Summary
Though a bit dramatic, the title of this post is hardly bad news, instead reflects how we spent our exile as our Italian visitor visa time ran out in January. El Fin del Mundo (The end if the world). The photo was captured in Ushuaia, Argentina. Our last land stop before our cruise of Antarctica begins. Though construction is now finished, home purchase gets another frustrating delay and our immigration completion has potential for February.
Note: We wanted to express our sincere sadness for all those affected by the Southern California fires. We have been watching closely. While we no longer live there our friends and family in and around the area are on our minds during this trip. Just devastating.
Visa Expires – “Schengen Shuffle“
George and I were finding ourselves a bit sad having to leave Italy and debated a few options on how we might spend the month. We were limited by Europe’s Schengen area due to the region’s travel visa restriction of being allowed 90 days stay in the last 180 days. Many Americans who own 2nd homes in Europe split their time between the US and Europe by spending about half the year in each place, called the Schengen Shuffle, to avoid the need for a resident visa.
One of George’s many talents is finding creative travel agendas that often were well out of my imagination. When asked by George, what about? I instantly responded YES!! So what started as a bit of sadness now was an exciting opportunity to visit an exotic far away place. The travel would take us from Rome, to Buenos Aires to board the ship then travel through a few stops to ultimately cruise around the Antarctic peninsula.
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, the vibrant capital of Argentina, is a dynamic blend of European elegance and Latin American energy. Known as the “Paris of South America,” the city boasts grand architecture, bustling boulevards, and a rich cultural scene. It is the birthplace of tango, with its music and dance echoing through historic neighborhoods like San Telmo and La Boca. Buenos Aires is also famous for its culinary delights, from world-class steakhouses to bustling cafes serving empanadas and mate. As a city that never sleeps, its nightlife, theaters and art galleries make it a captivating destination for visitors from around the world. What had historically been a very affordable destination for US travelers, Argentina has now become quite expensive, with meals and hotels closer to US prices. A nice steak dinner for 2 with wine is now well over $100, which is a bit shocking considering the average income of Argentinians.
We had the opportunity to wander a bit in Buenos Aires for a single day before the cruise started. We joined a hop-on/hop-off tour bus and took advantage of the beautiful weather to see some of the city from the top of the open air bus. The massive Floralis Generica was apparently designed to open its petals at 8 in the morning, and close back up at sunset.
We exited the bus near a famous plaza noted for art, cemetery and a lunch spot where we would enjoy a nice meal outside with a mix of locals and tourists.
Plaza Intendente Alvear – This stunning day had us walking through the local artists who had their individual booths displaying their art for sale.
Recoleta Cemetery – Burial tombs and mausoleums of many renowned local dignitaries and military notables, but of course Eva Peron might be the most iconic. For those who marvel at the artistry of tombs and cemeteries this a great one.
Cruise gets underway
Punta Arenas – Our first stop on the ship after a couple of sea days. We’re ready to walk. They need to tender us to shore but all in, it goes pretty smooth.
Punta Arenas is located on the southern tip of Chile, in the Patagonia region, on the Strait of Magellan. As the southernmost continental city in the world, it serves as a gateway to Antarctica.
Ushuaia – A city in the Patagonia region of Argentina that is commonly regarded as the southernmost city in the world, earning it the nickname “El Fin del Mundo” (“the End of the World”). We dock at the port on this stop so it’s an easy off/on. As we continue south the sun sets later each night, much much later. We walk around close to the port. Tons of shops geared towards tourists and especially for folks preparing to gear up for trekking into the amazing mountains and glaciers abundant in this part of Argentina. We find a lovely place for lunch and a glass of wine, with an amazing view of the town and snow covered peaks in the distance.
Antarctica cruise
This cruise will take us across the famous Drake Passage from the end of South America to the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. We were fortunate that our crossing of the Drake in both directions was fairly uneventful. It is a stretch of water known to be quite daunting to sailors, with its often extreme winds and currents that can whip up swells taller than a ship. Thankfully we were well-stocked with Dramamine just in case.
The Antarctic Peninsula is a rugged, ice-covered stretch of land that extends from the mainland of Antarctica toward South America. Geologically, it is an extension of the Andes mountains, the spine that runs down the length of South America. Known for its dramatic mountains, glaciers, and unique wildlife, it is one of the most biologically diverse regions of the continent. The peninsula experiences milder conditions compared to much of Antarctica, making it a hotspot for research stations and tourism. It is also one of the fastest-warming areas on Earth, offering critical insights into climate change as scientists monitor its melting ice and shifting ecosystems. It’s here where we see the most dramatic sunrise and sunset times. Sunrise: 3:40am Sunset: 11:19pm. It never gets fully dark on our 4 day visit, sort of a twilight you can see through the window shades.
