​Obviously, our whole purpose of this cruise was to see the Northern Lights which we had yet to see during all our previous cruises.  We knew based on poor weather conditions and overcast skies that we might not see them.  We had gone to Iceland a year and a half ago in hopes of seeing the lights but all we saw was rain and lots of clouds.  Well, this trip was different!
 
On our first day at sea the captain made an announcement around midnight that there was a sighting of Northern Lights at the bow of the ship.  We hurried and put some warm clothes on for the 25 degree windy weather and ran up to deck 9 to see these lights.  We got there and it was cold with a light rain coming down.  There was also a tall glass barrier at the front which prevented you a direct view unless you stepped back several yards to try and take pictures over the barrier.  At first when we looked out, we could see nothing at all and then we were told we needed to use our iPhone cameras to see the lights.  Sure, enough when we put up our cameras, we could see an eerie green glow off on the horizon.  When we tried to take a picture of it, we originally had difficulty in getting any clear shots of these lights.  We learned that iPhones automatically went into a night mode when there was little light and the shutter speeds were anywhere from 1 to 5 seconds.  You had to hold you phone very steady to get any kind of picture.  Taking pictures through the glass barrier didn’t provide very good pictures, nor did standing back away from the barrier.  We were able to get some pictures but they really weren’t very good although a few certainly did capture what we saw.  Regardless of the picture quality, we had FINALLY seen the NORTHERN LIGHTS!
 
On Day 2 at sea – OMG!  We threw all our pictures away from Day 1 because what we saw on Day 2 was spectacular!  We were just coming out of the Viking spa whirlpool area when the captain makes an announcement of a wonderful viewing of the Northern Lights at the bow of the ship.  This was around 5:30 PM which was surprising for how early it was (although sunset is around 2:30 PM in northern Norway during January).  We ran up to our room to take off our wet clothes and put on our warm clothes.  Instead of going up to Deck 9 again we went to Deck 7 which had no glass barrier in front of you making it very easy to take pictures.  As soon as we put our cameras up to the sky they lit up with colors.  There were lights directly in front of us and some to the right.  As we continued along there were some great lights to the left and even directly over the ship.  It was hard to imagine how beautiful they were and although we are very proud of our pictures, we know they do not do justice to what we saw.  What made it even more spectacular was the moon was shining bright in front of us and we were sailing by the city of Tromso, the largest city in northern Norway and the third largest north of the Arctic Circle.  Having the city lights and the moon in the background, only made our pictures better.  Besides just seeing the typical green lights we also saw some deep red and purple colors.  We saw hazy clouds of greens at times and sharp vivid colorful streaks in the sky at other times.  Sometimes the colors were wavy and other times they were layered.  One thing the photos don’t show is how the lights change over time. If you took the same picture in the exact same spot 5 minutes later, it might be a totally different looking picture.  There is movement and changes in the shape and color.  It was spectacular to see.  Although we know there are better displays of the Northern Lights, this viewing far exceeded our expectations of what we thought we might see during this trip.  We probably only stayed outside for 30 to 45 minutes admiring this display of nature at its best.  The weather was very cold and windy causing our hands to get very numb after a while.  The lights don’t usually last much more than an hour if that long and these lights were beginning to dim a little but still quite a spectacle.  Well after seeing this light display, we can certainly knock of the Northern Lights from our Bucket List!  (Although Sharon is hinting, she wants to come again in late 2024 or early 2025 – anybody else???)
 
Later that night around 7PM on our way to dinner the captain made another announcement that the “lights” were on the port side of the ship.  We went out and took a few pictures but they were nothing like we had seen earlier.  Again, later that night there was another sighting of the lights but once again not nearly as impressive.  We had been spoiled with what we had seen earlier in the evening.  We had been told that the Viking cruise before ours hadn’t been able to see any Northern Lights due to overcast weather.  Sometimes you just must be a little lucky!
 
When we arrived at Alta the next day we had a Northern Lights tour set up but we knew the weather conditions weren’t very good that night.  We did not see them that night, but we did have an enjoyable tour.  These tours that go out to search for the lights are very expensive - $200-$300 per person (or up to $500 if you take it with the cruise line!).  It is a shame to spend this type of money and not even see what you paid money to see.  Very few of these tours come with a guarantee that you will see the lights!
 
During our nights in Tromso we saw the lights a few times from the ship.  Once again, we took some pictures that will never be shared because they just don’t hold a candle to what we saw that one night.  We were supposed to do another Northern Light tour in Tromso but it was canceled due to poor weather conditions.  Although we would have loved to go on the tour and see the lights, it was nice to save $500 when you knew you weren’t going to see anything.
 
