Day 4 was fantastic, but the weather definitely took a turn for the worse! The temperature dropped and the wind picked up, resulting in very cold and blustery conditions. There was only one landing excursion planned (no Zodiac excursion) and because of the weather, we decided to skip it and spend the day on the ship. We napped, we read, we watched movies, we hung out in the lounge, and just generally had a super relaxing day, which was amazing!
if you've read any of my other travel posts over the years, you know we love a travel checklist and we are so proud to be have visited all seven continents!!!
as you'll see, it was a beautiful day, but super cold and windy
spotted a penguin hanging out on a iceberg
there was a Holland America ship in the area as well, but it just kind of drove through and went on its way
my view from the lounge as I was sorting photos and writing a blog post
I walked around the top deck and without a coat or hat, only lasted about three minutes out there - and I take extreme pride in coming from a very cold climate in Canada and being able to not only withstand, but also enjoy, very cold temperatures!
after most people had gone to bed, I walked around the ship and took some photos
the ship really is beautiful!
because it was late at night, I had the chance to wander around the science center with no one in it!
this is the lounge and where we've spent a lot of our time while the ship is traveling
We were so lucky to have more stunning weather on Day 3!
The morning Zodiac cruise was all about whale watching! There are a couple of video clips below, from the Zodiac and also from our balcony after we returned to the ship for lunch, but not only is it a bit tricky to get good pics and videos because it's almost impossible to predict where the humpbacks may surface, but I'm really trying to live in the moment and not spend all of my time seeing things through my phone screen. The reality is that no picture can truly capture the grandeur and I want to these scenes to live long in my memory.
The afternoon landing excursion was pretty challenging; guests could opt to walk around on a fairly gentle slope between the landing site and the pick-up point or to hike up a steep snowy trail. We chose the latter.
The beautiful sunshine of the past couple of days caused the snow to be a bit slushy, which made walking in it slow-going because it was very easy for feet sink in deeply or people to slip and fall over. I'm pleased to report that despite witnessing many others slipping and falling down, I successfully remained upright the entire time! Some people were cocky and refused to use the provided hiking poles, which turned out to be an unwise decision on their part, as those hiking poles were my best friends from start to finish!
When we finally made it back down after almost an hour, we were treated to a penguin colony near the pick-up point before returning to the ship!
I have never been so drenched in sweat in my entire life as a result of that hike because we had so much gear on. I haven't really shared what the dress protocol is for going ashore, but we were wearing base layers and ski socks and snow pants and winter coats and hats and gloves and a waterproof shell and a life jacket and heavy rubber/neoprene muck boots that cover most of our calves. It's a lot! A lot!
So climbing that steep incline, struggling with the slippery and slushy conditions, and focusing intently on not falling over required an insane amount of effort. Having said all of that, it was one hundred percent worth the effort and I would do it again in a heartbeat!
a Weddell Seal and a Gentoo Penguin
some penguins out on an iceberg
Humpback Whale
our landing site for the afternoon excursion
at the top of the climb
the view of where we climbed (taken when we were most of the way back down)... we went all the way up to the top of that peak!
