NorbertsNiece

Heading back to the ship. I went to visit the memorial to the Welsh settlers then walked back to the ship along the pier.

So many pics and videos One video here Another here And a longer one here Worth the wait!

Searching. Looking. Seeing. Cormorants Baby!

Approaching the Punta Loma Nature Reserve, with added ship wreck. Very popular with scuba divers apparently. Naufragio Pesquero Folías, fishing vessel Folías The Folías is a wreck that was 233 ft ( 71 m ) in length, today it is heeled over 400 m from Playa Parana 5.6 mi ( 9 km ) from Puerto Madryn. It can be seen from the coast because it is half-sunken. At low tide, the clayey soil where it rests is 7 meters deep and at high tide, the bottom moves 11 m away from the surface.

Our journey out Monumento al Indio Tehuelche. The native Patagonians are honoured with this statue for their assistance to the early Welsh settlers to the region.

Had a fabulous excursion this morning. The weather was better than kind, really hot. We saw cormorants, sea lions, dolphins and magellanic penguins! Tamara and Carla our guides The Oosterschelde is a three-masted schooner from the Netherlands, built in 1918. She is the largest restored Dutch freightship and the only remaining Dutch three-masted topsail schooner. Her home port is Rotterdam. More about her here : https://www.dutchtallship.com/

Very sweet

Dear Holland America, Your GF bread is not good. Yours sincerely, Me

Day 6 Puerto Madryn Good morning and thanks for following Our excursion today : A nautical adventure Hop into a semi-rigid boat at the Piedrabuena pier and set out across the water -- a terrific way to discover the marine life of the Puerto Madryn area. You'll head to Punta Loma, set aside in 1967 as the region's first Protected Area. It boasts the distinction of being populated by sea lions all year round and is a breeding ground for seabirds, including gulls, cormorants and shearwaters. Enjoy a panoramic view of the city from here and watch the antics of the sea lions who alternate between sunning themselves on the rocky shoreline and slithering into the sea in search of sustenance. Next, you will search for the Fitz Roy dolphins that inhabit the seas around Punta Loma. Seeing them is a huge highlight, and the dolphins often come up to the boat so you can fall in love with them at close range. Their behaviors frequently include impressive acrobatic jumps -- they are one of the most beautiful and unforgettable natural spectacles of Golfo Nuevo. Fitz Roy dolphins are found in coastal waters of Chile, Argentina, Peru, Namibia, South Africa and New Zealand, where they are known as the dusky dolphin. Notes: Wildlife sightings are likely but are not guaranteed. It is essential that you wear warm, layered clothing to fully enjoy and participate in this excursion; outer layer should be waterproof and windproof. Bring gloves, a warm hat and a scarf.

A last walk round

Back at the pier they have only just replaced the gangway with a mobile stepped ramp affair. The seal is still there! GF biscuits are now available in the Crow’s Nest! Dinner. We think they're looking at a seal ..... we passed it on our way back to the ship Monumento a los Colonos Galeses from the ship. Monument to the Welsh settlers.... we hadn't walked that far along the front!

I have no idea why one of the pics duplicated in my previous post and I wasn't able to delete the duplicate. We have an early start tomorrow so will continue our Wednesday on Thursday 😉 How pretty is this though!

Hi 👋 T'ai chi is complimentary. Lead by the sports manager it's a half hour of calm. Sadly not easy to hear him but he repeats the movements both verbally and physically. A popular class. Definitely worth getting up for! Don't ask me for tips on packing!! I have at least 2 x the following: short sleeve tees, long sleeve tees, jeggings, long cargo pants, cropped cargo pants, thin dungarees, thicker dungarees, sweaters, a pair of thermal underwear for the Antarctic. Walking shoes, skechers, 2 x Tom's, Birkenstocks. Socks. Erm........ a fleece. Warm hooded jacket. A waterproof poncho. Woolly hat. A Tilley. A sun hat. A scarf. Dressy trousers and jacket. A few pretty tops. Lingerie 😉

Puerto Madryn was pretty much closed this afternoon. We hopped on a shuttle to the end of the pier and had a little walkabout. There were some artisan booths by the beach there. Most of the shops were shut. Found a small mall that was open but most outlets were closed. The Spanish Mutual Aid Association of Puerto Madryn In Commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the First Around the World expedition of Ferdinand Magellan and Sebastián Elcano. 1520-2020 Monument to the Worker Bust of Admiral Hipolito Bouchard, and of the founders of this city Monumento a La Mujer, monument to women Maybe a penguin..... A tribute to the pioneers of the National Capital of Diving and Underwater Activities Manuel Belgrano, creator of the Argentine flag in 1812 You recognise a genuine NorbertsNiece blog when there's a random pigeon Zzzzzzzzzz

Had a wonderful CC Meet and Mingle this morning organised by a roll call member; she did an amazing job. Much fun at the gift exchange. We're currently tying up in Puerto Madryn. Right below our Verandah is a seal. I video-ed it for over 4 minutes as we neared it's resting place in the hope of catching it slip into the water but it stayed there until I couldn't see it anymore!

We have slowed right down..... we are in a whale nursery/sanctuary....

Day 5 arrive at Puerto Madryn this pm Good morning and thanks for following . Argentina from the starboard side

We arrive in Puerto Madryn tomorrow afternoon. We will probably take a walk around ashore. The day after tomorrow we have a very early excursion start. While Puerto Madryn has roots from the British Isles, the scenery is unmistakably Patagonian, with sweeping vistas and colonies of sea lions and penguins. Somewhat unexpectedly, this Argentinean resort is named after a Welsh baron, one of a number who left their home country during the Industrial Revolution, due to the economic impact it had on rural communities. Somewhat ironically, it was the boom of large-scale manufacturing here, particularly the aluminum factory, that has seen Puerto Madryn flourish, and its current population of around 70,000 is more than ten times the number of residents in the 1970s. Today the legacy of the Welsh settlers who arrived in the 1860s is more or less limited to street names in Puerto Madryn itself.

Yes. We were asked if we wanted it and we declined.

Dinner . .

We dressed up for dressy night. Not many have!

This is the 2nd outdoor pool and bar. The main pool can be, and currently is, covered. We don't get turn down at night..... Nurdin, our room steward left us a towel animal and chocolates this morning ❤️ Herbal tea selection available on board

Dinner I enlightened our table mates, one a judge no less, on an Eton Mess and how to make one!

Lunch (sushi ❤️) and then a wet, windswept stroll out on Deck 10.

Final stop and drive back to the ship. The market turned out to be a pleasant covered modern affair with a food court. Bought a T shirt to gift Telecoms building The now derelict main railway station . Port Authority building