We also learned a lot about taking pictures of the Northern Lights during this cruise.  There was a lecturer that provided camera lessons throughout the cruise and did provide some valuable insight on taking pictures of the lights.  Unfortunately, this lecturer did not use smart phone cameras and didn’t know too much about them.  He said that smart phone cameras were not as good as DSLR cameras in taking this type of picture but he did say that good pictures could be taken with smart phone cameras and gave a few ideas on how to get better pictures.  We did not bring our DSLR camera but if we do this again or go someplace where we might see the Northern Lights, we probably will bring our DSLR camera with us.  These days smart phone cameras take such good photos we just don’t use the DSLR camera that much anymore.
 
Regards,
Sharon and Greg

We flew into Bergen on January 31st for our Viking Northern Lights cruise.  Our group consisted of 8 people from Peachtree City and 2 from Illinois.  We were welcomed by snow at the airport and a sign with the name of the city followed by a question mark.  We were told the question mark was just something to make you think about what you thought about their city.  After checking in at our ship and having a bite to eat we decided to venture out and see a little of Bergen.  We didn’t get more than a ¼ mile when we decided to turn back due to gale force winds and heavy rain.
 
The following morning, we had a walking tour scheduled through Tours By Locals to see the sights around Bergen.  Instead of the rain and wind we encountered the day before, the sun was shining and we needed sunglasses!  This was our first (but not our last) experience with how quick the weather can change in Norway during the winter months.  Our tour took us around the city and up a Funicular to see Mount Floyen which overlooks Bergen and provides some great views of the city and the surrounding area.  We learned a little about the history of Norway and their first king.  We were shown the Bergenhus Fortress which was built by the British for the first king of Norway to have his inauguration.  Today this building hosts musical concerts.  We passed by St Mary’s church which was built in 1180. 
 
While up on Mount Floyen we were almost run over by 10 mountain Floyen goats that came running down the path.  Although they were in the wild, they were certainly used to people and allowed you to pet them.  We took a picture by a giant troll statue and read a little about trolls and Norway.  It was also interesting to learn that the Funicular also made additional stops along the way every hour for residents that lived along the mountain side.  When we got off the funicular, we were greeted by some young members of the Bergen Pipes and Drums group who were out recruiting new members.  We walked up a little way to see the residential homes that are stacked right on top of one another.  Talk about zero lot lines – these homes had outside walls built within 6 inches of the next home!
 
Our tour eventually took us to the harbor area which is the iconic sight of Bergen in all the pictures you probably see.  You can find a MacDonalds restaurant located in an historical building built back in 1710.  Nearby to it is the only Starbucks in Bergen located in a modern building along with some other eateries.  As we walked towards the ship, we came to the Bryggen area which is a UNESCO historical district of old wooden buildings used by merchants back in the Middle Ages.  All of these buildings are maintained using the same construction methods used 500 years ago.  When a building is in need of repair it is closed off and a team of craftsman work on the building for possibly up to a year to ensure it is reconstructed in the same manner as it was originally built and is safe.  One of the buildings has its first floor at an angle which was caused by a massive explosion in the harbor during World War II.  These buildings are leased to shop owners  who sell some very nice merchandise for tourists and locals to buy.  Leases here are not cheap with the cost to maintain these historical buildings!
 
Bergen is a very nice place to visit and just walk around.  We didn’t get to see as much as we wanted because of time constraints but fortunately we are coming back here in August when hopefully the weather is nicer, and we have plenty of time to see all this city has to offer.
 
Sharon and Greg
 
PS: Last week we just booked a new group cruise for December 2024.  This is a 12 day Viking River Cruise that goes from Paris to Prague to see the various European Christmas Markets at the small cities along the river.  This was a cruise on Sharon’s bucket list and we have 5 couples already joining us!  We are leaving early in December to be back at least a week before Christmas.  Let us know if you want any information on this cruise before it is booked up.  Cruises book quickly these days!

​Our visit to Tromso didn’t go quite as planned because of the weather.  When we arrived it was rainy, windy, and very overcast.  We had expected to go out the first night to see the Northern Lights on a private tour, but it was cancelled because of the overcast skies.  On the following day we were supposed to go on a dog sled tour, but it also was cancelled because of possible avalanches with the warmer weather causing snow melt.  It was raining and windy, so the tour probably would not have been too fun.  We went to a local tour operator and found an Arctic Reindeer tour that seemed interesting where you could feed the reindeer and learn a little about the Sami (native people in the area).  We scheduled this tour for the second day and had a Viking tour on the first day.  This tour facility was called Visit Tromso and was city operated.  It has a great website if you ever want to schedule a tour in Tromso.  This facility was located  in the Hurtigruten Cruise Port (just down where Viking had docked) and the people were extremely friendly and easy to work with.
 
