15 posts tagged “big trip”

I slept in long and skipping the city tour (it was already hot and humid again) I had a relaxed breakfast, packed my bags and relaxed a bit before going down to the lobby to wait for the bus to the aiport.
Once at the airport, queuing was the order of the day, four times in total: Check-in, aiport tax, security check and emigration. After more than two hours we were finally at the gate and still had to wait but at least the flight was boarding on time. However, we then had to wait for a take-off window as the Argentine air control had all kinds of problems
A shortish (2.5 hours) flight to Sao Paulo, a long wait for the changeover of crew and passengers and then we were on our way to Frankfurt. The less said about the comfort of transatlantic flights with Lufthansa the better so I'll skip the moaning but I did manage to nap a bit now and then.
We arrived in Frankfurt on schedule (10:35) and getting through passport control and baggage claim was easy. I then had to get the shuttle train thing to Terminal 2 and check in for my flight to London. Thanks to an electronic ticket and quick bag drop, this was a matter of a few minutes. I still had about three hours but decided I'd wait by the gate and made my way there and quite a way it was. The gate was at the far (and new) end of concourse D and I'm sure I walked for an hour until I had reached the gate (after two security checks). I had stopped in between to buy a snack (didn't have the hunger for a full lunch) and browse a few shops and still had plenty of time at the gate to read a bit.
A quick (compared to the previous one) flight to Heathrow, painless procedures, quick baggage claim and I was on English ground again. I managed to get an earlier coach to Cambridge, too and was quick enough to grab the first taxi so I was home at 19:20.
I could have done without those 30 hours of travel and hanging around at aiports and other places but that's what you have to deal with if you go to the other side of the world.

Still, the memories and the photos are enough to look back at this wonderful trip with awe and a certain amount of incredulity.

There is now a small photo preview on flickr which I will incorporate into past posts during the week or so and then expand from my huge collection.

When my alarm woke me at 5:30, we were already moored at Ushuaia harbour, with Argentina's southernmost city bathed in morning sunshine. After breakfast, there were various things to do (settling the bill, picking up passport, making sure nothing was left in the cabin etc.) and then it was time to say goodbye to the MS Nordnorge and to disembark.
I wandered around the pier for a bit to take some photos and look at the other expedition and cruise ships (some of them we had met during our trip) and then we boarded the bus that took us to the Tierra del Fuego Nartional Park.
Tierra del Fuego (Fireland) is similar to Patagonia in neighbouring Chile with snow-capped mountains in the background and rolling hills covered in grass or beech trees interspersed by lakes. In one of those lakes we spotted a beaver (introduced by entrepreneurs who thought they would bring prosperity to the region from hunters), and everywhere were hundreds of rabbits (also introduced by foreigners, the Spanish in this case). Lapwings were looking for food in the pampa and at another lake I spotted a heron looking for fish. A wonderful morning in nature.

After the trip we had an hour to walk around in Ushuaia which was far too short but the bus had to be at the airport by 12. There, we checked in relatively quickly and then had to wait for three hours, only to learn that our flight was late by an hour. This was annoying but not too painful as the lounge was quite comfortable but it was time that could have spent more productively.

The actual flight to Buenos Aires was OK but we were above thick cloud cover so couldn't see a thing.
As we came out to baggage claim, our bags were already there which is unusual. It turned out (and the rumours flying around were proven true) that the bags that were supposed to be on the second flight ended up on the first and vice versa so we had our bags while the passengers who had flown out an hour earlier only got theirs later in the evening.
Coming out of the airport was like walking into a wall, the air was hot and incredibly humid. Thankfully, they way to our airconned bus was short. The bus took a detour through various areas of the big city and then dropped us off at the hotel. The public areas (lobby, corridors) of the hotel weren't much better than outside, it was horribly stuffy and humid even inside.
We got our room cards from a well ventilated conference room and I was finally able to unwind. First on the list was a refreshing shower and a short nap on the bed. Sadly, there was no internet access in the room so I couldn't update this blog or upload photos.
 
