Viking Cruises

Viking Explorer Society News - Issue 26 - Winter 2025

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51 | Viking Explorer Society News e convoluted coastline of Patagonia, backed by towering Andes peaks, provides a magnificent journey of ever-changing scenery bookended by two flamboyant cities: Buenos Aires in Argentina and Valparaíso, Chile. Brian Johnston shares his experience on board Viking Jupiter. South America & THE CHILEAN FJORDS Before my ocean voyage begins, the Viking Jupiter is docked for two nights in Buenos Aires. There's much to see in this city of fine boulevards and parks, eclectic neighbourhoods and ornate architecture. I explore the Spanish-colonial core around Plaza de Mayo with its pink presidential palace, the well-heeled residential district of Recoleta with its rococo cemetery, and waterfront La Boca, whose houses are brightly painted, and where tango artists busk across the cobblestones. By nightfall, I'm in Palermo Viejo, where teenagers play guitars in plazas, and funky bars spill out onto the pavement. The Viking Jupiter is docked on the River Plate, and next day we sail out towards the open Atlantic Ocean. The ship doesn't spring any surprises, which is just the way I like it. The Scandinavian furnishings are understated but elegant, the atmosphere relaxed, the crew friendly and attentive. Over the next two weeks, I find the ship full of snug corners where guests can read on sofas, enjoy a drink, play Scrabble or cards, or gaze out to sea beyond vast windows. Viking has an educational ethos that sees it provide cultural excursions ashore and destination insights on board through lecture and talks. Its substantial book collection has plenty on the topics of travel, art and history. MERRY MONTEVIDEO In one of those clever tricks of cruising, I fall asleep and wake up next day in a different country, Uruguay. Its capital, Montevideo, has a charming small-town atmosphere, a statue-dotted colonial heart and an arty, progressive vibe. A shore excursion shows us the highlights, and afterwards to a lively local performance of traditional murga. Singers in carnival costumes, accompanied by percussionists on drums, poke fun at everyday Uruguayan life and politics with music that has us leaping up to dance. The next day, we're sliding down the coast of Argentina. As I pace the decks, increasingly crisp air signals our approach to Patagonia. We sail into Puerto Madryn, which has a curious history of 19th-century Welsh immigrants. Our tour takes us for an agreeable Welsh afternoon tea in Gaiman with some of their descendants before I head off to explore on my own. This is what I enjoy about these journeys: today has been a completely different experience from yesterday, and tomorrow I can look forward to something new again. Port Stanley, in the Falkland Islands, is a detour from the South American coast. The odd British outpost sits amid penguin and cormorant colonies. The stone cathedral wouldn't look out of place in an English town, and nor would the pub, but as I walk out into the surrounding nature reserve, the Plaza de Mayo, Buenos Aires

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