Feb 11th, 2020 Day 39 of 128

Another day in Chile. I thought we were going to be coming into Santiago, but I was mistaken.  Our port of call was actually San Antonio and we actually drove about 90 minutes away to Valparaiso where we spent the day.  We drove to the scenic outlook overlooking the city and saw so many beautiful murals painted on buildings.  The town has 42 hills and was an array of fine mansions, tattered houses and shacks.  We saw the Naval Headquarters, the bank district, the Monument to the Heroes of Iquique, the stock exchange, and the cathedral at Plaza Victoria. We also had the opportunity to ride in two different funiculars.  That was quite an experience; mom said it reminded her of the tram she rode in to get to the Shadowbrook resteraunt in Santa Cruz, Ca.  We toured inside the La Sebastiana museum, home of Noble Prize winner Pablo Nerunda.  We had a delicious lunch at the hilltop overlooking the city and what they call the “bay area”.   We then had a 90-minute bus ride back to the ship.  We spent too much time on the bus today for my taste.  But it was still a wonderful day.  It was the first time I was able to wear shorts in a long time.  Still needed a sweatshirt today, as it was mostly overcast.  But it reminded us of the weather at home.  So now our adventure will take us 2000 miles out into the open sea as we travel west to Easter Island.  We have four seas days ahead of us before we will touch land again. Are average speed is said to be around 30 knots and we can already feel the swells just a short distance out of port. We also finally give an hour back tonight so starting tomorrow we are only four hours time difference from our loved ones in California.  Valerie put on her seasickness patch and I am going to take a shower, it’s ok, there’s lots of grab bars in there.  Here’s to a gentle rocking and a peaceful nights rest.  Adios Chile!  Debra