So the day started out with us grabbing a big breakfast and then heading to shore via the ferry boats (a.k.a. Tenders). Once there, Mom and Will had a planning session. Given yesterday, I knew we were in for a lot of walking and I had only a few things on my to-do list: 1) Buy some shirts, 2) Find a cyber cafe and send some e-mails, 3) Enjoy the city and not tire myself out too much since I know there were other activities scheduled for the afternoon/evening.

We started out by stopping by the tourist office to get a map and some tips on what to see. Once we oriented ourselves, we were off to walk along the coastline to see what was there.

This town was a very nice resort city. It was clean and houses looked modern and colorful. Definitely a relaxing place to be if you want to go on vacation.

Left: You see Mom and Will peering into a shrine erected by the sea. Inside is a statue of Mary (I think).

Right: A picture of us by the sea. As you can tell, the wind is behind us giving mom something Will calls, "Simba hair".

As we we continued our walk, we found "El Mano". This is a sculpture of a hand made out of concrete. A bit creepy, isn't it? I'm told the inspiration for this was that it's the last thing you see of a drowning man. Perhaps it serves as a warning?

We walked into town a little bit where we found a cyber cafe. I used the computer to send some e-mails before we heading towards the shopping district to get some postcards and (hopefully) clothes for me!

Left: We stopped to get some food and drink. Will got some lunch. I wasn't hungry thanks to the huge breakfast I had on board. It looked like pretty good food and I didn't hear any complaints from Will. While we were there, we chatted with some Exchange students at the next table who showed us some of the pictures they took from elsewhere in the country.

Right: For those of you who got postcards from us, you can see that they were actually written and mailed here in the shopping district. This area is also where I bought two polo shirts and one nice button-down shirt.

Left: Sorry, Kim...but I had to post this one. Here you see Kim, Dany, Will, and Mom and the ice cream shop enjoying some of the best stuff you've ever put in your mouth.

Right: We were on our way to see this lighthouse in the background and snapped a picture. This area is less busy than the main drag. It was wonderfully quiet.

Left: By the lighthouse. It was closed today, unfortunately, so we couldn't go inside. Instead, we wandered around the area a bit and looked at the buildings.

Right: Where's Will? Can you see him?

After some wandering around, we headed back to the ship so we wouldn't miss the afternoon's activities.

Back on board, we got cleaned up and I changed into other clothes so I could go on the tour of the galley offered at 4:30. The tour was given by the ship's executive chef, Paul Oppenkamp. There were only about 8 of us there, so it was a nice small group. We were treated to a nice glass of champagne as the tour began.

He started the tour with an introduction. Paul is the Executive Chef for the cruise ship and he's only 26 years old! He described his culinary training, mentioning the various places where he worked before joining the SilverSea cruise line.

He then oriented us to the galley by explaining its basic operation, the size of the staff he supervised, and how the area was organized. In the pot to Paul's right, there was a stock being made with lobster shells.

Left: During our visit, some of the staff were preparing food for dinner, so we go to see some of the work that goes into preparing our food.

Right: Some of the kitchen stations for making toast, espresso, etc.

Left: This is where the salads and appetizers are prepared. You can see the staff washing the greens and preparing other ingredients.

Right: To Paul's right, you see one of the stands used to stack the plates with food as the staff applies finishing touches to the dishes. To his left, you see the grill stations for meat, chicken, fish, and vegetables.

This is the bakery. You can see the ovens, kneading table, mixers, etc. in these photos and the one on the left, below. All breads, rolls, muffins, and other pastries are made fresh in this area. Nothing is pre-bought.

Above the countertop there is a shelf for storage of equipment and ingredients. While standing in this area, I could smell the bread baking in the oven that we were going to eat with our dinner that night.

Left: Paul is explaining how everything is cleaned almost constantly. Every week, the entire galley is dismantled and cleaned. That means things like air vents covers are unscrewed and cleaned. The galley is literally taken apart to the nuts and bolts and scrubbed.

Right: A great picture of the grill stations and prep areas.

All this looks pretty normal, right? Well, remember, these folks have to work even as the boat rocks back and forth on the sea.

After the tour, there was a little bit of a break for me to get cleaned up and rest a little. It was Formal night on the ship which requires guests to wear formal attire in all of the public room (dinning room, bar, etc.) after 6pm.

Left: Me with mom.

Right: Mom, Will, Leah, Christy, and Joe (Will and Joe were working with Concierge Travel on this trip.)

Left: A picture of mom that shows the necklace her children bought her and the pearl earrings Yener got her to complete the look. :-)

Right: We used the timer on the camera to get some pictures of us. This one was taken in the lobby of the ship where we had the initial reception.

Those of you who know me also know that I'm not a huge fan of formal clothing. I'm more of a jeans and t-shirt guy; however, I really did enjoy the occasional formal nights on the ship.

The next day was our only full day at sea as we headed from Uruguay to our first stop in Brazil. I was looking forward to sleeping in a little and enjoying the facilities on the ship and not spending my day walking all around a city and wearing out my shoes!