Thursday Feb 8, 2024
Hi Folks! WE STEPPED FOOT ON ANTARCTICA!!! They said that less than 1% of the entire world’s population ever steps on the continent. So we’re “1%ers”! Lol.
And yes, the Wandering Italian was blubbering like a baby when he stepped foot on his 7th and final continent! Not really but it was surreal!
But before that we woke up at 4 AM to see the sunrise coming up over the mountains of Antarctica. What an amazing almost spiritual experience that was. Just breathtaking! We then went back to bed for a few hours to get ready for our expedition.
Our first expedition allowed us to “walk on water”! We took our zodiac boat up to some sea ice attached to Antarctica and we got to walk on it. We saw some Crabeater seals. They don’t eat crab but eat krill. It was so pristine and beautiful and we had blue skies which does not always happen.
We got back on the ship and had lunch and afterwards went on our second expedition to Detaille Island. It’s a small island off the northern end of the Arrowsmith Peninsula in Graham Land, Antarctica. From 1956 to 1957 it was home to “Base W” of the British Antarctic Survey. Thanks to the men’s hasty departure and the necessity that they take little with them, Base W is an eerily preserved time capsule of 1950’s Antarctic life. We got to go inside and it was really cool.
Then we hiked up the hill and saw tons of Adelie penguins! They were all making lots of noise. Chatty bunch! We got back on the ship and got cleaned up and listened to the daily briefing in our room.
After that we went down to the Atlas Lounge for the Captain’s Welcome Reception and the Celebration of Crossing the Antarctic Circle. Because of that we are officially inducted into the Order of the Red Nose!
After that we had a nice dinner and after dinner we listened to Kevin play saxophone. He plays all types of music and is so enjoyable to listen to. We called it an early night since we’re in the early expedition group tomorrow. Can’t wait to explore more of Antarctica! Hope all are well!
The Wandering Italian 