December 2023 - Buenos Aires, Antarctica, Melbourne and Rye

Buenos Aires (pronounced Irez; not Aries) was amazing – crazy weather whilst we were there. We both also suffered from jet lag for a few days so our sightseeing was sometimes a bit foggy but we enjoyed Buenos Aires for the cosmopolitan city that it is. 

BA is a contrast of neighbourhoods, architecture, colour and weather! In a few days, we had both    searing sun and drenching rain. We saw suburbs of grey and suburbs of vibrant colour, Parisian-style chateaux and brightly-painted timber buildings, grand buildings and boulevards and narrow, cobblestone alleys. We lucked in with Jacaranda in full blossom so there was a beautiful sprinkling of purple everywhere. 

We learnt that Argentina had been a very rich country but is now in real danger of “going broke.” Inflation is crippling and the new President has some big challenges to face. 

We stayed in a wonderful hotel which opened in 1922 – the Alvear Palace. The central lobby was inspired by the great Ocean Liners of the time and every morning we were treated to a buffet breakfast in a grand, olde world dining room complete with waiters in red jackets. Even the housemaids wore black dresses with white frilly aprons. A real taste of yesteryear!

We journeyed around the city on the Hop On, Hop Off bus to get our bearings. From the upper deck, we saw many diverse neighbourhoods and lots of green space. We saw the football stadium in La Boca (in the middle of suburbia!), lunched in beautiful Palermo full of boutiques and eateries and visited the Cathedral where Pope Francis (the first South American Pope) was previously the Archbishop. A favourite spot for us was the Mercado San Telmo where we ate beautiful steak barbecued in front of us.

We visited Evita’s family Mausoleum and a bookshop in an old theatre. We took ultra cheap Ubers and we walked our feet off (dodging the rain on a couple of days!). We admired the beautiful silver flower sculpture – the gift of an architect – which had stood in Buenos Aires for about 20 years. Shortly after we arrived home, it was damaged by freak winds.

A highlight was dinner (steak again!) and a tango show.

We enjoyed the “Paris of South America” but the focus of our visit to Argentina was an Antarctic cruise so, on Sunday 3 December, the hotel wake up call rang at 4am and our experience of a lifetime began.

First, was a charter flight to Ushuaia organised by Scenic. Coaches picked us up after the 3 hour flight and we did a little tour of Ushuaia and then had an hour or so free time. It was about 8 degrees (contrasted with 28 in Buenos Aires!) Most of the shops were closed as it was a Sunday so our impressions of Ushuaia were not wonderful. To be fair, we were also keen to board the ship. At 2pm, the coaches dropped us off at our home for the next 10 days or so – the amazing Scenic Eclipse.

For now, I won’t wax on too much about the ship nor Antarctica – I am hoping to have some travel articles published and I will link them back here. I can’t stay completely silent, though, about such a wonderful ship and such an unforgettable trip!

Let’s start with the ship itself – the Scenic Eclipse is the fanciest ship we have been on (it was our tenth cruise so we have experienced a few ships!) Apparently, the tech on the ship is really cool and it enables a smoother ride and the ability to dock close to the ice. Happy with all of that but also happily ignorant. What excited me was the “look” of the ship – gorgeous on the exterior and all “moody” on the interior. Our cabin (the cheapest on the ship) was roomy, the bathroom was good-sized, the shower was full-sized and fabulous (best water pressure from a choice of a rainfall head or a hand-held shower), the bed was adjustable and very comfortable, the mini bar was complimentary and re-stocked daily…do I need to go on??!! 

The public areas are also moody and beautiful…and large. The Scenic Eclipse accommodates about 200 (and 200 crew!) but our voyage was only 130 odd passengers so there was oodles of space in the public areas – lounges, bars, viewing decks and restaurants.

The food was incredible and there was no extra payment for the fancy restaurants. We ate and drank like a King and Queen!

Yoga and Pilates was also included and we did a few classes to balance out the food indulgences! There was also a gym but we gave that a miss and used the stairs and the excursions for our exercise!

