to my neck and popped back up and went running back to shore. HX provided towels, so I quickly rubbed down and threw on my robe then my jacket and snow pants over that. (It really was quite the sight!)

Fashionista

We made it back on board and quickly hopped into the hot tub to warm back up. Honestly, I would have preferred that we did it off the ship, but I’m glad that I did it.

That evening we spent in the Observation Lounge encouraging our favorite pianist to play our favorite songs so people could sing along. It was a great last day on Antarctica!

Up Next:
– Drake Passage

Walking in a winter wonderland

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January 2, 2025

On our expedition, we were unsure of how many continental landings we would have throughout it due to the changing ice and weather conditions, the team has to be incredibly agile when planning out itineraries. There are many islands that make up the Antarctica archipelago, but I think all of us on the ship were extremely excited to actually touch “mainland” Antarctica.

Our stop for the day was Neko Harbor. Neko Harbor has a resident glacier in its midst, and our landing site was near that. We had to quickly get off of the zodiacs and climb up the beach in case the glacier “calved” any icebergs that would cause a wave to send tourists running for higher ground. They even had someone from the Expedition Team on glacier duty – watching for any activity to walkie the others in case they needed to pause operations.

That particular day, we were some of the first groups to get outside for our landing. It was a steep climb up to a rocky outcropping that faced the glacier and provided a beautiful view of the surrounding harbor. We grabbed our trekking poles and started to make our way to the top. There was a penguin rookery halfway up, but we kept moving and decided to stop to see it on the way down. That way we would have more time with fewer people at the “top.”

The snow and wind picked up – and it truly felt like we were walking in a winter wonderland. For a few moments, it felt like we were climbing Mount Everest with how windy it got! We had the disadvantage of not having more people ahead of us creating a clear path, so it was pretty slippery and I had some trouble trying to find my footing.

Our friend Dena had beat us up there, but she graciously offered to take some pictures of us (and vice versa of course!). After that, we wanted to make our way down to get out of the windy zone. Part of the way down, we stopped to look at the Gentoo penguins. We could see a bunch of nests, and the parents fiercely defended their chicks from Skuas (predatory seabirds). One of the talks we sat in on explained that it took the parents getting distracted for one second and that would be the end of the chick. Unfortunately, we had a front row seat of watching one of the baby chicks being taken away by a lucky Skua. (Cue the “Circle of Life”)

Look like ants up at the top!

We made our way back to the ship and warmed up for a few hours before venturing out again for our zodiac cruise. We bundled back up and made our way out for our cruise. From the zodiac’s vantage point, all of the people climbing the hill looked like ants. (And it looked as steep as it felt!)

Andy saw a minke whale:

There was a group of 30 people that signed up for camping, they were able to camp on this stop, sounded fun! (But cold!)

We joked this was a ghost ship – sorry Emily!

Up Next:
– Melchior Islands

From Sunshine to Rain: A Day in the Lemaire Channel and Petermann Island

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January 1, 2025

The HX team was incredibly kind to us and made sure that we got to sleep in on New Year’s Day. The first activity that we had was cruising through the Lemaire Channel, which is known as one of Antarctica’s most stunning and iconic waterways. The channel is a popular spot for expedition cruises, because it offers visitors a glimpse into the untouched wilderness of Antarctica. We were able to take in the views from our balcony, which was great to watch (and hear!) the icebergs float on by.

I was just about to comment on how nice it was to have a slow morning after such a late night when an overhead announcement was made that they were moving our landing time up in the day. So we had to quickly get ready, eat lunch, and then bundle up to get outside.

It was pretty cold and rainy – which was a stark contrast from the day before. I was expecting snow and didn’t anticipate how much the rain would really put a damper on the day. However, every day in Antarctica is a good day!

Andy got some of the best wildlife photos on the trip there – including a momma penguin feeding her chick. We saw some whales and seals – it truly was incredible just being there and witnessing the animals in their environment. It’s penguin country!

