MERRY CHRISTMAS! Before 10:30 I had watched the launch of a weather balloon, decorated cookies, attended a presentation on three species of whales, and stood in awe in front of the world’s largest iceberg, A23a. It’s the size of Rhode Island and flat on top with edges beautifully sculpted by wind and water. We cruised by very slowly which made it seem like we were sailing along a cliff for about an hour and a half.

Viking spared no effort in laying on a festive day: Christmas music, a pre-lunch spread of treats, eggnog, and hot toddies; a tour of the hanger where the submarines, kayaks, zodiacs, and special operations boats are garaged; a tour of the science lab where data is collected and analyzed; a mini-presentation on kelp; and a fabulous dinner.

Australians had the opportunity to enjoy our company at dinner tonight. Dan had a traditional meal centered on turkey, and I opted for a starter of pate and Cornish hen in a puff pastry, salad, and seared shrimp and scallops on little pearl pasta. Yum!

The crew and staff as well as a small choir of our fellow passengers capped off the day with a show in the auditorium. It was very well received by a standing room only crowd. Amateur hour at its festive finest.

Today we woke to fog, wind, mist, and seas a little more aggressive than on previous days. With anticipated landings in the South Shetland Islands we all had to do bio-security on the outerwear we wore on South Georgia. Down we all traipsed with our boots, pants, coats, hats, scarves, and gloves. It’s not like we have a lot of other commitments, so everyone took it in good humor.

Activities outside the usual reading, relaxing, and eating included retrieving our passports and a lecture on the contribution of dogs to arctic science in the late 20th century. Icebergs seemed to pop up out of nowhere and are particularly beautiful against the aqua sea and the brooding sky. It took a half hour to get past one that surprised us at dinner.

Our big event this afternoon was to have been cruising around Elephant Island, one of the South Shetlands that lies about 150 miles north of the Antarctic Peninsula, our ultimate destination. It is most famous as the port in a storm that Shackleton and his crew managed to float to on ice flows after their ship Endurance was crushed by pack ice in 1916. It is barren, icy, and inhospitable with no vegetation and a reputation for horrendous storms. Last night a huge ice flow forced the captain to reroute us, so we had to bypass Elephant Island. Sad face. Safety first as Matt would say.

Sunrise was at 2:34. Seas were choppy all day with wind gusts up to 30 miles per hour with 9 to 10 foot swells. 36 degrees was our high. Sunset was at 9:40.

Our joke of the day from the captain:
What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?
Answer: Frostbite.

… Antarctica trivia …

The sun does not set during the summer and does not rise all winter.

Plants are found on one percent of the continent.

Seventy permanent research stations situated around the continent are run by 29 different countries.
The oldest existing station was established in 1903.
These facilities are manned by 4,000 people during the summer and about 1,000 during the winter.

Ken Blaiklock holds the record for spending the most cumulative time here, 14 years. 

Eleven people have been born on the continent, the first in January 1979. 

Hard to grasp but the southern-most active volcano in the world, Mount Erebus, is here
as well as lava lakes which have held liquid magma for eons. 

More than 200 different bodies of water have been discovered beneath the ice. 

An expedition in 1911 led by Roald Amundsen, a Norwegian, was the first to reach the South Pole.

The dusty expanse of dirt known as the Dry Valleys are the driest places on earth,
so dry that snow and ice cannot accumulate.  

Antarctica is, on average, the windiest place on earth with speeds up to 200 miles per hour. 
Fingers crossed we do not have the privilege of first hand experience.

Up to four miles thick, the Antarctic Ice Sheet is the single biggest mass of ice in the world.
The continent as a whole contains about 90 percent of the planet’s freshwater ice
and around 70 percent of the total fresh water on earth!

Fossils tell us that millions of years ago Antarctica resembled a tropical forest
with huge trees, and lots of diverse wildlife.