The HMS Amsterdam brought us first to the Falkland Islands. It is made of several islands which is home to sheep, penguins, some very pleasant townspeople, and some English military who protect it from Argentina. It is not much of a piece of real estate over which to wage war but there is no need for political commentary here.

Next we rounded Cape Horn. The Island upon which the Cape Horn Memorial rests is shown immediately below along with a picture of the memorial statue which, if you look closely, depicts an albaross between the two triangles. And then, there is a picture of a Wandering Albatross. (see this site for further details ... wandering albatross It is a huge bird with a wingspan of up to 12 feet. They and the Giant Petrels were fascinating to watch from the stern of the ship. Thanks to Christopher Fisher, the naturalist on board, I hope I have them correctly identified in our other pictures.

 Up through the Beagle Channel and the Strait of Magellan we visited glaciers, small towns, wonderful sights, nice people and recalled their winters are probably similar to a winter in Duluth, Minnesota. Then we pulled into Valparaiso, Chile and bused to Santiago. Shown below is a small fruit and vegetable market in Puerto Montt. Peggy is shown taking a last relaxed view from the stern of the ship.

The water was almost disappointingly smooth around the Cape. But, when we came out into the Pacific again it was rough. Some of the crew, needing to concentrate on things other than the horizon, looked a bit ill and some passengers of many cruises said it was their roughest voyage.

The activity in the square in Santiago was made up of actors, jugglers, etc. It is a pretty city with a backdrop of the magnificient Andes. But the smog rolls against the mountains and by the end of the day there is predominately a view of smog.

Lastly, I spied this in a museum and I wonder, still, what it could be.