Then it was already time to get ready for the Tango Show. The bus picked us up at 21:45 and it was still humid and very warm indeed so I felt very uncomfortable, especially as we had to wait for a long time outside the Carlos Gardel theatre. Once inside, it was comfortable and we were seated along long tables in the auditorium. I had a perfect seat with good view of the stage. The deal included a three course a la carte dinner with free wine. The food was excellent despite the huge amount of covers they produced (I would guess 500 at least but I don't know for sure). The starter was parma ham/mozzarella rolls, the main a fantastic Angus entrecote (definitely some if not the tastiest beef I've ever had) and the dessert a cheesecake with figs.
Dinner could have been shorter but finally the show started and boy, what a show it was. Having a perfect seat, I was utterly transfixed by the music and dancers on stage and I regretted not having taken my camera as I could have taken some awesome shots. The show basically told the history of tango, reflected in various styles of dance and dress. The performers were not just perfect dancers (more than that, they were high class athletes) but also gorgeous so there was plenty of eyecandy for both the men and the women in the audience. The music was provided by a traditional band sitting higher up in the back of the stage. A truly wonderful show.
Just after we had returned to the hotel, a powerful lightning storm hit. While not being at the centre of the storm, the lightning all around was still impressive and the rain came down in buckets.
I finally found some sleep around 3.

Another uneventful day as we reached the Southern tip of Argentina in the late evening.
The highlight was the Captain's Dinner with some fine food indeed (venison steak as main). An early night was in order as there was to be an early start the next morning.
I had finished packing my suitcase, put the correct colour ribbon on (this would be important for the charter flights the next day) and left it outside my cabin to be picked up and transported to the airport for us.

Not much to write about, really.
The weather was fine at first but then turned quite quickly, first into stronger winds and rougher sea, then a powerful downpour and then almost inpenetrable fog.
I spent my time listening to lectures (one about Arved Fuchs' Shackleton 2000 expedition of which the lecturer had been a member) and one about Shackleton's photographer, who was later official correspondent in both world wars for Australia. The samples were stunning, especially considering the technology (or lack thereof) he had at his disposal.
It was also time to pack my suitcase to see if it all fit in (it did), work on photos, catch up on sleep and relax.

The early morning started out as the previous day had ended but the weather soon picked up and by the time we had reached Brown Bluff on the East coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, the sun was shining brightly and the sky was blue. From afar, the site doesn’t look like much (the name is very descriptive, it’s a high cliff and rocks of brown volcanic material) but it’s in a bay with small icebergs and floating floes of sea ice that shone brilliantly in the morning sun. Fortunately, the landing site was clear so we could go out in the Polarcirkel boats. There were quite a few waves so we were splashed liberally with sea water (tasting salty but clean) which tested the splashproofness of my little Fuji Finepix (and apparently, it is splashproof despite not being advertised as such) but it was a warm day so we didn’t mind much.
The site hosts one of the biggest (if not the biggest) rookery of Adelie penguins and they were out in force indeed. There were some gentoo, too and very few Chinstraps but the “clowns of the Antarctic” had the biggest population. All along the beach, bits of sea ice formed quite an obstacle for the short-legged waddlers to get into and out from the water. This obviously was a lot of fun to watch and many of us couldn’t stop giggling at their antics. There were even some watershy ones. I watched a group of them going in and the last three went as far as getting their feet wet, went “Aak! Aak!” and turned around again…
Their chicks were quite big already, almost as tall as their parents but hardly recognisable as penguins for all the dark grey fluff.
We were also treated to a sight I had been waiting for: penguins sliding on the snow on their bellies, pushing themselves along with their feet. This mode of transport seemed to be a lot more efficient and also faster. They only get into trouble when they don’t realise there’s a stone in the way and they come to a sudden stop…
In the cliffs, various seagulls and cape petrels circled but unfortunately they didn’t come close enough (and we weren’t permitted to go closer to the rocks) to get a good picture. Still, the sight and the memories prevail.
When we were back at the ship we spotted a few leopard seals on the shore to the left of the landing site but they were really far away.

