Being that today is a full day at sea, Brian paid for the internet and allowed me to be his second device on the plan. We then spent the majority of the day on deck 5 blogging, editing photographs, and communicating with loved ones online. Therefore, this will be a very short entry, but it is also a great chance to catch up on some missed observations.
1. People on the boat like to sit around and take photos of other people's photos. During lecture presentations of places we will visit, people hold up their cameras to take photos to later pass off as their own. There is a photo display on the one TV in the lounge of deck 5 and one lady sat there for 2 days straight to steal every photo. I am not sure why you would want someone else's experience to be passed as your own...especially since we have had spectacular weather and animal encounters.
2. The amphitheatre on deck 5 just has something about it that makes you want to sleep. It is so dark and it is really hard to keep your eyes open in there. I have been good, but dad is almost always asleep during the lectures
What to Pack for an Antarctic Cruise with Landings
1. Really good rubber hiking boots (that come up to your knees for shore exits) that are waterproof. Ours were provided by Hurtigruten and were amazing.
2. Fleece gloves (or the cheap knit kind) for having your fingers free to take photos.
3. Waterproof mitts
4. Knit hat or ear muffs (I can't stand hats, so I loved my ear muffs in addition to my jacket hood)
5. A good jacket that is water and wind proof. Should you not get an insulated one (we didn't) you can always wear layers underneath.
6. Good layers. I like my Under Armour moisture wicking long sleeved shirt and long johns. It was really the best thing I packed.
7. Waterproof pants. Mine had a fleece layer on the inside, but you could always add layers.
8. Carabeaner (sp?) clips. I regularly clipped my mittens to my pocket zippers. I really could have used another one. I loved how handy it was.
9. Sweaters that zip up the whole way. This helps make it easier to add and take off layers on hikes.
10. Neck warmer. Many people loved those. I had my fleece sweater zip up that high, so I was covered.
11. Sunglasses. We regularly wore these to dinner in the restaurant. The sun here is glaring!
12. Sunscreen. The highest SPF you can get. I was wearing my dermatologist SPF 50 and SPF 30 in a two layer system and I still ended up with a red nose (might be due to me staying out longer than my allotted time).
13. Lip Balm. Buy one with a good SPF.
14. Hiking socks. I have some really good socks from my Macchu Picchu trip and they were perfect. I was warm and didn't get any blisters.
15. Photography equipment. You don't want to miss a moment here. I could complete a whole entry about what to bring, but I suggest paring it down to one light backpack that allows you to move easily in your many layers. My bag had to be under the life preserver they give you and being a one-strap bag, it was good to keep it on the light side. I also had my iphone handy for quick snapshots and videos.
I may have mentioned this before. My apologies if the following is a repeat. Announcements are done here in English and German. I just love the excursion announcement lady and her accent. The German speaking people are put in the penguin groups, but it is always pronounced "Pinguinie" like linguine. I also love how she pronounces crabeater seal in English. Lastly, I told Fritz that they should make the German people seals because they are "Sea Hund" and it would be awesome to hear that paged regularly throughout the cruise.
Back to the day.
While we sat on deck, Brian was praying for his rough seas. He dreamed of surviving a rough Drake Passage. Yet, during the whole voyage we have had phenomenal weather and calm waters. I was also there praying for a breeching whale. We feared that these final two wishes would not happen this trip. We can't complain though, as we have been incredibly fortunate. The lack of rough seas actually allowed us to get closer to the Falklands and we might now get to see the King penguins!!! (Three exclamation marks to show how excited I am...don't tell my students)
This morning they offered a visit to the Bridge to learn about how to manoeuvre a ship of this size. It was really interesting to see. I was most fascinated by the chairs that have a groove on which they slide along the console and be locked into position during rough waters. I never really watched Star Trek, but it reminded me of that show.
All day long the crew offered lectures and movies. Mom and dad attended almost every one and even managed to stay awake. Dad learned all about the Falkland Islands history (let's be honest he already knew it and was fact checking) and movies on Antarctica.
For dinner tonight, we had a lovely cut of reindeer. Delicious. I have had a variety of reindeer dishes this trip and I think I have forgotten to mention it before now.
We went to bed relatively early again tonight in anticipation of our 8 hour King penguin trip tomorrow.
Goodnight.
Liz