Sunday, February 26, 2023
We received a “breakfast” prior to landing. It consisted of a fig bar, yogurt, and
granola. Disappointing for those who do
not care for one of those items, i.e., Jerry.
Then celebrate- we landed at EZE – Buenos Aires,
Argentina! The country’s current
campaign is “Smile”. We were smiling
because it only 15 minutes to get through immigration compared with the 40
minutes, 1 ½ hours that it took for our travel companions.
We immediately went to the AA Baggage Claim to start working
through the process of arranging for our luggage to arrive prior to our flight to Ushuaia the next day. This line took longer than immigration.
Brenda, the AA Customer Service agent, was super – nice,
knowledgeable. When we related our
story, she said, “Okay, let’s think through the best plan to correct the
situation.” There was another AA flight
coming to EZE the next day – same flight that we arrived on. She assured us that our bags would be on that
flight, we could get them in time for our flight to Ushuaia. We asked if the bags could be brought in on a
flight from Miami which would arrive earlier; it would require the bags to go
from JFK to MIA then to EZE. She said
that our only option would be the direct flight and no worries – this happens
every day. They work with the Cruises
lines to transfer the luggage when delayed.
What she had not considered was that Ushuaia was our only option; the
ship does not port anywhere else. We
left the airport feeling confident that our luggage would arrive in time for
our flight.
Jenna had arrived at EZE and was waiting for us on the other
side of security. We were now all
together and could head into the City. Being
short a few pieces of luggage, we were able to find a taxi which could hold the
4 of us and the girls’ luggage. The taxi
driver did not speak English, our Spanish is limited but we still managed to
arrive with no issues. My first impression
of the area is that the country does a good job of keeping the spaces clean and
with limited trash. There are a lot of
green spaces. Being a Sunday, we saw
many families enjoying the sunshine and relaxing.
Our hotel, Sheraton by Marriott was downtown, across from
the train station. There are many
beautiful older stone buildings in BA. I
would enjoy the opportunity to return to BA and enjoy a city tour which would
include a history of the area.
Jenna and Melanie stayed at the hotel and explored the area
including visits to a bookstore and coffee shop. We were traveling to the local cruise port to
visit with Marlene, a Travel Advisor within the March Travel Group who is on a
180 Day World Cruise on the Oceania Insignia.
Coincidental that her ship would be docked in BA the same day that we
would be there. We walked to the cruise
terminal because it was less than a mile from our hotel. The weather was gorgeous, so the walk was
appreciated and enjoyed.
Marlene had worked with ship’s security to arrange for our
visit. Security at the port found our
names on the list with no issues. We
were having issues finding where to enter the dock area to board a bus to the
ship. There was extra confusion because
an MSC and NCL ships were embarking at the same time. After speaking with several cruise staff, we
found the proper place to ride the bus to the ship. Next, we had to clear ship’s security along
with medical clearance to board the ship.
This took some time, but we finally were able to board the ship and
enjoy the afternoon with Marlene.
The ship is the same class of ship of a few of the Azamara ships,
so it felt very familiar. The décor was
beautiful blues and silvers, soothing and calming colors. We had lunch at the Seaside café and topped it
off with ice cream. We enjoyed spending
time with Marlene and meeting some of her travel companions for this wonderful
adventure that she is on.
On our trip to and from the cruise terminal, we walked by a
park with a Torre Monumental Clock Tower commemorating independence. The Estacion Retro (Train Station) was nearby
with a beautiful dome and ceilings.
Along the train station, there was an outdoor market. Items being sold ranged from used clothing,
household goods, electronics to new items of the same. It was apparent that this was a normal Sunday
outing for many as they shopped and greeted one another.
We passed a Department of Security on the way to the
port. We also saw a plane celebrating
the Argentinean Air Force. We felt very
safe while walking though did keep our bag close to our body as we were told
that there is always the possibility of pick-pocketers in crowded areas.
After returning to the hotel, we finally had an opportunity
to shower and rest before drinks and dinner with friends. In addition to Jenna and Melanie going on
this trip, we were joining Gen and Pete and their friends, Sheridan, and
Gary. Jerry and I went to school with
Gen, and she has been a client of March Travel Group for some time. She was the one that reached out to us about
this trip. It was a rare opportunity to
travel to the “7th Continent”.
We questioned whether to go or not because we are also scheduled to
travel for a few weeks in April. After
mentioning the opportunity to friends, their response was “Why even think about
it – just go!” We said ‘Yes!” then asked
about our daughters traveling, too.
Fortunately, there was space for them.
And we all started planning for this amazing trip.
Our evening started with drinks at Florerio Atlantico. It is on the list of one of the top 50 Bars
in the World. Hard to tell if it
deserved that ranking or not. Melanie
had a few mixed drinks while the rest of us enjoyed wine and engaging
conversation. From there, we went to an
Italian restaurant, Piegari. More wine, conversation,
and fabulous food. Both the bar and
restaurant were within walking distance of our hotel. It was a beautiful night for a walk.
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