The Viking tour, included in the cruise package, was a bus tour that took us around the city and over to the Arctic University that had a planetarium.  We learned that Tromso was the largest northern city of Norway with almost 80,000 people and it is the third largest city north of the Arctic Circle (the two largest cities are in Russia).  The city also has the only university in the northern part of the country.  Tromso was much larger than Alta and had plenty of bars, restaurants, and shops within easy walking distance of the ship.  Our first stop after our brief tour of the city of Tromso was the planetarium where we watched a display of the Northern Lights.  This was a very impressive display of the lights and was created by a Norwegian poet who was in search of best picture of the Northern Lights.  We were shown many time-lapsed photo shots of the lights taken in different areas of Northern Norway at different times and different months.  You cannot take good videos of the lights because you need a greater exposure time to see the brilliant colors in the darkness of the night.  Time-lapsed photos take pictures every 2 to 5 seconds allowing enough time to capture the lights and yet you can sequence them together into a video.  It allows you to see how the lights seem to move and change over time.  The artist who put it together narrated the presentation very articulately and the photos/videos were very impressive.  It made us realize that there are much better views of the Northern Lights than what we saw but it also made us realize what we saw was comparable to many of the pictures this poet had captured.  Our pictures certainly did not fully capture what we saw and seeing this presentation made you want to learn how to take better photos of the lights to better capture exactly what was being viewed.  This planetarium had the largest dome in Norway for this presentation and it is definitely a must see if you go to Tromso.  As we drove back to the ship, we stopped briefly to view the Arctic Cathedral which is a large triangular church with the second largest stain glassed window in Europe.  We made one final stop at an overview of Tromso where we took pictures of the city below.
 
On the following day we went on our Arctic Reindeer tour, meeting at a nearby hotel.  We had about a 40-minute bus ride to the reindeer farm.  When we arrived, they informed those people that had also booked the dog sledding that this would not be possible that day.  We were offered to dress in their snow suits and boots to visit the reindeer.  Once everyone was outfitted, we were given a brief orientation about the reindeer, and a bucket of reindeer food.  As we entered the area where there were at least 100 reindeer, we were attacked by hungry reindeer.  They knew what was in the buckets and wanted that food.  As we fed them, we took many pictures of all the different types of reindeer there.  Some had horns others had none and some had one (we were told they fought a lot and sometimes lost a horn).  Some of them were very large while others were small, but no very young reindeer could be seen at this time of year.  The area they were penned up was very muddy and icy.  There were a few shy reindeer, but most were rather aggressive.  One person in our group exited rather quickly because he didn’t feel comfortable with them.  It was fun to be up close and personal with them and get some good pictures and videos.
 
After feeding the reindeer we changed out of our outfits and went inside for a little lunch of hot chocolate and reindeer stew.  While we ate, we were given a talk from the Sami girl that ran the camp.  She explained about the Sami culture and gave us many personal examples about her life as a Sami.  These native people live in the northern area of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia.  There are tens of thousands of Sami in the area and they just look like anybody else in Norway unless they are dressed up in their Sami clothes.  The blonde, blue-eyed girl giving the talk told us of her love of the reindeer and how she owned 100’s that she kept up in the mountains.  She would go to the mountains every year to collect her herd and assure they were doing well.  The mountains were her sanctuary where she felt most comfortable in the world.  She was very articulate and extremely passionate about the reindeer and being a Sami.  It was quite an interesting talk, and the reindeer stew was very good!
 
We were informed on the second day in Tromso there was a weather system with hurricane (90MPH) winds in the North Seas that would impact our cruise itinerary.  Since Tromso is an island and we were on the mainland side of the island, we were in a well-protected harbor.  The captain told us we would be staying there an extra day and unfortunately, we would be missing our remaining two port stops in Narvik and Amsterdam due to this weather.  With the extra day in Tromso we spent it just walking around the city.  It is actually a very nice city to spend a little time, but 3 days may have been a little too long with few excursions available.  If we could have done more excursions, it would not have been a problem, but with the weather as it was, we really couldn’t get out and do some of the activities we would have like to do.  You must be flexible when on a cruise or any trip you take.  We were able to catch a couple of more glimpses of Northern Lights while we were docked in Tromso.  Nothing spectacular but it is always nice to see them and that was the whole reason for this cruise!
 
