CHRISTMAS IN ANTARCTICA.08

Dec. 25.06 Day 11 at sea. Partly cloudy, 32F.

CHRISTMAS IN ANTARCTICA

Santa found us way down opposite where the old fellow lives!

A beautiful very sunny day, and the ice is massive and so white in the sunshine. The sea is smooth, and the sky reflects the the glacier blue edge of the icebergs which is a stunning sight.

We woke this morning with a cheery Merry Christmas to everyone over the speakers from the ship's entertainment directer. Tom is still in quite a bit of pain, but he carries on, regardless!

We go up for breakfast after staring in amazement at the scenery around us outside, as we slowly glide by, one ice burg after another....beginning to become quite common now, but it's different today with the sun so bright, on the snow, and also because it's Christmas and everyone is happy and wishing each other a Merry Christmas greeting.
This is Danny, wishing us a Merry Christmas! Tom would sing "Oh Danny Boy", every morning when we came up for breakfast and greeted by this smiling fellow.

Yes, that's me sitting on Santa's knee and likely he was cringing in pain, as we discussed how to solve the problems of the world, as his knee probably felt like it was breaking! It was the grown ups turn to sit on Santa's knee, and he is a cute old guy, don't you think, so how could I resist!

Yell "FIRE" and everyone runs, well, yell "Whale" or "PENGUINS", and the whole room runs to the windows and that's what happened here! The ship leaned to one side! Poor Santa carried on with the children, but the adults who where happily taking pictures of their children with Santa, forgot about the kids and rushed to the windows...Penquins....at last!! We had arrived the Chilean Scientific Center where thousands of penguins surrounded the Center. They are hard to see, but look at all the grey specks, plus they were in the water swimming, jumping up and down like little dolphins. Of course they went underwater every time I clicked the camera!!

Crosses, where of course people have died at the station. More then likely from insanity!! I couldn't stay there!! The penguins and the people seem to co-exist very well together. I heard where they would have liked to have the people there come on board for Christmas dinner, but it was too dangerous for the ship to get closer, and NOBODY on the ship was allowed by law to be ashore!These guys, I took from inside the ship window, as the ship was passing by a berg, and the penguin's we're ready to jump off the ice flow. I just happened to catch the last one going too!

I had hoped that when I zoomed in with my Picasa program, that it would stay like that, but nope....it doesn't!! I wish I had been outside, but my luck had it that I wasn't and to get there, would have been one mad dash which I couldn't have accomplished! This is our last day to view the spectacular scenery of the Antarctic Peninsula. We are now heading to Elephant Island then continue across the Drake Passage towards the Falkland Islands...which I loved!
It was so beautiful and warm as we began our leave of Antarctica. The icebergs have diminished to these square blocks of floating ice, which I'm sure the ship did NOT want to hit, as 10% is above water and 90% below the water!


This is Elephant Island, taken from inside the ship! Elephant Island is where Ernest Shackleton and his crew of 28 men, rowed three small boats to this Island when pack ice crushed their ship, The Endurance. From here, Shackleton and five men sailed 800 miles in a open lifeboat to South Georgia Island, which then they trekked across land to get help for the men left behind. Fortunately all survived!! Incredible!!

A tent set up on the ship to sort of re-create what Shackleton and his men had to live in, and how they lived, along with some interesting pictures.

We shared our table and Christmas dinner with a lovely couple from Missouri, the Jennings.

Turkey and all the trimmings! Delicious, right down to the plum pudding! Then back to our stateroom...or cabin, which is the smallest we've ever had yet. Maybe because of too many suitcases and a wheelchair. We could barely pass each other in there!It was a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!