2009 02 22 Valparaiso, Chile

Hello Friends,

Today we are feverishly uploading photos at an internet cafe in Valparaiso, Chile. We enjoyed a lovely tour - now we're getting down to business. We won't get completely current, but there should be a few photos from Antarctica out on Flickr. If you're at the blog, just click on the link and take a peek. All for now. We are well and having a wonderful time.

Love,

Nancy (Mom - Mimi) and Joe (Papaw)

2009 02 13 Antarctic Wildlife

Penguins, Fur Seals, more penguins, whale, and a leopard seal....Wonderful!

2009 02 13 Sunset in Antarctica

2009 02 13 Crew from Palmer Research Station leaving the Prinsendam.

We cruised by the US Palmer Research Station on Antarctic Peninsula. The Palmer Station crew visited the Prinsendam and gave lectures throughout the day. About 20 members of the team from the station spent the day on ship - eating, visiting with passengers, even visiting the spa for pedicures and haircuts.

The next photo captures a group of penguins flying through the water - just behind them was a fur seal looking for a meal.....

The next photos are more remarkable views from the area - simply indescribible.

2009 02 13 Lemaire and Neumayer Channel; Andvord and Paradise Bays; Errera Channel & Dallmann Bay

Antarctica is breathtakingly beautiful. Snow, ice, blue seas, wildlife, glaciers, mountains - so much you can't imagine our delight in being here. Unbelievable, we never would have dreamed about visiting such a place - and certainly we're having a hard time believing that we're here.

2009 02 12 Antarctica - It's Snowing

We awakened this morning to snow flurries. The deck of the ship had a light layer of snow over a glaze of ice. It was glorious - and I don't even like snow. The breeze was brisk, but it was so fresh - amazingly beautiful.

2009 02 12 Antarctica - Livingston and Deception Islands

The terrain of Livingston and Deception Islands is very different than portions of King George and Greenwich Islands we saw. Rugged and beautiful - incredible!

2009 02 12 Antarctica - Cruising King George and Greenwich Islands

Visibility improved a bit, and the terrain here is quite rugged. Of course we only viewed this land from the sea, and the experience was incredible. Photos don't do it justice. We are speechless.

2009 02 11 Antarctica (Elephant Island to Antarctic Sound)

Our location today was 61 51.1 degrees South and 055 28.4 degrees West. We had a moderate breeze, fog, slight seas and temps were 2C/36F. Due to the fog we went slow, very slow. As the mist cleared you could see the ice shelves nearby. The Captain and Officers were very busy during this time keeping us safe. You see the hull of the ship is only about 1/8th of an inch thick. If we hit a growler with too much speed or at an improper angle we could be cold, very cold.

No matter how cold the air, we were in awe of our surroundings. Such an incredibly beautiful place to be. Simply amazing.....

2009 02 09 and 10 At Sea

Our location on Monday, February 9th was 56 30.9 degrees South and 040 28.5 degrees West. We enjoyed a fresh breeze, skies were partly cloudy and the seas were moderate. Temps are 5C/41F - it's getting cooler.....

On Tuesday, February 10th, another sea day, our location was 59 12.3 degrees South 049 06.1 degrees West. We encountered moderate breeze, fog and slight seas. Temp was 4C/39F....it's getting colder......

Cruising in this part of the world is just amazing. We really enjoyed this experience with the crew - they were having a great time. Icebergs and Ice Shelves as large or larger than our ship. As we cruised by the immense bergs we could see entire communities of penguins making their homes on these floating islands. There were thousands of penguin, and whale spouts are abundant.

2009 02 08 Grytviken, Cumberland Bay, South Georgia