Our remaining cruise back to London ended up being much slower with weather and we ended up arriving 2 days later than planned.  Unfortunately, that caused us to miss our entire post cruise extension in London.  Well, we just might have to do a Northern Lights cruise again and hopefully catch London then.  Let us know if anyone is interested in seeing the Northern Lights and go with us.  We might be back here late next year or the following year!
 
 
Here is a list of our future cruises:

• Family Mediterranean cruise in June
• Norway/Svalbard/Iceland/Greenland cruise in August
• Canada/New England cruise in September
• Greek Isles/Mediterranean cruise in October
• Vietnam/Singapore/Bangkok/Hong Kong cruise in January 2024
• Antarctica Scenic cruise in February 2024
• South America/Panama Canal cruise in March 2024
• Kenya/Masai Mara Safari in July 2024
• Christmas Market River Cruise (Paris to Prague) in December 2024
• Amazon/Brazil cruise in January 2025
• Transatlantic/Cape Town cruise & Safari in February 2025

If anyone wants to join us on any of these, please let us know.
 
 
Regards,
Sharon and Greg

​A great day in Tromso, as we took a drive into the countryside where we visited a Sami reindeer ranch. We had the opportunity to get up close and feed the reindeer. Following, we had met a local Sami as she shared her culture and history. Quite fascinating!

Our first stop was in Alta which is about as far North as you can go on the Norwegian mainland.  It is well north of the Arctic Circle and snow was coming down when we arrived.  Our initial tour was just a quick trip into the town.  There wasn’t too much to the town, but it did have a nice ice sculpture display and a little ice-skating rink for kids.  We walked around town and hiked out to some of the residential areas to look at some of the homes in the area.
 
In the evening we had a tour that took us to the Igloo Hotel which is built each year in December and people book these hotel rooms through March (after that the hotel melts away).  The rooms are very expensive for this unique experience.  We elected to only view the hotel and rooms, and not stay the night on a cold, hard block of ice!  We decided to stick with our nice soft, warm bed!   Although they give you blankets and pillows it just didn’t seem like a real comfortable experience.  The main lodge has a normal restaurant and lobby that is very nice, and you don’t have to spend all your time in your ice room.  What is even more fascinating about this hotel, was the ice sculptures throughout the main area of the ice hotel.  The theme for this year was Africa and there were many sculptures of animals throughout the hotel.  They even had an “ice Jeep” that we took a group picture in.  The lighting made these sculptures unique and interesting to view.  There were many sculptures throughout the hotel and even carvings on the wall in many places.  Our guide who took us there, participates in building the hotel each year and gave us some good insight on what it took to build it.  This is a worthwhile place to visit if you are in the area during winter, but we are not sure about staying overnight there! 
 
From the Ice Igloo Hotel, we went out in search of the Northern Lights.  We stopped in an area that our guide that was promising but after several hours of waiting no lights appeared.  While we waited, we had a little local food – freshly grilled reindeer.  It was very tasty.  We did a little walking around the area but did not see too much.  It was a nice, pleasant night but unfortunately, no Northern Lights.
 
On our trip back to the ship, we stopped to view some wreckage of the German battleship the Tirpitz which was severely damaged by a British aerial attack on April 3rd, 1944, in a bay near Alta.  British Lancaster bombers dropped “Tall Boy” bombs which caused massive destruction to the battleship.  The ship could not be used in World War II after this attack although it was moved 120 miles south to Tromso to be used as an artillery station in case of a land invasion of Norway.  Next to the wreckage of this ship was a huge crater where one of these bombs had hit during the attack.  These bombs were the first generation of the “bunker buster” bombs used in Afghanistan to try and kill Obama bin Laden many years ago.  They leave a huge crater in the ground when they explode.
 
On the next day we took a 4-hour snowmobile ride.  It was snowing when we went, and visibility was a little limited.  We had a few minor mishaps where some of our snowmobiles fell over sidewise due to deep soft snow just off the main path.  It was hard to follow the path in front of you with the limited visibility of the snow.  If you went off the path the soft snow was about 4 foot deep.  The weather was also brutally cold that day with heavy wind gusts.  Many hands were frozen by the end of the trip and took a little time to warm back up after the tour.  It was a good way to see some of the local countryside, but this is certainly a tough place to do some snowmobiling if the weather is bad.
 
Alta is a nice place to visit but make sure you have some excursions to do while you are there.  It certainly isn’t a town to spend much time in.
Our first stop was in Alta which is about as far North as you can go on the Norwegian mainland.  It is well north of the Arctic Circle and snow was coming down when we arrived.  Our initial tour was just a quick trip into the town.  There wasn’t too much to the town, but it did have a nice ice sculpture display and a little ice-skating rink for kids.  We walked around town and hiked out to some of the residential areas to look at some of the homes in the area.
 