We then waved good-bye to Brown Bluff around midday and set course for the Antarctic Sound again.
During the afternoon we passed various groups of shelf icebergs and then hit thick fog, so I used the downtime to take a nap.

The further North our course let us, the rougher the sea got and by dinner time, it was quite tricky to walk in a straight line but despite the rough sea, the weather still held and we had a wonderful sunset over the Drake Passage again.
Just to be on the safe side, I took a seasickness pill but I don’t think it would have been necessary.

We arrived at Deception Island (a huge caldera, 13km across) around 7:30 and anchored in Telefon Bay as Whaler Bay with its hot springs had already been booked by another ship. I walked along the beach and took photos of several Weddell and Crabeater Seals dozing on the volcanic ash shore and then hiked up to the crater of the ’72 eruption that wiped out a Chilean and a British base in this part of the island. It’s quite impressive but not as impressive as Viti, Hekla’s crater in Iceland. It took me a while to realise what the difference to Iceland was. Here, there were only huge amounts of ash with bits of pumice and other volcanic rocks but no streams of lava. Obviously, we’re on a different continental shelf here and the shelves are moving together and on top of each other which causes smoke/ash eruptions while in Iceland, the tectonic plates are moving apart, which causes huge eruptions of molten rock.
Some brave souls stripped down to their bathing costumes and jumped into the cold waters (around 4 degrees C) but that wasn’t for me.
Back to the ship to get changed and then it was time to leave again. We passed two research stations (Argentinia and Spain) and then passed through “Neptune’s Bellows” (the entrance into the big caldera) again for our voyage around the Northern tip of the Antarctic Peinsula and into the Antarctic Sound.

As we neared the Northern tip of the Antarctic peninsula, the first massive proper shelf icebergs appeared. The captain even passed one at a very close distance (no further than 30 metres) so we could see the massive wall of layered ice. An utterly breathtaking and beautiful sight. Cracks and fissures added to the texture.
Later on, the icebergs and mountains on both mainland and islands were turned yellow and then pink as the sun set. It really is hard to describe.

The glorious weather continued and our journey through the picturesque Lemaire Channel with its high mountains, ragged peaks and lazy glaziers was a perfect start of Christmas Eve. I don’t think I’ve ever had better weather on CE than that day. The combination of sunshine, blue skies and almost still waters in which the mountains reflected made for a picturebook scenery.
We turned around at the end and sailed back the way we came, again through the Neumayer Channel and past Port Lockroy to our next destination, Cuverville Island in .
At first, the weather was hazy and cloudy but by the time my boat group was called to go out, the sunshine and blue skies had followed us.
The island is host to one of the largest Gentoo colonies and we were able to observe various behaviours from picking up and stealing stones for the nests, to swapping care of the nest (a few still had eggs while some had quite big chicks already) and general tomfoolery (like one penguin beating another one furiously with its wings for seemingly no apparent reason other than sitting in his way to the beach) and the usualy skypointing and screeching at passing Skuas. Very enjoyable indeed.
The boat ride back to the ship took a long detour among the many icebergs in this bay which was another highlight of this already fantastic day.
After everyone was back on board, the ship “set sail” for the destination of the night, Paradise Harbour, another glorious bay littered with icebergs which made for an appropriate scenery for Christmas Dinner.

Christmas Dinner started with Gloegg (a type of mulled wine which had raisins and almond slices steeped in alcohol at the bottom) served by the bridge crew, then the Christmas Tale was read in three languages (the captain in Norwegian, the ship’s doctor in English and Elke, the trip coordinator, in German) and then the buffet was opened. The choice was even more elaborate than usual with lobster, king crab and other seafood, gravadlax and other fine fish and various meat dishes and cold cuts, too. I shared two bottles of wine with my new friends Horst (a medical doctor specialising in haemorrhoids) and Jürgen (a retired primary school teacher) so the evening was rather alcoholic, too.
I spent the last hour out on deck until about 00:30 to watch the high snow-capped peaks turn pink again as the sun set.
I should have stayed up for another hour and I would have been able to see a group of Orcas but unfortunately, I was too tired.

