Most of our trips have been about museums, history, beer, activities, etc. This is really one of the first trips we've taken where more than half of the stops/points of interest are based in nature or scenery. Puerto Madryn is the first of a few.
Pto. Madryn is a typical beach town.
It has a long boardwalk filled with shops and restaurants. Seals lounge on platforms along the pier, the weather is sunny and breezy. But here's the weird part: it has this great historical story about Welsh settlers and how this part of Argentina wasn't really nailed down until the second part of the 19th century; there's a crazy archaeological debate about the first settlements here; they have several statues in town dedicated to how the town and region came to be, but I'll be damned if I can find out anything about Pto. Madryn.
It's primitive, it's small, it's along the way to the heart of Patagonia, it's pretty much here for no apparent reason.
But the food is delicious, the bay is lovely, the shopping is pretty good, and artisanal beer and chocolates are on the rise. Count me in.
We didn't have a tour today. Options included a penguin tour, a sheep shearing show, an estancia, a city tour, and seal watching. So, we saw penguins in South Africa, and, sure the colony here is the largest Magellan Penguin colony on the continent, but while they're cute and all, they're sort of stinky, bad mannered, and tedious to watch. They're penguins...it's not like they do a lot of tricks. Sheep shearing...pass. An estancia...did one in Buenos Aires. Seal watching...see: penguins.
Instead, we slept in, walked along the boardwalk, shopped a bit, then found a local restaurant for a delicious lunch. Later, we tracked down a craft beer bar and enjoyed several of their beers. It was the making of a great day in my book.
Tonight we have a reservation at Toscana - the Italian specialty restaurant aboard the ship...and our favorite. They have a whole trolley of different olive oils and balsamic vinegars from which you can chose to dip your bread sticks in. mmmmmmmmm
Tomorrow is Joe's birthday and a day at sea. Here's hoping we win at BINGO!!
Pto. Madryn is a typical beach town.
It's primitive, it's small, it's along the way to the heart of Patagonia, it's pretty much here for no apparent reason.
But the food is delicious, the bay is lovely, the shopping is pretty good, and artisanal beer and chocolates are on the rise. Count me in.
We didn't have a tour today. Options included a penguin tour, a sheep shearing show, an estancia, a city tour, and seal watching. So, we saw penguins in South Africa, and, sure the colony here is the largest Magellan Penguin colony on the continent, but while they're cute and all, they're sort of stinky, bad mannered, and tedious to watch. They're penguins...it's not like they do a lot of tricks. Sheep shearing...pass. An estancia...did one in Buenos Aires. Seal watching...see: penguins.
Instead, we slept in, walked along the boardwalk, shopped a bit, then found a local restaurant for a delicious lunch. Later, we tracked down a craft beer bar and enjoyed several of their beers. It was the making of a great day in my book.
Tonight we have a reservation at Toscana - the Italian specialty restaurant aboard the ship...and our favorite. They have a whole trolley of different olive oils and balsamic vinegars from which you can chose to dip your bread sticks in. mmmmmmmmm
Tomorrow is Joe's birthday and a day at sea. Here's hoping we win at BINGO!!
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