In the evening we had a tour that took us to the Igloo Hotel which is built each year in December and people book these hotel rooms through March (after that the hotel melts away).  The rooms are very expensive for this unique experience.  We elected to only view the hotel and rooms, and not stay the night on a cold, hard block of ice!  We decided to stick with our nice soft, warm bed!   Although they give you blankets and pillows it just didn’t seem like a real comfortable experience.  The main lodge has a normal restaurant and lobby that is very nice, and you don’t have to spend all your time in your ice room.  What is even more fascinating about this hotel, was the ice sculptures throughout the main area of the ice hotel.  The theme for this year was Africa and there were many sculptures of animals throughout the hotel.  They even had an “ice Jeep” that we took a group picture in.  The lighting made these sculptures unique and interesting to view.  There were many sculptures throughout the hotel and even carvings on the wall in many places.  Our guide who took us there, participates in building the hotel each year and gave us some good insight on what it took to build it.  This is a worthwhile place to visit if you are in the area during winter, but we are not sure about staying overnight there! 
 
From the Ice Igloo Hotel, we went out in search of the Northern Lights.  We stopped in an area that our guide that was promising but after several hours of waiting no lights appeared.  While we waited, we had a little local food – freshly grilled reindeer.  It was very tasty.  We did a little walking around the area but did not see too much.  It was a nice, pleasant night but unfortunately, no Northern Lights.
 
On our trip back to the ship, we stopped to view some wreckage of the German battleship the Tirpitz which was severely damaged by a British aerial attack on April 3rd, 1944, in a bay near Alta.  British Lancaster bombers dropped “Tall Boy” bombs which caused massive destruction to the battleship.  The ship could not be used in World War II after this attack although it was moved 120 miles south to Tromso to be used as an artillery station in case of a land invasion of Norway.  Next to the wreckage of this ship was a huge crater where one of these bombs had hit during the attack.  These bombs were the first generation of the “bunker buster” bombs used in Afghanistan to try and kill Obama bin Laden many years ago.  They leave a huge crater in the ground when they explode.
 
On the next day we took a 4-hour snowmobile ride.  It was snowing when we went, and visibility was a little limited.  We had a few minor mishaps where some of our snowmobiles fell over sidewise due to deep soft snow just off the main path.  It was hard to follow the path in front of you with the limited visibility of the snow.  If you went off the path the soft snow was about 4 foot deep.  The weather was also brutally cold that day with heavy wind gusts.  Many hands were frozen by the end of the trip and took a little time to warm back up after the tour.  It was a good way to see some of the local countryside, but this is certainly a tough place to do some snowmobiling if the weather is bad.
 
Alta is a nice place to visit but make sure you have some excursions to do while you are there.  It certainly isn’t a town to spend much time in.

​Regards,
Sharon and Greg

After 5 enjoyable pre-cruise days enjoying Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls, our cruise line, Hurtigruten, flew us down to Ushuaia (see short blog on this city).  We were traveling with the Palmers (Dale and John) and the Sanchezs/Decoucy (Leo, Jo and Barb).  This was the same group that cruised the Galapagos Islands over 4 years ago.  Our entire plane, along with another plane, was a charter flight by Hurtigruten and only had cruise passengers onboard.  The boarding procedures at the airport were extremely easy.  We chose Hurtigruten as our cruise company because they have been doing expeditionary cruises for over 50 years.  We like Viking and considered booking with them, but last year was the first year they have done cruises in Antarctica and we were concerned they didn’t have enough experience yet.  After our short visit in Ushuaia, we boarded the ship, the Fridjof Nansen.  This was a brand-new ship that was on its second Antarctica cruising season.
 
We didn’t really know what to expect during the cruise.  We knew we would sail 2 days through the Drake Passage before arriving in Antarctica and another 2 days through the passage on the way back.  The 5 days we would spend in Antarctica was a big unknown to us.  As we attended the orientation seminars, we started to understand a little more on what to expect.  First we were told there was no specific itinerary except for Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, etc.  Antarctica is unpredictable and what looks good in the morning might not look good in the afternoon.  Plans would need to change based on ice conditions as we cruised, weather in the area, other expedition cruise ships in the area, etc.  We were told that typically we would do one landing each day and possibly a zodiac scenic cruise each day.  We were also given the opportunity to sign up for kayaking and the science boat.  We could have signed up for camping but going out on the ice at 10 PM at night and getting up at 6:00AM just didn’t seem that appealing when you had to carry your own tent there and go to the bathroom in a bucket.  Signing up for the kayaks was a lottery system since there were more people who wanted to go than spaces available.  We signed up and were assigned to group 6.  We also were assigned to group 2 for the Science Boat which was an opportunity to work with the many scientists on board who were in Antarctica researching different things.
 
