February 1, 2019

Ushuaia, Argentina

Ushuaia is known as “Fin del Mundo” or the end of the world (it is the southernmost city in the world) so the tour I took today was “The Train to the End of the World”.  We first went to the Tierra del Fuego National Park.  We had 40 minutes to walk around and some people purchased postcards, stamps, etc. at the small post office right on the water.

We then went to catch the train.  Starting in the late 1800s, Ushuaia was used as a penal colony.  The prisoners were forced to get building materials and transport them to the town.  In the early 1900s the track was laid for the railroad.  The prison was closed in 1947 and the railroad was closed down in 1952.  It eventually was rebuilt and opened as a tourist attraction in 1994.

When the tour was over I walked around town for a couple of hours before returning to the ship.

A very late lunch in the Lido was followed by afternoon trivia.  We only had 10 out of 20 and the winners had 14.

1) In what city does Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet take place?

2) How many track events are in a decathalon?

3) Is field hockey an Olympic sport?

4) Name the two cats in Alice in Wonderland.

5) Name the person who has hosted the Oscars most often and who comes in second?

Ate with my other table and received a nice surprise.  We are all invited to have cocktails with the captain in his quarters and then dinner in the dining room tomorrow!

We only missed one in evening trivia but there were four teams with perfect scores.

1) What is color of the bullseye on a target?

2) What are young beavers called?

3) In 1994, what country got a new 74-year old president and a new flag?

4) What musical surpassed Gone With the Wind in gross revenue in 1965?

5) What is the most visited city in Brazil that is in the southern hemisphere?

Pat, Tom, and I sat and talked in the Crow’s Nest until it was time for Name That Tune.  We were one behind the winning team.

Instead of going to the show, I watched Mamma Mia:  Here We Go Again.  Luckily, I was also working on the blog so the time was not totally wasted!

We now have seven wonderful sea days ahead!

From my deck

Also in port was Le Lyrial (a Ponant ship)...

...Viking Sun on her world voyage...

...and Quark Expeditions' Ocean Adventurer

From the excursion

the Pipo River named after a convict who escaped but was found frozen to death a few days later

horses were the only animals I saw

a nine whole golf course

the post office at the end of the world

the post office

I needed the hat, scarf, and gloves as it was windy and quite chilly

this moss only grows in areas that have very clean air

on the train

known as the "tree cemetery" these are the stumps of some of the trees removed by the convicts

We had a 10 minute break here

Around Ushuaia

lots of building of these low-cost flats

the wreck of the St. Christopher

artisans' stalls

city train sightseeing of Ushuaia

government office

How far?

a few shops on the pier

Afternoon trivia

1) Verona

2) 4

3) Yes

4) Cheshire cat and Dinah

5) Bob Hope (most often) and Billy Crystal (second)

Evening trivia

1) Yellow

2) Kits

3) South Africa

4) The Sound of Music

5) Rio

Smooth sailing until next time!