Sometimes it’s hard to not sound like a broken record, but today was an incredible day in Antarctica. It all started at about 1 a.m. One of the greatest things about being in high latitudes in the summertime is the never-ending golden light. For those that left their porthole covers and window curtains open—or perhaps were still up from celebrating a wonderful December 25th—a stunning glow from the midnight sun beckoned us back outside. If there was ever a place worth losing sleep over, Antarctica is at the top of the list.
After sleeping off our holiday feasts, we awoke to snowy skies as we entered the Lemaire Channel at breakfast time. Cruising through the sea ice, we settled near Petermann Island for our morning activities. Taking advantage of the beautiful conditions, we set out to explore the surroundings by Zodiac. Snow fell gently as we crunched through growlers and brash ice to enjoy views of abundant snoozing crabeater seals, rafts of preening gentoos, and surprise sightings of Adélie penguins. Brilliant blue bergs and spectacular mountain peaks were reflected in the perfectly glassy waters. It was a wonderfully peaceful morning to appreciate the magic of Antarctica.
Navigating through the ice, we spent our afternoon ashore at Booth Island in Port Charcot. Venturing out to stretch our legs in the open space, we learned about “the polar gentleman,” Charcot, and excellent views of penguin highways, with all three species of brushtails in one place.
Antarctica is a place always full of pleasant surprises and what a treat today was for all to enjoy!
