Antarctica!

I still can’t really believe it, but now I am heading to the expedition ship M/S Expedition towards Antarctica for the next 10 days.

I got one of the lower bunks since I boarded the bus first and thus was in the room quite early. Afterwards, we were allowed to explore the ship before heading for the safety briefing. Everyone familiarized themselves with the life jackets and gathered for a short introduction at their assigned lifeboat. While we were already sailing through the Beagle Channel, the general briefing continued, during which a humpback whale emerged next to our ship, before we all gathered in the restaurant for dinner. After the meal, everyone was able to pick up their parkas, and then I headed to the upper deck to enjoy the view until it got dark.

The second day started for me at 8 am with a hearty breakfast. The waves didn’t really bother me, but we were lucky, the weather is good and the sea is very very calm, according to the crew a 1 out of 10, yet it still rocks quite a bit and you have to hold onto something when climbing stairs, and some people still got seasick despite the tablets. After that, there were two interesting presentations I participated in; the first was about the different species of birds we hopefully will see, and the second on how to take good photographs. Outside on the aft deck, the briefing continued, showing where one could best spot the animals, birds at the stern, whales in front on the observation platforms. After lunch, I was able to see my first albatrosses and penguins. Since it was already pretty cold and windy, I paid the captain a visit on the bridge. By the way, the bridge is almost always accessible to everyone, where you can take binoculars and observe the surroundings or simply ask questions. In the evening, the briefing for the next day and dinner continued, a four-course menu; I chose a noodle soup, crab meat, salmon on potatoes, and a tiramisu before heading back to the deck until sunset.

Getting up at half past 7 was a bit difficult for me since the swell at night was clearly felt. It was a bit like riding a banana swing, I’d say, where at high waves the whole ship vibrates. You can definitely feel that you are being pressed down into the mattress by an inch or two; however, it was only a swell of 2 on a scale of 10. After breakfast, the program continued with the Zodiac meeting. Zodiacs are the boats we will use in the next few days to get to shore or to explore the glaciers, whales, penguins, or icebergs on the water. After that, we had to go through bio-screening. Everything we wanted to take to the mainland had to be cleaned and vacuumed so that we wouldn’t bring in any foreign organisms. Then there was already lunch again, I settled for a small salad. With so little movement, I can't eat something every 4 hours. After that, it was time for the next presentation about the penguins, which we will probably see, how much distance we must keep, and how penguins behave towards us. They will be curious, especially the young ones looking for food, and thus approach us; I can’t wait to see them. When I first saw something white on the horizon, I still thought it was clouds, but as they slowly cleared, I realized we were almost there. When the sky completely cleared up, I couldn't believe my eyes; I was scanning the horizon for a few glaciers, and over the clouds, you could already see the 2800-meter-high ice peaks, goosebumps, I had a few tears of joy in my eyes, and this won’t be the last time...

Since we had such good weather and a calm Drake Passage, we arrived in Antarctica 10 to 12 hours earlier and were able to carry out our first activity today. The so-called “Polar Plunge”, where a platform is brought to the boat from the outside by a crane, from which you then jump into the water. My group was of course called first, and I was the second to stand on the platform. For safety, you are secured with a strap to a rope before, amidst the applause of some onlookers, you jump directly into the 0.8°C cold water without thinking.

The first two seconds were not bad, but then the icy cold set in immediately, my breathing started to race, and I was glad when I was out again after 5 seconds. What an experience, and all of this in the freaking Antarctica!!!

I didn’t even notice that a 30-meter-high iceberg had drifted by only 100 meters away; it was absolutely crazy.

In between, I went back to the bridge; I was able to observe countless whales, along with leopard seals, albatrosses, and penguins. During dinner, we passed icebergs that were so tall that the sun was blocked behind them, and you could see nothing but ice.

The whales that surfaced in between amusingly caused a stir. People over 50 apparently become children again, as everyone rushes to the windows to get a shaky photo or poorly zoomed videos. Whether they bump into others or disturb during meals doesn't matter; the principal thing is that the photo is taken. We at our table found it funny, especially since we were sitting in the second row, as the window seats are filled well before dinner; I don’t participate in such things on an expensive expedition either, and we’re still going to see enough whales. At sunset, a few whales showed up, and when those giants exhale, it sounds particularly special, simply unique. After dinner, we went to the usual briefing for the next day; the weather was supposed to be good, no wind, no high waves, so we could continue heading south. Moreover, we were informed not to worry in the coming nights if we hear loud cracking, creaking, or banging; it's just ice hitting the ship; I can't wait to see what happens :)

We were still sailing, so no iceberg was in the way. At 6 am, the alarm went off; after all, we didn’t want to miss the first sunrise in Antarctica. And that was the right decision:

It went on, one thing after another. At 7 am for breakfast and at 08:15 the first group was called to the so-called 'Mudroom'. I was in the group 'Albatrosses' and we were the first to go. Put on the parka, neck gaiter, hat, gloves, two pairs of socks, long underwear, fleece long underwear, and over that the rain pants, then put on the boots and lastly put on the life jacket. Then it went through the disinfection basin for checkout (everyone had to check in and out with their card), before we went out the side exit to the zodiac. Full speed through Antarctica; what fun. After a brief crossing, we landed, and it was a uphill journey for about 20 minutes, passing chinstrap penguins, a glacier grave (a bay where many glaciers accumulate before they melt) until we reached the viewpoint.

