Ushuaia again

I am getting to know my way around the town and I must have walked the main street at least 20 times. The main part of town is on a grid pattern with the streets running parallel to the water stepping up the hills. There is a taxi stand down by the port so I now go there whenever I want to catch a cab back to my hotel. It is all pretty efficient. I spent the morning after the beaver walk separating my Antarctic clothes from some stuff I wanted to leave behind at the hotel.

 In the afternoon I visited the Maritime Museum which is a former prison built on the model of a central hub with long arms extending out. The convicts were housed on two levels and were treated very harshly by the sounds of it. There were many fascinating photos of life there including the convicts building the 'railway at the end of the world'.

The Argentinian government apparently wanted to stake a claim on the Ushuaia area so sent their low life to establish a population.   They used Australia as an example of the success of that policy for the British.  I was surprised to hear the prison stayed open until 1947!

Convicts in the exercise yard looking out at the beautiful mountains around Ushuaia

All present and accounted for - convicts standing outside of their cells

'Lucky' convicts who were trusted and allowed to stay outside the prison in huts by the Train at the Fin del Mondo  

The museum has an art gallery with a nautical theme, space for temporary art exhibitions a cafe, shops etc. There was a fascinating exhibition on Amundsen and his expedition including some old films playing along with piano music like an old time movie house. Those men loved their huskies. I took photos of their posters from the lantern slides taken on the expeditions of Amundsen and other explorers of the Antarctic.

Amunsden

The Fram

Manhauling 

Amunsden at the South Pole

Shackleton - The Boss

Scott