Witzlers--3rd try at South American cruise

 December 25, 26, 27--Cruising the Chilean Fjords and Punta Arenas What beautiful country! We'll try to refrain from posting countless fjord photos. We mostly had good weather, except whenever we were to see a glacier--mostly cloudy then. You can see from the ship's navigation the kind of path we will follow. Much calmer in the channel than in the open seas, although we had only a few brief periods of rough water, mostly at night.   Aysen Fjord   Asyen Fjord at sunset (9:30 pm)    Valentin glacier, which Cap saw from a catamaran       Valentin Glacier's calved icebergs       The Amalia glacier and its nearby icefield in Bernardo O'Higgins National Parque   Climate change is clearly evident here in the Chilean fjords. Decades ago we learned the glaciers are the thermostat of the world. Sadly, at these glaciers, and at those we saw in the Beagle Channel (more to come in a later post), recession of the glaciers was well documented...

  December 17-24, 2021—Our stops on the coast of Chile, Part 5--Puerto Chacabuco Once we began traveling in the coastal channel, the scenery got progressively more beautiful. One more stop before we cruise the fjords--Puerto Chacabuco. Cap disembarked to take nature hike in Parque Aiken del Sur  https://www.gochile.cl/en/aiken-del-sur-park/ to a waterfall, and then had a delightful lunch of roasted lamb, accompanied by a dance performance.    Three lambs roasting over a charcoal fire. Lunch As we left Puerto Chacabuco, we began a beautiful journey through the fjords. Leaving Puerto Chacabuco                                          

  December 17-24, 2021—Our stops on the coast of Chile, Part 3--Puerto Montt Puerto Montt. This area was settled first in 1853 by German immigrants sponsored by the German government, and the area still has a distinctively German feel, particularly out in the country, the result of waves of German immigrants that followed. While the town itself has a practical, tidy, workaday feel, it is a gateway to the beautiful lake district, highlighted by Lake Llanquihue, the second largest lake in Chile (332 sq. miles). We are now in Southern Chile, having left the high desert behind. The land is lush and green. Our first stop, along the edge of Lake Llanguihue, was Puerto Varas, a charming small town named for the roses that were everywhere. Note the Bavarian-style Inn.     The small town of New Braunau outside of Puerto Vargas is home to the Museo Antonio Felner   (see https://www.museoaleman.cl (hope you can use the translate function on your browser). ...

December 17-24, 2021—Our stops on the coast of Chile, Part 2--San Antonio/Valpariso/Vina Del Mar San Antonio (port for Santiago) was the next stop (December 19-20)—and the end of one cruise and start of another. We disembarked some crew and passengers, took on others, and provisioned the ship (see earlier post). We were in a very industrial port—no walking off the ship and two transfers to get to excursions plus two checkpoints. Nearby is the city of Valpariso, which was an upgrade from San Antonio, although with a crowded, rather unremarkable downtown filled with graffiti. We then drove through Vina del Mar, a much more elegant community of apartments, homes, and shops. Following that overview, we headed up into the hills to Vinamar winery.    Treacherous perches on the hills overlook San Antonio, Chile. Other hillsides were covered with the shacks of squatters, although not to the extend of the favelas in Brazil. Valpariso's streets were busy with shoppers...

  December 17-24, 2021—Our stops on the coast of Chile, Part 1--Overview and Coquimbo   We can’t believe how fast the time is going. Not only are there countless activities and events we want to attend each day at sea, but we’ve now completed seven (we think) different online forms required by the countries we are visiting (which, actually, is only three on this second leg of the trip—Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay). The problem is we’re going back and forth in and out of Argentina, and they have the most burdensome entrance/egress requirements. Chile was onerous, too, about vaccinations, but much of that was done before we sailed or on the first leg. And we still have United to do closer to disembarking. Would have been very tough without a computer along--lots of people trying to do this on their phones. In recent stops, it seems Oceania has cleared us through the affadavits we have created, thus saving time disembarking.    We have some general ...

 December 1-26, 2021, Part 3--Wine and such Oceania has a tagline-- The Finest Cuisine at Sea . I’m certain those who have sailed Silversea or Crystal (if they’re back sailing) might debate that statement, but Suzy or I can’t. Please note Suzy’s recent foodie blog entry. What I’d like to do is add a bit more detail about the food & wine experience.   Oceania’s 1,200 guest O-Class (Marina & Riviera) ships have four fine dining restaurants (Jacques <think Pepin>, Toscana, Polo and Red Ginger) where reservations are required. Our current San Antonio, Chile to Buenos Aires leg has only 410 guests so reservations have not been a problem. One of the nice things about any of these restaurants is there is never a surcharge.   There are, however, three special menus served only at La Reserve. Seating is very limited and they do have additional charges as these meals are prepared by Senior Executive Chef Laurent Trias and his staff and each cour...