Friday, January 31, 2020

2020 Grand South America & Antarctica Voyage, Punta Arenas, Chile


I was up early for the sail in to Punta Arenas. Punta Arenas is the capital of Chilean Patagonia on the Straits of Magellan and the starting point of numerous expeditions to the Antarctic continent. Cathy and I took the shuttle into Plaza Muñoz Gamero (Plaza des Armas). This plaza is in the old part of town, surrounded by 19th century mansions highlighting great examples of Spanish architecture. In the middle of the plaza is a statue dedicated to the 400th anniversary of Magellan’s voyage. From the square we walked to the City’s Cemetery...Built in 1894, the cemetery’s main portico and high walls provide an elegant but solemn entrance...the main features of the cemetery are the hundreds of sculpted cypress trees and the luxurious mausoleums...this cemetery definitely takes you through the history of Punta Arenas. From here was walked to the water to see an interesting monument of an arriving ship, with mermaids blowing through conchs and to see the colorful street murals. On the walk to the seaside, I somehow injured my left knee again along with my hamstring and was in considerable pain...we cut our touring short and made our way back to the shuttle stop and returned to the ship…..  Hoping to be healed soon!