The 2-day voyage over the Drake Passage was uneventful.  The swells on the sea were large and walking on the ship was difficult at times but it really wasn’t too bad, and we didn’t see anyone who got sick.  During our voyage through the Drake, we were able to explore the ship and understand the differences between this small 530 passenger expeditionary ship and the larger ocean cruise ships we typically sail on.  There are only 3 restaurants on board, and one is a specialty restaurant.  We tried this specialty restaurant and wasn’t too impressed with it since it had a very limited menu and very few courses with the meal.  There was no salad and only one very small appetizer, but the cost was only $25 which is much less than the larger ships charge.  The main dining room seemed to alternate between buffet dinners and a small a la carte menu.  The food served there was very good.  The third restaurant was our favorite and served hamburgers, sandwiches, and other specialty items.  You could also order milkshakes and a Norwegian pancake type dessert.  At each restaurant you were served complimentary beer, wine, or soft drinks only during lunch and dinner hours.  Although there was no room service you could order take away from one restaurant.  Unfortunately, there was no coffee shop or other restaurant open between breakfast and lunch or open after dinner.  During the sea days you could go to one of the many lectures they had about Antarctic wildlife, icebergs, scientific studies, and exploration.  The WiFi on the ship was amazingly good although there were times that it was not available throughout our cruise.  There was a small fitness center on board, but it was typically busy.  A very nice shop was on board, and you could purchase high quality items for reasonable prices.  In the back of the ship was a small pool with two hot tubs.  The ship had a large scientific area where people could talk to the various scientists on board and learn more about Antarctica and its wildlife.  There was a very nice library there also with many books on Antarctica and the Arctic.  It was a well-designed ship, and we enjoyed our time on it.
 
When we arrived at the Antarctic peninsula on Day 3 of the cruise, or Day 1 of our Antarctica land expedition, we suited up because we were one of the first zodiacs to go to shore in the morning.  Suiting up involves putting on your long underwear and many layers of clothes in addition to wearing your down coat under your waterproof coat.  We had to buy a pair of waterproof pants on board because you needed to have them to go ashore.  Also don’t forget your wool hat, heavy gloves, hand warmers, and neck/face covering.  All this clothing for temperatures in the 30’s?  Besides the temperatures though, you must be prepared for the winds, rain, and/or snow.  Antarctica weather can change very quickly from sunny and calm, to 30 MPH gusts with rain blowing in your face!  We landed at Wordie House which was an old camp built in 1935 by the English and later abandoned in the 1950’s.  We were able to walk through this building which still had canned food items left over and posters from the 1940’s.  Across the inlet from the camp was the Ukrainian facility Camp Vernadsky which was sold to them for $1 by the British.  While on land we did a small hike to the top of a hill which gave us some good views of the surrounding area.  The weather was not bad but there was a little rain and a slight wind.  Temperatures were in the 30’s for the entire cruise.  Later in the afternoon we took a zodiac ride around the harbor and viewed the penguin colony around Camp Vernadsky.  It was especially fun to watch them swim.  Swimming penguins jump out of the water just like the dolphins do in the Caribbean.  We also saw one seal during the day.  Although the weather wasn’t too bad the sun was not out, and it was not a great day for photography.
 
On Day 2 in Antarctica the ship had moved to a new location in Orne Harbor where heavy snow was falling. We did another landing in the early afternoon and this time we had a significant hike to the top where there was another penguin colony.  We had a snow coming down most of the morning which was pretty to see.  When hiking on land you had to wear the boots provided by Hurtigruten and use the walking poles provided.  After a short walk from where we landed, we stopped to take photos of 4 penguins that were going down from the top of the hill to the sea.  They seemed to be having a lot of fun waddling around and moving around on their bellies.  After taking many pictures of these penguins, we started our long trek to the top.  Less than half the people who landed made it to the top.  As we hiked up, we would stop and enjoy the magnificent view and take a few pictures.  When we got to the top, we saw the large colony of penguins who lived there.  This was a long way from the sea which had their food (krill) and predators (seals).  There were a few chicks that you could see every now and then when they peeked out from their mother.  From the top we had a great view of our ship and the bay we were in.  After taking many pictures the sun “almost” came out and the visibility improved dramatically.  We started to retake all our pictures and had some excellent views all around us.  We ended up staying much longer than we were supposed to and took a later zodiac back to the ship with another group.  The pictures were just too good after the visibility improved.  The trip back down the hill was a little treacherous since it was steep and very slippery in the snow.  Many people fell on the way down, but we were fortunate to stay on both feet.  Later in the afternoon we took another zodiac cruise around the bay.  Unfortunately, the weather was bad with 20 to 30-mile hour winds and snow blowing almost horizontally.  The water was a little rough and it felt a lot colder.  We saw a few penguins on the coast with some other birds, but it really wasn’t great viewing weather, and we didn’t take many pictures.
 