Phenomenal, breathtaking, fantastic, there are not many words for it, and the pictures can hardly capture it, unbelievable.

On the way back, I could see the penguin colony up close. And the penguins are so cute, I could watch them for hours. Curiously, they waddle towards you, wanting food or playing with the sticks that our guides set up as boundary markers beforehand. How photogenic can one be?

I could have watched the penguins for hours, but it was time to head back to our zodiac. We navigated through and over small ice floes and got a bit shaken before hundreds of penguins appeared in the water in front of us, with several humpback whales searching for food right in the middle at only 30 to 40 meters distance...

It slowly got cold despite my thick clothing, so we went back on board. Clean the boots, back through the disinfection basin, remove any stones from the soles, check back onto the ship, hang up the clothes to dry, have the boots checked for cleanliness, go back on deck, enjoy the view and then continue for lunch. After lunch, it was through the 'Lemaire Channel', so wrap up warmly again and head out on deck to watch the passage through the few hundred meters wide channel. Almost kilometer-high (!) cliffs rise on both sides, with huge ice surfaces extending into the water. As if that wasn’t surreal enough for me, we had to maneuver around huge glaciers. You can imagine it like the Telekom skyscraper or the Elbphilharmonie floating by you, oh, and in between, enormous blue glaciers terminate in the channel. Unfortunately, you can't capture this in photos at all...

And then our whole ship was suddenly in uproar on deck, in front of us appeared a group of orcas, which immediately dove away; our captain made a hard brake and was about to turn the ship when we unfortunately realized that the orcas were already hundreds of meters behind us and it would have taken too long to turn our ship around. I would never have recognized the animals, but we were close, and we still have a few days left. By the way, I had no time for a nap; after the passage, we went to the 'Yalour Islands' for our afternoon expedition and the southernmost point of my journey (coordinates 65˚13.90 S; 64˚08.200 W). Fittingly, my phone said 'Half time' today, half of my travel time is now over, and as coincidence would have it, from the southernmost point of my trip, we're headed back north from today on. Again, I had to put on all my clothes, throw on the life jacket, step through the disinfection basin, log out and get into the zodiac. It only took about 30 seconds until two curious sea lions appeared in front of an iceberg, and less than 5 minutes later, we were able to see a southern elephant seal and more penguins. After getting a bit slowed down by some ice, a curious dwarf whale showed up in front of us, and it was not even 5 meters next to our boat, unbelievable.

Then it was another hour on land, and I could enjoy the peace a bit and watch the penguins change their feathers, which sounds interesting, but isn't really. The penguins stand in one spot for about 2 weeks waiting for the new feathers to be waterproof enough to go back into the water in search of food. The only thing that happens in between is that the penguins lean forward and poop quite a distance behind them. Therefore, always keep your distance, especially if the penguin is facing away from you. Back on the ship, the daily briefing followed, during dinner a few whales, sea lions, and enormous icebergs drifted past our window, nothing we hadn't seen before...

The same procedure as on the first day; we went by zodiac towards “Cuverville Island,” a penguin colony that can be seen from space. Thousands of penguins are wandering around here waiting to lose their winter plumage before they can go back to the water for food. I simply can't get enough of watching the little penguins waddle through the mud; the sound is just as sweet. 😍

The zodiac ride was equally exciting, we had several whales around us all morning, and I spent most of the morning on deck as a result. In the zodiac, you couldn’t turn around quickly enough. All around, you could hear the whales exhaling, and on the horizon, you could see the water mist created when the whales exhale. Then several whales surfaced less than 10 meters from our boat; through the crystal-clear water, you could see the fins and patterns distinctly, wow, goosebumps for several minutes. 😍

On the way back, we saw a gigantic leopard seal sleeping on an ice floe.

Washing boots, drying clothes, lunch, and right back into the boat; there really wasn’t any time to rest. We headed towards 'Nico Harbour' to a huge, really huge glacier. First, our zodiac drivers had to find a way through the pack ice; for all of us on board, it looked nearly impossible, so everyone had already counted on an afternoon on the ship. But not our crew; it took a while to maneuver the little rubber boats through the ice, but it worked out, and off we went. Below, penguins tried to jump from the water onto a small iceberg; most failed miserably, it looked so funny, and I had my fun. Upon reaching the top, we had an incredible view of the glacier since our path ran along a side arm of the glacier; we must not leave the path for any reason to avoid falling into snow-covered crevices. The cracking of the glaciers and the calving of ice sounds gigantic and will probably never be forgotten, another goosebumps moment. On the way back, I was able to observe a penguin hunt. The young ones still want to be fed, but at some point, it's enough, and the parents refuse further feedings. But since the young ones are now so big, they chase their parents to the water, where they then disappear. Then our ship must still find its way out of the pack ice, icebergs crash against the ship, the entire vessel vibrates, incredible noises are created, cracking, creaking, and crunching, yet another goosebumps moment; one feels so small out here. I can hardly gather my thoughts and had to go to my cabin to cry from joy 😭

