I woke up at 6:30 AM to high winds. It was already bright out and the wind was so loud it was a lost cause to try and fall asleep again. So, I tiptoed around, trying hard not to wake my roommates and then went down to the little breakfast nook. I beat breakfast.
We walked around town a bit in the morning only to find that three of the four places we intended on visiting were closed. Ah, such is life.
So we stopped for coffee and tea and breakfast/snack at Darwin resto-bar. Cute little place on a side street off the main drag. The woman did not speak any English, or at least only very little. And between the 3 of us, we know very little Spanish. So ordering was interesting. But we got through it, fairly successfully, and had a thoroughly enjoyable time. I also appreciated that 50' rock-and-roll music was playing in the background. A couple from Brazil came in while we were there. Our hostess/waitress/manager/chef had disappeared into the kitchen.
We stopped again at the crafts market. I bought my sister her first souvenir. I really hope she likes it!
Then on to lunch. Eating here is a huge affair, it seems, between finding the place and then sitting there for hours because there's never any rush and no one comes around asking if you want the check and I always feel really awkward requesting the check. Uh, uh, excuse me, uh check, uh puenta, please, uh, por favor. Eye contact never really seems to get the point across, at least for me. So, we ate at this pizza/pasta place that also happens to have really excellent empanadas. But a lot of onion in the salad. A lot of onion.
A visit to the Naval/Maritime/History Museum/Prison rounded out the afternoon. Yes, prison. The museum is in a converted prison. Ushuaia in fact began as a penal colony and the prison closed in the 1940s, not so long ago. There was an exhibit on early (and more recent) voyages to South America, including Darwin's voyage on the HMS Beagle. They also seemed very fond of a map of shipwrecks as they had the same map hanging up in a number of places. The most recent wrecks, according to this map, were in 1988 (year my sister was born) and 1990 (year I was born). Slightly disturbing, but not the most disturbing thing in this museum. Next was an exhibit on the contruction of and life in the prison, including the stories of some individual prisoners. (One particularly cruel punishment: taking away a prisoner's mate straw) And a lot of these prisoners were not "petty thieves." (Damn it's windy outside! Sorry, but it's darn blustery and I just thought I should share that with you, especially those of you facing all that snow in NJ.) This was not the most disturbing part of the museum either. So, all of these exhibits are in a former prison. The cells are still there and the displays are in the cells. So you are walking down these hallways, crossing from cell to cell. One wing is preserved, unchanged from the days when it was used as a prison. Creepiest thing ever. Soemthing about it. Chills. (That and it was actually cold in there, no heaters) The bathrooms, the shower room. Just disturbing.
So I went into the art exhibits. Much better. Butterflies and tea parties. Literally, there were paintings of butterflies and teasets. More history rooms upstairs. I learned that many Italians immigrated here in the early 1900s (which explains why there are so many pizza and pasta restaurants), as did many Ukrainians. I also learned there was a Gold Rush here. One more art exhibit (behind a gift shop chockfull of cheesy souvenirs (including prison garb)). Absolutely amazing pieces. I love that the prices are in American dollars, as if American tourists can check these paintings with their luggage. If only. Ah, that would be a perfect gift for my father...
BTW, photograph, top right: U.S. mailbox
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