On Day 3 in Antarctica, we were scenic cruising in the morning to get to our landing area in Paradise Bay.  As we cruised along, we saw several whales and many penguins.  Most of the penguins were swimming in the water but we saw some floating down the channels on icebergs.  The sun was out, and the pictures were great.  We stayed outside a few hours taking pictures.  We passed a Silversea cruise ship that had all its zodiacs and kayaks out.  We were envious of them having such great weather and could only hope that the sun would stay out for us once we got to our landing area.  When we got to our landing spot, we took an early zodiac to the landing spot so we could do the “Science Boat” later in the afternoon.  The sun was in and out, and the pictures were good.  Penguins were seen everywhere, and penguin poop smelled bad.  The smell and dirty snow was disgusting in the main penguin colony.  What was even worse, was the fact that these penguins lived right outside an active base where the people were coming back on the following week.  I would not want to live there with all those penguins!  At this stop we had another large hill to climb and the views at the top were very nice.  It was a little scary at the top because you were right next to a 100+ foot cliff drop.  There were some other places to walk at this stop to see more penguins and other parts of the base.  While we were there, we saw several instances where the nearby ice sheets calved into the water.  One of these was very impressive to watch.  In the afternoon we met our science team members who were going out on the boat with us.  The scientists on board the Hurtigruten ships elicit the help of cruise passengers to help in collecting data in Antarctica.  On this trip we performed a test for water visibility, obtained a water sample to analyze back at the lab, and sent out an underwater drone to record what was seen at different depths.  Everyone on the boat contributed to doing something.  The scientists could do this all themselves more quickly and efficiently but engaging the passengers created an activity that everyone enjoyed.  While out on this boat we saw many penguins, a seal, and even a whale in the distance.  Not everyone on the ship could participate in this science boat activity but we were lucky enough to win the lottery and get selected to help.  This was another fun day in Antarctica with our first day of sun and no rain or snow!
 
Day 4 in Antarctica was spent in Damoy Point (Dorian Bay).  Once again, we did some scenic cruising in the morning and the weather was spectacular with full sun for most of the morning.  The landscapes with snowy mountains were so impressive.  We passed both a Silversea and Ponant ship along the way in addition to several sail boats.  We were told that many of the sail boats go down to Antarctica when the Drake Passage is smooth and then stay down there for a long time.  There are so many beautiful channels to sail through and enjoy the magnificent scenery.  This was our day to do the Kayaks!  We were really excited to do this because it is quite an adventure.  They give you the suits to wear which consist of an insulated “bunny” suit with an outer waterproof suit that seals around your hands and neck to prevent water for leaking in (just in case you fall into the very, very cold water).  They also give you a pair of dive boots to wear.  After you suit up in your cabin, you go down to the embarkation area where they give you a life vest and your paddle.  You sit in the kayak to set up your foot pedals to the correct length.  Then you board a zodiac, while the crew attaches all the kayaks to a separate zodiac, and you ride out to a quiet spot where you board the kayak from the zodiac (hopefully without falling into the water!).  The zodiac trip was a good hour long with very calm seas and very little wind.  The sun was partially out, and everything was great.  Greg did most of the paddling while Sharon did all the photography.  Penguins were everywhere both on land and in the water.  We saw 7 seals and one was curious enough we thought he might jump into one of the empty kayaks.  We paddled a long way and even saw the Ponant ship again which was close to a large iceberg which we paddled up to.  It was a wonderful trip and one of our best kayak trips ever!  After our kayak trip we handed in all our suits and equipment, and then headed right to our cabin to put on our clothes for our landing trip.  We had just enough time to suit up and meet the rest of our group down in the embarkation area to head ashore.  There were penguins everywhere at this stop along with both an Argentinian and American base.  The American building had been turned into a museum that people could visit and see how the Antarctica explorers lived 50 years ago.  Near these two buildings there had once been a landing strip where planes had flown in to bring provisions to the nearby base camps.  You could do a lot of walking at this stop but there were no major hills to climb.  Penguins could be seen at many places along the walk.  The winds were relatively calm when we arrived but by the time we were leaving there was some very heavy gusts and it felt much colder.  After we came back the visibility started to be much more limited.  We were lucky to have gone kayaking and on land when we did.  This was our best day in Antarctica!
 
