Hat-urday 🎩 Night Fever

Saturday, December 28th, 2019 was a restful sea day or was it.  It was also Grandma 🎩‘s 80th Birthday.  

Here is how the night ended at midnight doing Silent Disco.  Good god how did we get here?  Let’s back this story up a little bit.  

I was up early and walked laps for a little bit.  After a quick bite it was time for our behind the scenes tour of the ships entertainment and live show production.  

First things first, we need a tiara and a sash. Now we can tour the back stage areas.

If you see a blue floor on the boat.  You have strayed from the path.  The blue floor designates crew only areas.

Alex showing us The Pit.  How he raises  and lowers this in the center of the stage.  The safety feature involved.  I was incredibly interesting.  Alex trained in London at London Music College and Academy.  He was on the road with Florence and the Machine before taking this job.  Really a great dude.  Clearly knows rule #1: Remain calm

Grace is tired next to this huge set piece for the boats production called Toppers.

Heavy dress from the production

Who wore it better? #1

Or #2.

After our tour the girls decorated Grandma 🎩 room.

Signs were made.

The cake:  Raspberry Chocolate.  So good!!!

The cards from around the 🌎 

Grandma 🎩, TB and LB.  Happy Birthday Grandma 🎩.

Celebrating

Ismar came to celebrate with Grandma 🎩.  Thanks for all the love Ismar!!!!

Chilling in the Solarium.  Looking good Grandma 🎩.

After the Solarium it was time for dinner.  We had arranged a Chef’s table dinner for the adults.  That includes Elle.  We met for a little bubbly first then the chefs introduced themselves and discussed what our experience for the evening would be.

The chefs discussing what we will be doing and eating this evening.

Our main man, Chef Maurice some call him the gangster of sauce.

Chef Maurice escorting Grandma 🎩 to dinner.

Chef Maurice explaining how the kitchens/galleys work to serve such a large group so well.

Wait staff getting meals off the line. Maurice helping us stay out of the way.

Chef Maurice showing us where Chef Claudio makes all the bread and pastries.  

Adults doing things Adults do!!!!  Look at us beings so very adult.

The menu.

Curried Cauliflower Soup.

Mushroom risotto with foam.  Amazingly good. Amazingly good

Sea bass

Short rib on the left.  Thin sliced stacked and pressed potatoes in the middle and a filet on the right.  The short rib was the star of this show.


Grandma Hat gets a cake from Chef Claudio.

Elle has had enough to eat.  The gangsters of sauce, meat, fish, soup and dessert have declared victory over us.

After our 4 hour dinner the night couldn’t end so we decided to try a little silent disco to finish our day #1 of being 80 years old.

Mary and Sadie shaking it

Grandma 🎩 , the kids grooving.  TB is in the back listening to techno he is dancing so fast he is blurry in this picture.

That is it for 12/28/2019.  Put this one in the books and mark it because we pretty much killed it all day long.

Elle visits a singles bar

Friday, Dec 27th, 2019 was our day in Puerto Madryn another beautiful port city.  This one in Argentina.  The entire 17 was off the boat and ready to explore by 8:30 AM.  This is no small feat and required the coordinated efforts of Lara, Mary and Kari.

Arriving in Puerto Madryn

Welcome to Puerto Madryn!!!!

On the dock we met our guide Rodrigo.  Rodrigo is a high school math and geography teacher here in Puerto Madryn but also guides during the tourist season.  

We piled in the van and headed  out to possibly see sea lions, Welsh house, penguins and maybe more.

Puerto Madryn is on the coast of Argentina.  The population is roughly 100,000 people.  It started as a predominantly Welsh settlement.  The major industries in Puerto Madryn are aluminum, fishing (staffed by Bolivian immigrants primarily), stone work and tourism.  Puerto Madryn has a large wind farm outside the city to generate a significant portion of its power.

The climate is warm and arid with the plateaus getting not much more than 20 ml of rain a year.  The Peninsula Valdez is full of amazing wildlife, sea lions, elephant seals, penguins, llamas, pumas and sheep.  There are orcas regularly swimming in these waters looking for sea lions or penguins.  The Right whale will migrate to these waters as well.  Just outside the bay is a large and rich area for fishing which helps bring in the wildlife and fishing as a major industry.

Sculpture in the roundabout in Puerto Madryn 

We are heading to the lighthouse at the bottom of the page only about 1-1 1/2 hours outside Puerto Madryn

Rodrigo making some Mate to share on the drive.

Our first stop was a lighthouse and a cliff over looking the South Atlantic 

These sea lions look like they are working (#CP)


The cliffs and the ocean created a wonderful view this pic it OK but doesn’t do it justice.

Sea lions barking

Sea lions barking #2

They like to swim after the penguins and try to attack their bellies where they are vulnerable and the fish are stored.

Family photos on the Cliff

Katie where are you looking in this picture? #posture

So many girls in Argentina 🇦🇷 so many girls

Sadie prepping to take the pictures of the sea lions.  Hoping to bulk her up with a little chorizo this afternoon.

Grace, Abby and Casey pose by the lighthouse

Lighthouse in the desert

Inside the lighthouse. You need a hook to pull down the ladder so you can change the 💡 

From the lighthouse we journeyed to a Welsh house.  The portion of Argentina had a large number of immigrants with a Welsh heritage so a strong influence is seen today.

The hedges and landscape around the house is immaculate and in stark contrast to the arid surroundings.

From the farm we ventured to the penguin nesting area.  I was stunned to see how far they were from the ocean.  They nest under prickly arid bushes to protect themselves from predators like foxes 🦊 or pumas.

On the way out. To see the penguins. 1 km hike in the sun.  Not a bad way to say goodbye to 79

Who dat?

Caw Caw...Caw Caw

Elle visits a single bar.  This is a tree on the path where all the orphaned and single penguins go and hang out.

Lara checked out the singles  bar too.  These penguins need WiFi and Tinder.

We continued down the trail until we reached the Atlantic Ocean.  Here many penguins frolicked along the shore.

Katie amongst the penguins 

Let’s get in the water

The girls, the penguins and the Atlantic Ocean 

Lara and I with the penguins.  Where am I looking?????

TB, LB and the girls

LB, MB and the girls

More penguins

After enjoying our time on the beach and arguing with another tour guide.  We started the long walk back to the bus.  That one kilometer seemed like 6 on the way back.

This guy is looking at his situation the wrong way.

Bring me back alive.  

Everyone survived and now enjoys air conditioning.

 Grilled lamb. 4 hours over an open flame.  Basted with a mixture of water, thyme, rosemary, garlic pepper and sage 

Chorizos on the grill.

Rodrigo found cervezas.

Argentinian Malbec to wash it down of course.

What are the odds this crews eats all their lamb and chorizo?

The lamb.  Was so good.  Get the pieces with the bark!

Heading back to Puerto Madryn.  Is anyone tired???

I got out early to explore Puerto Madryn.  I am a lonely 🐧.


Traditional dancers at the port.

Back on the boat it was basically dinner and bed.  A full day of adventure and penguins 🐧.  Tomorrow we are at sea.  Is December 28th a big day?