Like every day, it was time for the briefing and recap, then dinner, before I participated in a small quiz (true or false) and went to bed at 9:30 pm. Our ship is operating on 'Ship Blackout' tonight, which means that we darken all windows and no light should escape outside. We sailed into an area where many birds cross our path and should not be disturbed by our light. Accidents should also be avoided since every morning, a crew member goes around the ship, collects the birds, nurses them back to health, and later releases them back into the wild.

At 07:15 am, we went to breakfast as usual; an hour later, I was already in the zodiac. Finally, some Antarctic feeling. The wind had picked up, the waves were a bit higher, and we all got a little wet for the first time, but hopefully, there’s more to come. Because until now, we have been quite lucky with the weather, little wind, and even two days of sun, which is really rare down here. Since I was again in the first group, I went straight to the viewpoint to enjoy about 15 minutes of complete peace, which was a blessing. On the way back from the little hike, I was able to capture a few 'chinstrap' penguins on camera. How cute can you be? 😍

Really annoying, without meaning to be rude, are Americans and people over 60 who have to comment loudly on every animal. Wow, amazing, ohhh a tail, look at that, beautiful; some really find it hard to just keep quiet. Furthermore, I really didn’t want to know where Peter from Washington has seen whales before, I also didn’t care that Grandma from Oklahoma had already seen everything several times. Oh, and then there was Rich, who actually knew more than our expedition leaders. At dinner, the same people always sat at the window, while everyone else formed a queue to take one of the places, the usual experts rushed first to the best seats, unfolded the napkins, and placed their phones on the table. Well, if that’s what they need. Thank goodness I can avoid these people; it doesn’t bother me at all; it just amuses me, and I have my fun.
For our afternoon expedition, we headed towards Davis Island, a previously unexplored island. Our crew deployed a zodiac and drove in front of our ship with sonar, transmitting the water depth of the surrounding area back to the ship. We then embarked on a 90-minute zodiac tour to the back side of the island, with a high chance that no one has ever been there before, as the water depth isn’t deep enough for large ships, and the area has yet to be charted. It’s truly unbelievable, but we are on an expedition and not a cruise... 

We passed 100-meter-high icebergs, saw two leopard seals up close, and humpback whales so close that one could almost touch them. 😍 In the evening, there was a history lesson on the discovery of Antarctica before I fell into bed tired at half past 9.

As usual, we went for breakfast at 7 am and then into one of the zodiacs to explore 'President Head' on the South Shetland Islands. There, there is a large colony of elephant seals. Unbelievable, what colossi they are, weighing up to 4000 kilograms. The sounds are really funny, but hard to describe, just like the somewhat peculiar smell. The sea was noticeably rougher today, and we got pretty wet, but it was still quite calm for Antarctic conditions.

After lunch, we headed for our last landing at the former whaling station 'Whalers Bay,' where whales were hunted and processed into oil until 1932. Afterwards, the station was used as a research station until it was evacuated in 1967 due to a volcanic eruption. The caldera of the volcano collapsed over 3000 years ago, allowing us to sail into the volcano's interior and be protected from strong winds from all sides. It was one last time to wash boots, disinfect, hang up the pants and parka to dry; I'm already a bit melancholy, but this adventure must come to an end eventually. 

In the evening, we went to the bar, where the 'Monkey eating Eagles' performed, a band made up of all parts of the crew, from the machinist and housekeeping to the chef, everyone was there. The whole expedition team, the captain, and many crew members were also present, including a conga line on deck and the encore song 'Summer of 69'; it was a nice conclusion!

The Drake Passage was again very calm, a 2 out of 10, yet some got really seasick and spent the next 2 days in their cabins. I can’t even imagine how a real storm feels here. Because on 10% of crossings, the weather is so bad that there are only fruits and sandwiches in the cabins for three days since everything else is impossible and way too dangerous. Otherwise, you just have to be lucky like we are :)

Since I'm doing well, I watched talks and films about sustainable travel, which dramatically showcased why I probably won’t participate in any 'normal' cruise (movie recommendation: The last tourist film).

How many of my 5 books that I brought and 20 podcast episodes I downloaded do you think I have read/listened to so far? Exactly 0!

On the last evening, we had a quiz in which we had to answer questions about the various presentations; we could use both the library and all postings on the ship, we didn't win, but we did quite well. Afterwards, the entire crew said goodbye with a little song to us; I became a bit sentimental and had to hold back a small tear; I would have loved to stay a few days longer, but this adventure ends, and we head north again!