The Scenic Eclipse exceeded all our expectations!! So much so that we have rebooked – this time, a Kimberley trip in mid 2025!

And then there was Antarctica! 

Wow! Wow! Wow!

Andrew and I had long spoken of going to Antarctica one day. He was really keen and super interested in the Exploration history. I was interested because he was and because I thought it was an adventure but I wasn’t bursting to go.

When we did the river cruise earlier in the year we talked about going to Antarctica for our 60th birthdays in a few years. Anyway, my phone must have overheard our discussions as I received an email advertising holiday specials – Antarctica on the Scenic Eclipse was one of them. I had heard of the Scenic Eclipse so I enquired and, a few week later, we were booked and fully paid!

With less than 4 months between booking and the trip, I read a couple of books about Antarctica and we bought what we thought was the bare minimum of “ski gear.” 

Once the Drake Passage was crossed, the Antarctic scenery was revealed and, for a week or so, we had incredible vista after incredible vista. Photos don’t do justice to the grandeur nor to the magnitude of the ice and snow. We were lucky to have blue skies for a couple of days and snow falling on the other days. The cobalt blue against the white of the ice and snow was breathtaking but, for a Melburnian not used to snow falling, the snowy conditions were beautiful and magical. 

We took a helicopter ride one day (over Charlotte Bay) and were rewarded by amazing views. Taking off and landing on the deck was a thrill in itself!

Andrew also had a ride 64 metres down in a submersible. That experience was not for me (!!) but he was amazed by the technology that allowed the experience.

We saw penguins (so.many.penguins), whales (what a thrill to see humpbacks one evening and 20 odd Orcas another), birds, a few seals, glaciers and a lot of icebergs of all shapes and sizes. We also realised that ice can be blue!!

We did Zodiac cruises, we hiked and we kayaked. Yes, it was cold but we were dressed for it and it was exhilarating to be in the midst of such a pristine and jaw-droppingly beautiful place. We felt so privileged to be there. We took every opportunity to disembark the ship and explore and, when the excursion was finished, we returned to our beautiful cabin on our beautiful ship. Lucky doesn’t come close to how we felt (and feel when we think of the trip).

We loved every minute. So much so that we are keen to go back to Antarctica in a few years. We’ll pick a different route and possibly a different time of year (apparently February is fun as the penguin chicks are brand new).

I went to Antarctica both excited and nervous. In retrospect, I should have been more excited and less nervous. Everything we did and saw was bigger, better and more beautiful than we could have imagined. I didn’t feel nervous about being on a ship literally in the middle of nowhere – I loved the ship and I was more than happy to spend time on it. There was a real feeling of privilege being on the ship with not another ship to be seen; to be in a place where so few people have been.

We have so many amazing photos, it is going to be hard just to pick a few to frame. Attached are some of my favourites.

Home a week before Christmas, we had a week to soak up the Christmas season. My Dad was hospitalised towards the end of our cruise but is home again and, happily, he was able to join in Christmas celebrations.

For the first time in as many years as I can remember, I did not host a meal for Christmas so it was a relaxed week and a lovely Christmas day full of family, food and fun.

26 December is our traditional day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to watch the Test. For the 15 years or so we have been Melbourne Cricket Club Members, Andrew, me and our sons have gone each Boxing Day. The girls have never been interested so we only used to go on Boxing Day but, now, we go for a few days. I went the 26th and the 28th (Andrew’s birthday). Andrew and our sons went the 27th too whilst I braved the crowds at Chadstone Shopping Centre with our girls. We also saw the movie “Wonka” which was very clever, magical and heart-warming. 

I’m writing this from my happy place in Rye. We only have a few days here before we head to New Zealand (a long story which I’ll explain next month!)

In Published Writing news, I was thrilled to be showcased in the Australian Writers’ Centre monthly Furious Fiction competition. I had entered 13 times in a row and never been showcased nor even longlisted so to see my story showcased was very exciting - https://www.writerscentre.com.au/blog/furious-fiction-december-2023-story-showcase/?utm_medium=EDM&utm_source=button&utm_campaign=FF (My story is called Arrivals Hall).