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!
