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@ger_77 @kazu Soft shell crabs are delicious! Blue crabs molt after the first full moon in May as they grow. Their shells are then “soft” to the touch. People on the Eastern shore of MD keep live boxes waiting for the molt. They are then “cleaned” by removing the gills and abdomen. Yes, you eat the”soft” shells. Fried in butter, oh they are the taste of summer. My favorite part is the crunchy legs. You can buy them frozen but fresh is best. In sushi, they are often deep fried in tempura batter and served as a spider roll. To all my Daily friends, I’d be happy to prepare them for you ( and a crab cake) if you are ever in MD.

Honestly, most people on the bus were happy with the tour. However, I just couldn’t stand the slow pace and the number of people. It is difficult to appreciate the beauty of nature surrounded by so many. Of course there were no birds because of the noise. These tours work for some people, just not for me.

HAL tour review. Description from website is in italics. Tour was to leave at 8:15. At 8:46, the bus left. Ten minutes later we stopped for a 5 minute potty break. 19 minutes later, the bus departed for a two minute ride to the trail head. There were 3 busses. We waited 20 minutes as we were divided into small groups. Finally we started walking, very slowly. The half mile walk took more than an hour on a congested trail. A 15-minute ride from Puerto Chacabuco takes you on an outstandingly beautiful road up to Aiken del Sur Private Park for a wilderness adventure in the virgin forests of Patagonia. The natural beauty of Aiken del Sur includes Lake Riesco, waterfalls, indigenous perennial forests, caducifoliae, ferns, moss and lichen, myrtle and turf prairies with wild fuchsia and calafates, as well as macal and mallines or swamps. An easy half-mile stroll (or longer if time allows) follows a path to the Barba del Viejo waterfall. A refreshment is served at the park's restaurant before you return to Puerto Chacabuco to re-board the ship. Regardless of the $300 HIA credit, ship’s tour not for me.

Sunset last night. Good morning from Puerto Chacabuco! We are getting ready to leave for a HAL tour, The Natural Beauty of Patagonia using our final credit.

Extremely cloudy while sailing the fjords this morning. Enjoyed another cooking demonstration this afternoon.

Cake Me Away!🎂🍰🧁🍥🥮

Good Morning from the foggy Chilean fjords. Thought I’d post a few pictures of the National Tile Museum in Lisbon. The museum is set in Madre de Deus Convent, founded in 1509 and its collections allow a journey through the history of tile, from 15th century till present days. Craftsmen go into churches and homes that are about to be demolished and remove the tiles. They are cleaned in a workshop and prepared for display. My DH owned a tile company which was why we selected this museum. Belonging to the convent, the Madre de Deus church is decorated in full Portuguese baroque splendour, with gilded and carved wood, paintings and tile panels.

It was extremely foggy and rainy today. See the ship in the distance.We were still able to see some of the waterfalls in the fjords.Our wonderful Captain took us very close to the glacier.

I took another HAL tour in Punta Arenas. It was my final opportunity to see penguins. Here is the tour description. Board a boat to cross the famous Strait of Magellan. You will be plying the same waters as Sir Francis Drake and Charles Darwin. Upon arrival at Magdalena Island, declared a Natural Monument in 1982, you will see one of the largest penguin colonies in southern Chile and get acquainted with the unspoiled habitat of penguins, cormorants and many other birds. A substantial colony of Magellan penguins nests and breeds here. These penguins return every year to this spot between October and March to lay eggs and raise their young. They bury their eggs in sandy burrows and under shrubs; most of the chicks will have hatched at this time of year. The animals are naturally curious but untamed; they will scamper into their burrows or try to reach the water if approached too quickly. A snack pack is provided. After ample time to observe the birds, it is time for the invigorating walk back to the catamaran and the navigation back to Punta Arenas. You will have about one hour on the island to observe the curious and entertaining penguins before returning to Punta Arenas. It was nice that the catamaran left from the same pier where the tenders arrived. It took two hours to get to the island. The seas were relatively calm but I understand that the passage through the Strait can have seas of three meters. If it had been the first penguin colony I visited, I might have been impressed. Unfortunately, we were approaching the end of the season and the juveniles had already left. There is a path that you must stay on to walk around the island. I saw many birds and some penguins. It was extremely windy. I had a much better experience on all of my other Penguin tours.