Earlier this year, Andy and I realized that each of us had a pair of shoes that had almost been to every continent. When we had this discovery, we put them into retirement until this trip so they could still be functional – but have stepped “foot” on each continent. We followed the treaty protocol and made sure that we vacuumed out any foreign debris from the soles, and packed them up in our backpack.

A little rough around the edges, but they’ve seen some things!

We had a little shoe photoshoot, and then touched them down in the snow. We’re going to try to figure out how we can put them on display in our house, but we were so excited to have made it work. Those shoes really have seen the world!

In order to warm back up we took another dip in the hot tub, and the sauna for Andy.

Up Next:
– Our first continental landing!

Exploring the MS Fridjtof Nansen

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December 29, 2024

After departing Ushuaia, we were heading straight for the Drake Passage en route to Antarctica. The Drake Passage is the body of water between the southern tip of South America (Cape Horn) and Antarctica, connecting the South Pacific and South Atlantic Oceans. It’s known for its rough seas and unpredictable weather: strong winds, large waves, and frequent storms, which make it one of the most treacherous routes in the world.

This was the only part of the trip that scared me – I had seen so many videos on social media of giant waves rocking the ship violently, and following other people’s journey and knowing how seasick they felt on the passage.

Thankfully, we both felt fine and had learned from previous cruises what worked for us. Andy had patches that he wears behind his ears and I use Meclizine to combat seasickness. Others on the trip complained about not feeling well, which really sucked for a lot of people. However, we were blessed with relatively calm waters (all things considered).

We spent some time exploring the ship that day – it was still relatively warm. We were one of the only couples out in the hot tubs! It was pretty funny to watch people walk by all bundled up and both of us were in our bathing suits!

This ship also has a wonderful sauna that has a panoramic view to the water, which is definitely a highlight! (Andy loves it – I can’t sit in there for more than 5 minutes at a time).

It also comes equipped with a science center, which is pretty cool. There’s a variety of skeletons and different displays that show the difference in the animals found in Antarctica. They also have quite a few microscopes set up – each day we are in Antarctica they will be sending out science boats that are optional. I’m sure that’s where the microscopes will come in handy!

The HX team kept us busy – we had picked up our jackets the day before and now we needed to get fitted for our expedition boots. Unlike the jacket, these boots would have to be returned at the end of our cruise. However, they are required for all of our landings and zodiac trips during the cruise. We were also assigned our groups – how HX would organize our different activities – so we received our animal patches.

Our group is the Snow Petrel, which is an adorable bird. However, I think we were both hoping for something bigger – like an Orca Whale or Humpback. But we will take what we can get!

We rounded out the evening by spending time listening to the ship’s pianist in the Observation Lounge. After some peer pressure, I was able to get a few Millennial favorites: Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys.

Up Next:
– Another day at sea





Ushuaia or bust!

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December 28, 2024

The HX team descended upon our hotel on the 27th – we checked in with them in the afternoon and got our plans for Saturday, 12/28. The itinerary had said we would have an “early” morning flight to Ushuaia – but what we didn’t expect was that breakfast started at 3:00 AM with a 4:00 AM departure to the airport. I was quickly relieved we hadn’t booked a tango show (most of them started at 10 PM) because we needed to get to bed early.

The morning of the 28th, we ate a small breakfast and then got on the bus to the airport. It was about a 40 minute ride to the airport. HX had organized a charter flight for us – so we went through the domestic terminal. Security was less strict than us Americans are used to – Andy was able to bring a bottle of water through! (I of course guzzled mine, because #rulefollower).

The flight was around 3.5 hours down to Ushuaia – we started to see the other passengers in our group. There were definitely some stand outs – good and bad – on who we wanted to get to know more on the trip. The make up of the group was really interesting – I was shocked to see a few families with young kids. (Setting the bar pretty high for future vacations!)

Ushuaia is located at the southern tip of Argentina and is often called the southernmost city in the world. This city serves as a gateway to Antarctica with many cruises and expeditions departing from its harbor. It is surrounded by stunning landscapes, including Tierra del Fuego National Park. It reminded me and Andy a lot of Alaska – Homer vibes in particular with all of the water and snow capped mountains surrounding it.

