High lights of Week 3
We have pretty much settled into this cruising life style by our third week. Cappuccinos in the morning, on the balcony if it is warm enough. There is always something going on during the day, Spanish lessons which we dearly needed, briefings on the next port of call, walks around the deck so we don’t feel guilty about the wine we are drinking at the wine tastings and the quick visits to the ports just about every other day.
And we have met some wonderful people during our adventures. Most of our favorites are Aussies and the two Tazi’s, Carol and “Electric Bill”. The Vines Wine and Tapas Bar is the basis for most of these relationships. Vines has become the unofficial meeting place in the evenings, before and after dinner, or for dinner. It is located in the main Piazza so there is always some type of entertainment.
Our first port this week was Coquimbo in Chile’s Norte Chico. We have finally made it to Chile and will be spending a vast majority of the cruise exploring the whole Chilean coast. La Serena is a charming colonial city with some great architecture, local artisan fair at La Recova Market and the required central plaza. The region is also the home of that wonderful grape they use in Pisco!
I love it when our port days are on the weekend! All of the locals are out cruising the streets along with the 2,600 cruise ship passengers. Quite a sight to say the least.
I love all of the parks and plazas. Their respect for their trees and public areas is something we could learn from.
After all of that walking, it was time for some lunch. A local café, up the stairs and around to the back of the building on a terrace overlooking another street. Glad we found it. The Conger Soup was tasty. And we found our way back out too! Wahoo!!
It was a gorgeous day to explore La Serena. Chile could be a favorite!
Next stop ….. Valparaiso!
We are actually overnighting in Valparaiso. We arrived around noon and right smack dab in the center of their industrial port. This is not the Port of Miami kids. The containers are stacked so high that you need a GPS to get to the gate. One of the main drawbacks of large ships it getting that many people off loaded and out with buses, tenders or whatever. Lots of lines and wasted time which is really precious on short layovers.
Our first stop once we were off the ship in Valparaiso was the funicular that travels up the hill to get us into the old town.
Found a great restaurant for lunch. Food has been awesome in Chile.
Loved the colorful houses up in the hills.
I think that Chile is an area that I would like to come back to and explore in depth.
Puerto Montt was our last port of call this week. It is located in the Lake District of Chile and home to our new friend Fritzy. There were a couple of towns located nearby that we wanted to see so we succumbed and joined a cruise tour on a bus! Before we left we wandered around town and checked out a few of the little artist nooks.
After cruising around Puerto Montt, we were off to Puerto Varas, or the Rose City. It’s a beautiful town on the edge of Lake Llanquihue.
To see more photos of our ports of call just click on the red port and visit “Dreamchaser Travels” on Shutterfly.
Till next time,
We have pretty much settled into this cruising life style by our third week. Cappuccinos in the morning, on the balcony if it is warm enough. There is always something going on during the day, Spanish lessons which we dearly needed, briefings on the next port of call, walks around the deck so we don’t feel guilty about the wine we are drinking at the wine tastings and the quick visits to the ports just about every other day.
And we have met some wonderful people during our adventures. Most of our favorites are Aussies and the two Tazi’s, Carol and “Electric Bill”. The Vines Wine and Tapas Bar is the basis for most of these relationships. Vines has become the unofficial meeting place in the evenings, before and after dinner, or for dinner. It is located in the main Piazza so there is always some type of entertainment.
Our first port this week was Coquimbo in Chile’s Norte Chico. We have finally made it to Chile and will be spending a vast majority of the cruise exploring the whole Chilean coast. La Serena is a charming colonial city with some great architecture, local artisan fair at La Recova Market and the required central plaza. The region is also the home of that wonderful grape they use in Pisco!
I love it when our port days are on the weekend! All of the locals are out cruising the streets along with the 2,600 cruise ship passengers. Quite a sight to say the least.
I love all of the parks and plazas. Their respect for their trees and public areas is something we could learn from.
After all of that walking, it was time for some lunch. A local café, up the stairs and around to the back of the building on a terrace overlooking another street. Glad we found it. The Conger Soup was tasty. And we found our way back out too! Wahoo!!
It was a gorgeous day to explore La Serena. Chile could be a favorite!
Next stop ….. Valparaiso!
We are actually overnighting in Valparaiso. We arrived around noon and right smack dab in the center of their industrial port. This is not the Port of Miami kids. The containers are stacked so high that you need a GPS to get to the gate. One of the main drawbacks of large ships it getting that many people off loaded and out with buses, tenders or whatever. Lots of lines and wasted time which is really precious on short layovers.
Our first stop once we were off the ship in Valparaiso was the funicular that travels up the hill to get us into the old town.
I think that Chile is an area that I would like to come back to and explore in depth.
Puerto Montt was our last port of call this week. It is located in the Lake District of Chile and home to our new friend Fritzy. There were a couple of towns located nearby that we wanted to see so we succumbed and joined a cruise tour on a bus! Before we left we wandered around town and checked out a few of the little artist nooks.
The electric lines in town were a hoot! Kind of like spaghetti!
Final stop on our uber quick tour is Frutillar, a hamlet of Germanic descent, with a pretty neat little museum also on Lake Llanquihue. It was a replica of an old German village complete with mills and all.
We had a great day exploring this picturesque area. Think Fritzy made a good choice when he settled here. We will return to Puerto Montt and the Lake District some day.
To see more photos of our ports of call just click on the red port and visit “Dreamchaser Travels” on Shutterfly.
Callao to Puerto Montt – 3,067 Nautical Miles
Till next time,
Don’t forget to relax and get some sand between your toes!!
Santé,
No comments:
Post a Comment
Hope you have enjoyed the visit! Come back soon..