Antarctica is one of the least-visited places on Earth due to its extreme conditions and accessibility challenges.
Approximately 56,000 people visit Antarctica annually, based on recent estimates. Given the world population of about 8 billion, this translates to less than 0.0007% of people visiting Antarctica each year.
Over time, it’s estimated that fewer than 1 million people in total have ever visited Antarctica, meaning that less than 0.01% of the global population has set foot on the continent.
Ozone depletion. Apparently this can change throughout the year, leading to an easy sunburn. With all the light reflection, we learned quickly that it’s critical to apply sunscreen.
This is the part of the trip that we’ve been waiting for. I think the photos should tell the story.
As you experience Antartica, it’s as if you are looking through a high-end photo book that has no ending. You look down for a moment and look back up to an entirely new page. At all times a National Geographic cover, and occasionally recalling visions of an uninhabited alien world. The massive scale of the landscape compared to the ship was what really caught us by surprise. We are definitely witnessing something incredibly special here. If you’ve got time, here’s a link to the Photo Collection
Falkland Islands
Concluding the Antarctica portion of our cruise, we make way for The Falkland Islands to the capital Stanley. Arriving on a VERY windy day, we’ve booked a couple hours bus tour, which also took us to two beaches known for penguin spotting. The ship has to anchor quite a ways from the dock, and we thought it would be fun to ride on the top of the tender boat… bad idea, we were nearly soaked by the time we arrived at the dock.
The Falkland Islands, an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, are a British Overseas Territory located about 500 kilometers east of Argentina. Known for their rugged landscapes and abundant wildlife, the islands are a haven for penguins, seals, and seabirds. The Falklands have a small population, primarily centered in the capital, Stanley, and their economy relies heavily on fishing, tourism, and sheep farming. The islands have a complex history, including a brief but intense conflict between the United Kingdom and Argentina in 1982, with sovereignty disputes continuing to this day.
Montevideo
Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, is a vibrant coastal city known for its rich cultural heritage, stunning architecture, and relaxed way of life, located on the northern bank of the Río de la Plata. We traveled on a bus tour through the city and enjoyed a wine tasting and lunch at a local winery. The weather was a bit grey and cloudy.
Buenos Aires
Our cruise ends here. Really was a lovely opportunity to see a place seldom visited. George and I aren’t really cruise people today, we just enjoy being out and about too much. Aside from several at sea days, we had a great time, met some new folks and have a new travel memory. We continue on land from here. We fly off to Iguazu the next day.
Iguazu Falls
Iguazu Falls, located on the border of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, is a sight to behold. 275 individual waterfalls, it stretches over 2.7 kilometers. The most famous section, known as the Devil’s Throat (Garganta del Diablo), features a dramatic U-shaped drop that mesmerizes. A true rainforest with canopies and wild life. Words can’t describe.
Buenos Aires
We return once more to the city. We continue our on/off bus tour and capture a few more moments.
Back to Italy
We fly back to Italy on the 29th for a few days to catch our breath, collect needed paperwork and fly out to LA on the 6th. It’s our hope that we will finally complete the immigration steps at the Italian embassy in LA, receive our visa and head back to Italy. The visa isn’t the final step but a critical one.
Home Construction and Purchase
While on our cruise Oxana sends photos of the progress on construction, and activities to repair the stables roof. We get an email from Diana that our goal of January 31st was not going to land for the purchase. Looks like construction would finish on time but there was a new requirement to submit to the Umbrian administration. That this step could add 60 days to our timeline, putting the purchase completion in March. We are without words. 🤐 We hope for a better update soon.
Immigration
Having submitted all the needed paperwork and records and hearing nothing back, our immigration attorney feels this is good news. Barring bad news, we anticipate hearing approval from the committee before end of January, indicating we would need to fly to Italian consulate in LA for interview and receipt of our official long term visa. We hold out hope for good news soon.
Monkey update
We had to leave Monkey behind for our exile. We fretted over this as we just moved him and didn’t want to disrupt further. Fortunately Oxana agreed to care for him and provide updates and photos while we were away. Not surprising, he was having none of it initially, but through her cat whispering ways she won him over and now they are buddies.
That’s enough for this update. We’ve said this before, BUT we think we are very close now on purchase and immigration. February has to bring closure on these items. Ciao!!