After landing, we all gathered our luggage and the porters would take it to the ship for us. We were given the option for either being dropped off in the city center (and taking a taxi back to the ship) or taking a sightseeing tour around the Ushuaia area. We decided it would be fun to do the tour to get more familiarized with the surrounding area.

Our first stop was Mirador del Valle Carbajal, which offers a beautiful viewpoint of the valley and the beautiful mountains in the background. In this area, the final 15 minutes of the movie the Revenant was filmed. They even had to bring in pine trees to make it feel more authentic, since the rest of the film was shot elsewhere. (They were chasing winter to give it the same feel as the rest of the movie). So it’s fun to say that Leonardo DiCaprio was there too!

From there, we moved on to Mirador Paso Garibaldi, which is a scenic viewpoint along Ruta 40 that offers panoramic views of Viedma Lake. You could also spot “hidden” lake in the distance. It’s a popular stop for travelers because it offers stunning photo opportunities. We saw a lot of birds of prey soaring around the area!

Our next stop was a lodge called Park Austral. We had lunch here before stopping in to visit the museum dedicated to the Pan-American Highway that spans from Alaska to Argentina. It was really small, but we did see a group of motorcyclists that had just completed the trek. Seems like a cool idea for a roadtrip if you have the time!

After lunch and the museum, we all embarked on a short hike through a bog. It was so spongey and cool to walk on – it was my first time in one. And we spent enough time out there that the one mosquito found me and I had a welt on my ankle for the first few days of our trip.

As soon as we wrapped up there we made our way back to the city of Ushuaia and to the port. It was finally time to board our ship! We had seen the Fridtjof Nansen in the San Diego bay the same week we had booked our trip! So we knew exactly what we were looking for – and boy, was this ship a beauty!

Our ship was only built in 2020 – so it is pretty new. The check in was really quick – and we were in our room shortly. At the last minute, the company upgraded us to a suite. We both were holding our breath until we actually got there because it felt too good to be true. But sure enough, a suite it was. Truly, truly grateful.

They recommended picking up our expedition jackets right away – they had changed them from the red from previous years to a light blue. Nice quality jackets, but not the parkas that they had advertised. Thankfully we had brought plenty of layers with us.

We were pretty exhausted from the long travel day – so we explored the ship briefly before turning in for the night.

Lodging: HX – Fridjtof Nansen

Up Next:
– Drake Passage (sailing for 2 days)

Merry Christmas from Argentina!

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December 25, 2024 (and 26-27)

We woke up the next morning still tired from the long travel day the day before, but filled with excitement! We were going to make a quick day trip to Uruguay – a new country for us – by high-speed ferry.

I had assumed it would be pretty similar to trains in Europe, where you can show up 20-30 minutes before the train departs and be fine. But before I fell asleep, I had translated our e-tickets and saw a note that we needed to be there two hours before our departure time. Our departure time was at 12:15 – so we needed to get there around 10AM. We realized that it was Christmas in Argentina, and that most businesses were completely shut down.

So we had a beautiful walk in Buenos Aires over to the port to catch our ferry. We quickly realized that the ferry there was more similar to an airport experience. You had to check in – go through security – go through both Argentina’s customs AND Uruguay’s in the same area. Because I’m paranoid, we had plenty of time to get through all of these hoops and hurdles.

Not to mention, I had booked “business” class because it wasn’t that much more than the normal seats. We had no idea what it all included, but we stumbled into the VIP lounge and finally found food and much needed coffee.

Unfortunately for us, our Spanish has become rusty over the years. All of the announcements were in Spanish, so we were relying on the other passengers to understand what was going on. It turns out, our ferry was running over an hour late… and this ferry also could bring cars over. We heard (but can’t confirm this) that there were over 200 hundred cars loaded onto our ferry as well!

