The last three days on Norwegian Cruise Line from Buenos Aires to Antarctica has been mostly anticlimactic! It was hard to top hundreds of whales, penguins and icebergs. Instead we traded it for hundreds of people on the boat and the constant cacophony of human voices. Kathy, who is fully tired of the ever present noise and stimuli, is ready to get off the boat and get home. She pines for her kittens and the comfort and familiarity of her home routine. The first of the three days we were able to step off the swaying of the boat and onto land! A great time was had learning the history of the Falkland Islands. Kathy and Dave embarked upon a historical tour of the battle sites of the Falkland Island War which took place in our lifetime and even some of our kids’ lifetime! We were treated to a detailed and accurate first-person account of the battle ground and war in the Falkland Islands. The guide was a young man when Argentina invaded the islands and England defended its land. He thought he was safe at his isolated sheep farm far from the city, until faulty intelligence lead to a British plane bombing the area near his farm. Fortunately, a wooden shed shielded him from much of the blast wave and shrapnel. Unfortunately, some shrapnel found his wrist and his head, blinding one eye. He met with the sheepish pilot after the war and after the initial awkwardness, formed a bond with him and has had him to his house for dinner occasionally. While the war only lasted two months, it was a pivotal time in history for England, the Falkland Islands and Argentina. The war further established England’s right to the islands in the area and was reinforced when, in 2013, a vote was held in the islands and they voted with almost 100% of the population in agreement to stay under the protection of the British Empire. We then spent time wandering around the town, doing some shopping (where Kathy found another “un-birthday” card to send to Shea or Jill sometime in the future.) We are getting quite a collection to send them and at one point might have to send them two or three in one year.
The next two days consisted of boat life, which included games of cards and Yahtzee. We even had the sister of basketball star Christopher join us for a few hands before she had to leave for a show. We also were treated to an onboard show of a woman who could twist herself in knots while her husband, who was a magician, helped make her disappear. Seriously! She was a contortionist from Mongolia and her husband was a magician from England. We saw a show with a husband and wife team who played guitar together. And we mean, they both played the same guitar at the same time. Four hands playing the instrument together! The game shows they have most nights were not as entertaining. All they did was cement Kathy and Dave’s agreement that they will never play couples games in front of an audience. There is a reason why they call it “private lives.”
We spent time wandering and chatting with the hodgepodge of people from all over the world and have been delighted to make the acquaintance of so many interesting people. Dinner has always been a treat – well, for the most part – and Kathy and Dave enjoyed the last two nights as we had a romantic Italian dinner one night with just the two of us. The next night we enjoyed a conversation with a couple from Nevada and discovered that we had been to a lot of similar places and enjoyed many of the same interests. As this is the last day onboard the boat we are planning the packing, disembarking, and journeying to the next stop on our journey – Iguazu Falls. Tomorrow we disembark at 05:15 and head to the falls to see what is considered one of the most majestic waterfalls in the world. Norwegian Cruise Lines has been a good cruise to take. The staff and people are really what make this cruise line special. While the shows, rooms, and food are okay, it is the positive and kind attitude of the staff that makes this cruise enjoyable.