We visited Arctowski, a Polish research station in Admiralty Bay of King George Island. Not far from the landing site, we were welcomed by a Chinstrap Penguin and a few metres on a young Sea Elephant was dozing away and even yawned at me as I took a few pics. There were Adelie (most of them) and Gentoo Penguins, too and they were just utterly cute. On my way back to the landing site I got "trapped" between two groups of penguins and had to wait for five minutes until they had waddled on. Wonderful. Got a badge from the "souvenir shop" and I intend to do so at the other stations we visit so they will make up for the missing print on the jacket.
I'm also glad I put on all those clothes (long underwear, shirt, fleece, windbreaker jacket, lined trousers, hat and hood) as it is rather cold down here, especially with the windchill.

The journey to our next destination was quiet but foggy so not very interesting which meant I found some time to write almost all of the postcards I intend to send from Port Lockroy tomorrow.

The ship stopped at Greenwich Island, specifically Yankee Harbour at around 16:00 and the first boat group went out half an hour later. The landing was wetter than the first one as you had to wade through some water (just shy of the top of my rubber boots) but it was no problem at all.

The island was host to three colonies of Gentoo Penguins and a family of seals who were sleeping by the beach. Many of the penguins had chicks, some older, some very young and it was wonderful to watch their behaviour, feeding the chicks, fighting each other, fighting the always present and ready Skua or just wandering back and forth to the sea. There was a lonesome Chinstrap penguin, too who looked a bit lost amongst all the Gentoo. The various types of penguins share living space but they don't interbreed.

All in all, a truly awesome day. It's been building up constantly and if this was just a taster for things to come we're really in for a treat.

The weather continued to be on our side and it has been a very quiet crossing so far. The weather has been cloudy and windy but the sea has been calm so no problems there.

More excitement was provided by the many seabirds which joined our ship by sailing alongside and behind it. Two types of albatross (Black-Brow and Sooty) and the ubiquitous petrels which were now joined by their Cape cousins (smaller, dark heads and freckled). I also managed a very lucky shot at a white Giant Petrel which according to one of the lecturers are apparently quite rare.

So, despite being on the ship all day, it has been an exciting day.

Tomorrow are the first "wet landings" in Antarctica with our little boats, first at King George Island and then at Greenwich Island, Yankee Harbor to be precise. Let's hope the sea will still be calm and there won't be any trouble getting across.

The excitement really doesn't seem to end and we're not even in Antarctica yet...

I woke up at 6am looked out of the window and we were already in Puerto Williams in beautiful weather. I quickly threw on a jacket and a pair of trousers and went on deck to snap a few pics.
After breakfast I took part in the walk to the beech forest (the southernmost forest in the world) but was soon fed up with all those people so I just waited for a while and took photos of flowers and beeches and mosses etc.
One of the Austrians came back from the big group and then pointed to the left so we investigated and found a big tree infested with a "golfball fungus", also called "Indian Bread" as the previous inhabitants used to eat them. I didn't, though. Although they look nice (bright orange), I wasn't too keen on trying. I ate some calafates, though, a local berry, similar to the cranberries in Europe. Not quite ripe yet but I can imagine the marmalade is very nice. This also means I will come back...

Best bit of the day so far was when I had waited until all the others had already gone back or were still in the back and it was quiet and I was the only one on the road. Suddenly, the birds came back and I managed to snap a beautiful songbird with a bright yellow chest, called a Black-faced Tyrant. I also saw some Steamer-Ducks with chicks.

On our way to Cape Horn we spotted a group of Sea Lions playing in the sea and later several Fin Whales which were a bit too far away to get clear photos of but at least I saw them blow and the occasional fin.
We arrived at Cape Horn Island at around 5:30 and circumnavigated it slowly. It was cloudy and a bit windy but we still could see the rocks, the lighthouse and the albatross monument clearly. The winds were quiet, too, and even now that we've entered open sea (the dreaded Drake Passage), wind speed is only 4-5 on the Beaufort scale.