What was supposed to be a 2.5-3 hour event in Uruguay – ended up getting more and more delayed. By the time we got to Colonia del Sacramento, we had 20 minutes before we had to check back in with security again. We had planned on having lunch and strolling through the historic district (which is a UNESCO world heritage site), but ended up power walking through the district instead.

The ferry terminal in Colonia del Sacramento was much smaller, and less organized than the one in Buenos Aires. But we made it through the same security/customs we had cleared in BA – and then sat down in a cafeteria area. We had met our first fellow Americans while in line, they were at the end of their trip – we enjoyed sharing different travel stories with one another.

We quickly realized that we were on the same ferry as we traveled over on – and had a good laugh that the crew would see us and wonder what we were doing back so soon. (Only one woman noticed us – and we had shared a knowing smile).

This time the ferry was on time – there were far fewer cars that needed to be loaded on this leg of the trip. If you’re in the area, I’d highly recommend traveling with BuqueBus – it’s allegedly the fastest ferry in the area, but I’m sure other providers are good too.

Once we made it back to BA – we started our search for restaurants that were starting to open up. I had read that most things were closed on Christmas, but if they were going to open it would be around 6 or 7 and only for the dinner service. We found a burger joint – we resisted the temptation of the Hard Rock Cafe and found a local spot instead.

After dinner, we made our way back to the hotel to relax. The next two days would be pretty low-key as Andy was working remotely. I’m going to provide a quick highlight of our time in BA below!

Buenos Aires highlights:
– Puerto Madero: a vibrant and upscale neighborhood, known for its stunning waterfront views and fun dining and entertainment options. It was originally an old port district, it has undergone a dramatic transformation into a trendy hub, featuring luxurious hotels, stylish restaurants, and high-end office buildings.
– Puente de la Mujer (Bridge of the Woman) is another famous landmark, a pedestrian bridge that is shaped like a sailboat.
-Lots of shopping and restaurants near the hotel. We ate dinner at a few – interestingly enough there were a ton of Italian restaurants (of course in addition to all of the Argentinean steakhouses).
– Tango shows: we didn’t have enough time to do one of these, but I did a lot of research and wish we could have made it work!

Hotel:
-Hotel Emperador Buenos Aires

Up Next:
– Flight to Ushuaia
– Board cruise ship

Expedition Antarctica

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December 24, 2024

Antarctica. Our FINAL continent to visit! Did you know that on average only around 75,000 people visit Antarctica each year? This number has been increasing each year – last year even saw 100,000 people! The interesting point to mention is that it’s not a country – it’s only a continent.

There has been a treaty in place since 1959 that means there can be no military activity, each country has to publish their scientific findings publicly, strict rules in place to protect the environment, and no country can claim it as their territory. Pretty cool, right? It’s like the only thing they could agree on!

We had long dreamed about when we would get to Antarctica – and as most of you know already, I always have a running bucket list for our travels. We booked this trip SO many months ago, which made it feel pretty unreal. It was something that we were going to do at some point, but December 2024 seemed so far away!

We had selected Hurtigruten (now known as HX Expeditions) as the company we would travel with to Antarctica. Taking a cruise ship is the most common way individuals get to Antarctica – I think technically you can fly there on your own, but I think it would involve a lot more research and likely wouldn’t be as comfortable or affordable!

All of this to say, HX was taking us to Antarctica from December 28, 2024 -January 7, 2025. We could have booked flights through HX to Buenos Aires, but opted to book them on our own. We hadn’t yet visited Buenos Aires, so we decided to fly in a few days early and take advantage of Andy’s time off from work over Christmas Eve/Christmas.

Our flight left at 1:00 AM on Christmas Eve morning – and had a connection in Mexico City. Everything went by rather smoothly – and we found out that we had gotten an upgrade with AeroMexico. (Really – we had just bid to have a row to ourselves to allow for extra space). Since we had a red eye flight – we slept for part of the flight down to Buenos Aires.

