Ushuaia Boat Trip - Part 1

Hello folks, Ethan here. Well, here I am with Mom and Dad on our second day of our trip in Ushuaia. On Day 2 we decided to take a boat/bus tour. It was a perfect opportunity for me to look for my personal penguin! It was very cold out on the water, but the boat had a nice toasty warm cabin where I could hang out with Grandma and Grandpa and Mom and Dad.

We left the port in Ushuaia and headed out onto the Beagle Canal. Along the way our boat slowed down at some of the many islands in the canal so that we could take pictures of the wildlife. While the morning was cloudy, the day became more and more beautiful.

The whole tour lasted all day, so I have split it up into parts. If you look at the pictures in the Picasa folder you will see the first part of the trip. We saw seals and black and white birds that I can't remember the name of - and no they are not penguins! But stay tuned....there should be penguins soon!

At the End of the World!

Hello everyone! Ethan here, and this is pictures from our first day in Ushaia, and I am on the hunt for a personal penguin! This is me standing on the bed in our hotel room in Ushuaia. It is a nice hotel, a little aways from the town, but right on the Beagle Canal!

This is a picture of our hotel, the Costa Ushuaia. It was pretty cold in Ushuaia. It is the southern most city in the world. You can take cruises from here to Antartica.

This is a picture of the Beagle Canal from our hotel parking lot. In the background are the Andes. I learned that the Canal is not named for the Beagle that are doggies, but the HMS Beagle, a big ship that Charles Darwin once sailed on!

This is dad and I in downtown Ushuaia. It is not a very big town, but there were things to do and see. On our first day we had a nice lunch, then went to a museum in town that was once a prison! Now is houses information about the prison and also has art galleries. The next post....Day 2 - boat tour!

Getting ready for Penguins

Hello folks! Here I am on the plane getting ready for my big trip to Ushuaia where I am going to get to see penguins! Maybe I can take one home to be my Personal Penguin! I hope so.

Will you be my personal penguin? Will you travel with me far and wide? Will you be my personal penguin and stand right by my side?

No worries, while you decide I am just going to chew on my book for a while.

So, what do you think? Will you be my personal penguin??

A Day Out in Palermo

While Steve had to go to work last week, Ethan, Grandmom, Granddad and I were able to do a little sightseeing around town. We decided to make out way to the Japanese Gardens, which are in the Palermo neighborhood right downtown. The park is beautiful, with koi ponds and waterfalls. After meandering our way through the park we decided to go to the Evita Museum. On our way there we ran into two dog walkers and their herd of dogs.




The Evita Museum was really interesting, and while the history and the story of her life and the work she did for the country was interesting, we also learned that the women was well dressed! The clothes and shoes she had were gorgeous. After the museum we had a lovely lunch with an extremely awake Ethan at the museum cafe.

"Don't Cry for Me Argentina....

...I cry enough for both of us!" says Ethan as he looks out over the Plaza de Mayo from the balcony in the Casa Rosada where Evita would give her famous speeches.

On their first full day in Argentina we kept Grandmom and Granddad very busy. There was brunch at Oui, Oui and then off to the center of town to see the Plaza de Mayo and the Casa Rosada (or "pink house"). The Casa Rosada is the executive offices for the federal government. Unlike the White House though, the President of Argentina does not live there. The president actually lives in the suburbs and takes a helicoptered to work each morning. Afterwards we headed over to Recoleta Cemetery to take a walk around and enjoy the gorgeous day.

View from our Rooftop

I know we are over a week behind on our blogging, but it has been a busy week and a half!

Steve's parents Betty and Dick, aka Grandmom and Granddad arrived two Saturdays ago. One of the first things Steve did was provide a quick tour of the apartment and our building, which included a trip to the roof of our apartment to take in the spectacular views of BA. Hope you enjoy the pictures of our great neighborhood from way up high!

Over the next couple of days we will get the blog caught up with all of our trips and fun - enjoy!

Flying Monkey!

Halloween is not even close to as big here as it is in the United States. There are some decorations and costumes, but in general it is not celebrated much. So, to give the American kids associated with the Embassy a little taste of home, and introduce Halloween to the Argentine employees' families, the embassy put on a fantastic Halloween party. Originally the event was scheduled for last Friday, but out of respect for the national day of mourning over the death of the former president of Argentina, it was re-scheduled for today.

All of the different sections decorated their areas and as the kids showed up they were divided into groups for tours. They were able to "trick or treat" at each section. The different sections did an amazing job getting into the spirit. We are not talking about just some pumpkins or cobwebs. There was one section who recreated with Adam's Family, with Thing giving away the candy. Another section had a evil science lab, complete with bubbling beakers of goo.

One of my favorites was the Zombie room. As we walked down the hallway there were signs everywhere warning us we had entered a "Zombie" zone. As our group was invited into the Zombie Room, we could see the "zombies" walking around, and then the music started and the section performed the zombie dance from "Thriller" - awesome. Even better was the moment we realized that none of the kids got it - only the grown-ups were laughing. I am pretty sure there was a "Mommy, what are they doing?" asked.

Ethan seemed to enjoy the tour through the embassy, especially the science lab with all the cool beakers that he could stare at.

Ethan was well prepared for Halloween, in his cool monkey costume. Steve went as a magician, and I went as a bunny. We all had a great time at Ethan's first Halloween party!