A beautiful cruise through Glacier Alley on the way to Punta Arenas. All the glaciers are on the starboard side. All the pictures were taken from my verandah. Gorgeous waterfall I took this last picture after 9 as it was beginning to get dark.

@billcoSorry you had to be medically disembarked. I hope all HAL passengers would receive the same excellent service. I hope you have smooth travels home and that you have a full and quick recovery from your medical issues.

We finally got to shore at 9. Our tour with only 10 people was wonderful. Our guide got us ahead of many of the large busses and took us on an easy hike at our four stops, away from the crowds. She was very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna. Unfortunately, getting a tender back to the ship was a nightmare. One pier shared with other tour vessels. Incorrect information given by HAL employees about what line to stand in. We got in line at 2 and were back on the ship at 3:25. All aboard was supposed to be at 3 and the tenders are still running at 4. Ushuaia cannot handle the 4 ships at the pier and us tendering on a shared dock.

Our ship has not been cleared yet. We have been waiting an hour. Our tender tickets are 9; they are currently distributing #31.

We attended the Super Bowl celebration last night. It was comfortable watching in Billboard. I walked through the Gallery Bar and the Main Stage where they were also showing the game. Sliders, chicken fingers, egg rolls, veggie dippers, popcorn were passed by the servers. The game was also shown in the cabins.

Good Morning from Ushuaia! We are impatiently waiting for the ship to be cleared. We have a private tour with Alma Calma to Tierra Del Fuego National Park.

On the Oosterdam, Super Bowl starts at 8. It will be shown in the Main Theater, Billboard and Gallery Bar starting in 30 minutes. Will report back on the experience on my LIVE thread. BTW, I have never see the commercials the two other times I watched on a ship. Just the live stream of the game.

Just attended a wonderful recap presentation by the naturalists. These photos taken by Tim are from the slideshow that was shown at the end of the presentation. Sad the Antarctica portion of the cruise is over but looking forward to the ports on the west coast of SA.

@KayFrancisWe definitely used our balcony. I believe it is better to be starboard from BA to Santiago and port in the opposite direction. Others say it doesn’t matter.

@agathasmum Tender tickets were distributed in The Rolling Stones Lounge on deck 2. We have been meeting for our tours in the Ocean Bar on deck 3.

We are extremely lucky to have Captain Kevin Beirnaert on this voyage. He is easy to approach and will happily converse with you. I appreciate his skill in the difficult conditions of an Antarctic passage. I appreciate his honesty. He was ask why we missed Punta Del Este. He said it was his decision along with the corporate office, because when he looked at how many ships would be in Port with us, they were very crowded. By altering our schedule by one day, there were fewer ships in Port. Thus we would have a better experience.

You need to join your Roll Call. If it is the cruise mentioned above, enjoy your transatlantic days!

We are rocking and rolling as we head north. The Captain said we will leave the Antarctica region at 4pm. We enjoyed our brunch. Food was excellent.

This was our route through Antarctica

Our final stop in Antartica was the Palmer Station, a US Research facility. Zodiacs came out to the ship to pick up some packages; my understanding is it was batteries and mail.

I am honored to have heard Tim Nash’s lectures. Yesterday, Melting Ice and Rising Sea and this afternoon How is Climate Change Affecting Antarctica and What Does it Mean for Us. Some website links if you would like to learn more. This morning Lou Sanson gave an excellent lecture on Antarctica and Subantarctic Penguins- Life in Cold Climates. His own pictures and the stories of where he took them added to the presentation. The lecture series has greatly added to my enjoyment of the cruise.