Once we landed, we made our way to our hotel. Our flight arrived a little ahead of schedule, so we were able to check in and get settled into our room by 11:00 PM. This was the same hotel HX would put us up in a few days later, but we decided for convenience we would just stay there ahead of when the rest of the group got into town.

It was around midnight that we started to hear fireworks! We realized quickly that in Buenos Aires – both the city and residents do fireworks at midnight to celebrate Christmas. It was really fun to watch the show from our room, not quite Disneyland, but still fun! It was a fun way to end our long travel day.

Hotel:
Emperador Hotel Buenos Aires

Up Next:
– Ferry to Uruguay

Montserrat & you guessed it – more wine tasting!

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September 7, 2024

Our final full day in Spain began in Montserrat, which was only about an hour drive from our hotel. We had another beautiful sunrise from Sitges, as we started to climb the mountain – we realized rather quickly we were really socked in with the cloud cover.

Montserrat Monastery is located in the Montserrat mountain range near Barcelona, Spain. It is a significant pilgrimage site with a rich history dating back to the 10th century. Originally established as a small chapel, it evolved into a Benedictine monastery and became renowned for housing the Black Madonna, or La Moreneta, a statue believed to date from the 12th century.

The monastery’s construction features Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles. They used local limestone that blends beautifully with the dramatic mountain landscape. Over the centuries, it has undergone several renovations and expansions, which has only made it that much more impressive.

I had received an email a day or two before from Montserrat explaining that there was a special church service that day. Candidly, it wasn’t really clear (likely lost in translation!) what we were supposed to do instead. Andy and Yvonne dropped myself and Jon off while they went to find parking – and I went to ask what the email meant.

Unfortunately, we either had to get in and view the basilica before 9:30 AM or wait until after 12 PM when it reopened. We decided it would be better to try to see as much as possible inside so we didn’t delay our other plans that day.

Once inside the basilica, it was incredible to see how ornate everything was. When I had booked the tickets, we weren’t able to secure a time for the Black Madonna, which is why a lot of people make their way to Montserrat. It was fun to pop around into the different chapels and other areas outside of the basilica.

The cloud cover really made the whole place feel really moody – and I wish we could have seen it with clear skies. However, it was a really cool view with the clouds. Sort of spooky!

We were deciding if we wanted to go into the museum that opened at 10, or if we wanted to do the aerial tram or funicular to explore further. We ran into some accessibility issues, and I was also concerned how much more we could see because of the cloud cover. We ended up making our way down the mountain to begin our wine tasting.

One of the other wineries had recommended a winery to Jon, but unfortunately, Google maps took us to a more residential looking place. A bit disappointed, we made our way over to a winery that Jon and Yvonne had visited on their last trip to Spain, Frexienet.

The visit started with a short video on the history, and then we were able to dive into the tasting. The tasting came with four different cavas, and they were each paired with a different food. Our server was pretty young, and he was going to be heading to Washington soon for school. He was super knowledgable and really gave us a great experience.

The bottle shaped car!

From there, we made our way to Codorníu, another cava house. We had a tour booked at this one – which we were pretty excited about.

Codorníu is one of Spain’s oldest and most prestigious wineries, it was founded in 1551 by the Codorníu family. In the late 19th century, Joseph Codorníu recognized the potential for sparkling wine and adopted the traditional méthode champenoise, establishing Codorníu as a leader in this genre.

The winery is renowned for its stunning modernist building, designed by architect Puig i Cadafalch in 1895, which showcases Catalan modernist architecture. This historical site features beautiful arches and an impressive setting, reflecting the winery’s rich heritage. Over the centuries, Codorníu has continued to stay relevant, which means it is still competitive in the market today!

Codorníu primarily utilizes indigenous grape varieties like Macabeo, Xarel·lo, and Parellada, alongside varieties you might recognize, such as Chardonnay.

No surprises here, we ended up shipping a case home from our Cava tours to enjoy in the future!

After our last tasting, we ended up eating something light at the hotel since we had an early morning flight back home!

Up Next:
– Highlights of Spain/Portugal
– Closing thoughts and next adventures