Day 5 started out as a disappointment.  As we were traveling to Deception Island, the waves and swells had greatly increased.  When we went through the narrow entrance (Neptune Bellows) inside Deception Island the waters were calmer but still rough.  Unfortunately, it was too rough to launch the zodiacs and we had to cancel our last land stop.  We did some scenic cruising on the large bay inside Deception Island which is a large volcanic crater.  Around the ring of land surrounding the bay are several smaller craters and lakes.  We had hoped to land at Whalers Bay, which was an old, abandoned whaler’s base.  The buildings looked in very poor condition and there were large storage tanks that once held the blubber oil.  We did some scenic cruising before heading out to try one more stop to see if we could make a landing.  We were told at the start of our trip that they always had Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, etc.   Well, we were off to Plan B – Half Moon Bay!  On our arrival the sun was shining, and the sea was not too bad.  We embarked on the zodiacs to Half Moon Bay and was very impressed with this stop.  Penguins were everywhere and they were up front and personal.  We had to avoid them as we walked, and they didn’t seem too concerned about us as we took our pictures.  The guides tried to keep us 15 feet away from the penguins but that was difficult to do at times.  Most of the colony was high up in the rocks but these penguins were much more active than the previous places we had been.  There were penguins everywhere walking in different directions.  We saw several penguin chicks at this site although more from a distance.  A seal was also spotted swimming in the water in addition to one very lazy seal on the beach by our landing spot.  Unlike other land stops we didn’t need to walk in any snow here and it was a very pleasant hike around the island.  The rock formations were very different on this island.  The wreckage of a very old boat was near our landing site which provided some good pictures with the penguins and sleeping seal.  Plan B turned out to be a great choice!
 
It should be noted how much effort is required by the expedition crew to prepare each landing site we went to.  They had to clear out an area to allow the zodiacs to land.  In many places they “carved” steps in the snow and ice to allow passengers to walk in some of the steep areas more easily.  They marked all areas you could walk with flags to make sure people didn’t wander to an area that had a dangerous fissure or too close to wildlife.  At one stop they had even built a seat in the ice that many people enjoyed during the long walk up to a hilltop.  While people were out on land, they had crew members posted at various points to ensure the safety of the passengers and wildlife.  They helped all passengers get in and out of the zodiacs which was quite a task for some of our larger passengers that had limited mobility.  The staff worked hard for the passengers and their efforts were certainly appreciated.
 
We had 5 great days in Antarctica!  The weather got better each day and was never terrible except for one afternoon.  That is pretty good for Antarctica where you never know what to expect.  We saw thousands of penguins, at least one seal at every stop, and whales every day as we cruised from our different stops.  It would have been nice to see a few more seals or some Orca whales but you never know what you will see.  One of the guides told us the best time to see Antarctica is either in early December to see the large icebergs or March to see the wildlife.  In January, when we went, is the most popular time to see a little of both.  Next time we go we will probably go in late February or early March and hope to find more wildlife.
 
After 2 uneventful days at sea going back to Ushuaia, we boarded our plane to Buenos Aires and then connected onto our plane back to Atlanta.  Our Antarctica adventure was finally over.  We had a great time.  Sharon even mentioned her interest to maybe try it again some time if we found some other people who were interested in doing it with us.  If you have any interest in doing an expeditionary cruise to Antarctica in the future let us know!  Next time we might try Viking or Silversea and we would probably lengthen the cruise to include South Georgia Island and/or Falkland Islands.
 
We apologize for the length of this blog but there was so much to see in Antarctica, and we didn’t want to break it down to different stops.  


Here is a list of our future cruises:

• Caribbean cruise in March
• Tahiti cruise in April
• Family Mediterranean cruise in June
• Norway/Svalbard/Iceland/Greenland cruise in August
• Canada/New England cruise in September
• Greek Isles/Mediterranean cruise in October
• Vietnam/Singapore/Bangkok/Hong Kong cruise in January 2024
• Antarctica Scenic cruise in February 2024
• South America/Panama Canal cruise in March 2024
• Kenya/Masai Mara Safari in July 2024
• Amazon/Brazil cruise in January 2025
• Transatlantic/Cape Town cruise & Safari in February 2025

If anyone wants to join us on any of these, please let us know.
 
Regards,
Sharon and Greg