2025_26 Oosterdam, Coquimbo, Chile...

I was up early; way before sunrise for the sail into Coquimbo, our last port in Chile. The views were fabulous! Cathy and I went to the cruise terminal and hired a taxi driver to tour us around. Our plan today was to concentrate on seeing the sites in Coquimbo. We hired Louis and started our day by driving through the English Quarter of Coquimbo to Fort Lambert. Built in 1865 to protect Coquimbo from Spain and then the Pacific War with Peru. The fort offers a nice view of the southern entrance of the bay. Climbing through the steep and winding streets of Coquimbo passing many colorful houses, wall murals, our driver stopped for us to get a view of the Punta de Tortuga Lighthouse. Making it to the top of the hill we arrived at the Third Millennium Cross. This cross and chapel commemorate 2000 years of Christianity...The cross is 93 meters high making it the tallest cross in South America. We climbed to the top of the cross for a great panoramic view of the city of Coquimbo. Our driver took on a tour of the Universidad Católica del Norte (UCN) Catholic University of the North. The Coquimbo Guayacan campus is strategically located on the northern coast of La Herradura Bay, making it a premier center for marine research. The campus is known for its aquarium and proximity to beautiful beach resorts. Our next stop was Guayacan Church, a historic church known for its distinctive iron construction and brought to Coquimbo from France. Close by the church we stopped at the Guayacan Fishing Cove…No fresh fish today as it was Monday but lots of boats, birds and sea lions looking for lunch. Next, we drove up to the Francis Drake Statue that towers over the Bay of Coquimbo and dedicated to local fishermen. We made a quick photo stop at the Playa Grande and Socos beaches and the Mohammed VI Mosque. The structure is a replica of the Kutubiyya Mosque in Marrakesh, Morocco which we have visited on a journey years ago…. Returning to the port area, we had Louis drop us and we took some photos of the pirate ships in the harbor before making g our way back to the ship. We had a great day in Coquimbo and discovered some new off the beaten path areas. I spent the afternoon basking in the sun. We had a nice surprise today, meeting up with cruise friends Marta and Tony.  Loved catching a few hot sunny rays…