Memories of the Falkland Islands, South Georgia & Antarctic

Friday, December 16th This morning, the alarm sounds off at 2:45am. We have thirty minutes before our ride comes. We hustle with the excitement of a trip to Antarctica, South Georgia, and the Falkland Islands. At the airport, we are greeted by long lines, but it turns out they will not impact us as we have somehow managed to bring only carry on bags for our three-week dream trip. The key is wearing our Muck boots on the plane and stuffing our coat pockets to the gill with hats, gloves, and our neck wraps. At least airlines don't charge extra for bulky coats; not yet anyways! We get through security and have about an hour before boarding our flight to Miami, which eventually connects to Ushuaia, Argentina. Other travelers give us second glances as they figure out we are headed for Miami too. They must wonder why we could possibly need insulated 16-inch boots in 70-degree Miami? Oh, if only they knew! Wednesday, December 21st We enjoy a few days in Ushuaia prior to the departure of our cruise. We trek through Tierra del Fuego National Park, hike up the local glacier, and cruise the Beagle Channel. What a beautiful city! On the day our cruise ship L'Austral departs, we discover that another couple headed for the same cruise is staying at our hotel. We leave for the dock with them in the afternoon. At the ship, well-dressed French men and women greet us. When we board, a crewmember immediately takes custody of our passports, so that it can be stamped at each island or continent. In exchange, she hands us ID cards that will be swiped each time we disembark for an excursion and again when we return. Another crewmember leads us to our room, and what a fancy place it is, too! A king-size bed, built-in dresser, and large flat screen provide the cozy space with a luxury feel. But, the large walk-out balcony helps to keep the focus on the outside and the sites that await. We take a tour of the boat and receive a welcome drink in the lounge. A few hours later, the captain welcomes everyone on board and introduces his associates. As La Compagnie du Ponant is a French company, the speech is in both French and English. The Master of Ceremony briefly dismisses us but has us return with our life jackets to perform the mandatory life-boat drill. We make a reservation at Le Rodriques, the buffet on deck six, and we are amazed by our first meal! The buffet has an impressive spread of cod, chicken, salad bar, fresh fruits, cheese, breads and soups. Friendly wait staff serves wine and cappuccinos. And a detailed dessert bar ensures that weight gain is a real risk. That evening we watch March of the Penguins in the large theater with our new friends. We make sure to enjoy our first sunset, which happens at 10:15pm. So late!

Thankfully, we have good traveling weather. We're happy to postpone the rough seas for as long as possible. We wake at 7:00am to a very bright room. I guess that is the danger of leaving the balcony drapes open. At breakfast, we are again impressed with the food selections. We sampled mini-waffles, pancakes, fresh fruit, cheese and smoked salmon. Next we select our red expedition jackets, which we can take home at the end of the trip. The extra small is quite roomy, but hopefully it will shrink. We attend a mandatory IAATO briefing where we all agree not to get too close to the animals or to litter. IAATO stands for the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, which is an organization that promotes safe and environmentally responsible private-sector travel to the Antarctic. During the meeting, we also meet our naturalist team. Then we go to the bridge and watch prions, albatross, and petrels and hear a short lecture about the navigation system. Interestingly, Rolls Royce, Saab and Shindler all make parts for our boat. Lunch is another formal affair. We eat quiche, salmon salad, and fresh fruit and yet another dessert bar. Wow! The captain announces that we will be arriving at the Falkland Islands around 8:00pm. We attend a meeting soon after to learn about our first embarkation: Grave Cove in the west Falkland Islands. The naturalists tell us that we will see a rookery of gentoo penguins, which means we will see a breeding colony and hopefully some penguin chicks. We get ready for the formal Captain's Welcome Gala where the crew serves champagne and appetizers. Live music plays while people filter in. We aren't the best dressed as many women brought fine jewelry, and the men are donning suits. Still, we liked the idea of traveling light, so we could bring back treats and souvenirs! The dinner following the welcome speech is a four-course meal with soup, risotto, veal, foie gras custard creme brulee and an opera pastry for dessert. The food is good as always, and it is fun chatting with new friends. The boat makes its approach into the cove and you can really feel the boat hang a sharp right before dropping anchor. We go to the theatre to watch ''Paris,'' a singing and dancing show. It feels a little like Vegas, but it is definitely entertaining and fun. Back in our room, we prepare our belongings for the first disembarkation in the morning.

I sleep until 8:45am and wake up feeling refreshed. We have our breakfast and perform the mandatory gear cleaning in preparation for our stops in South Georgia. There is a lecture on king penguins and one on sea birds. I enjoy learning more about the animals we will be seeing. Around 7:00pm, we eat appetizers in the lounge and meet more of our cruise companions. Then we watch the Christmas Show in the theater. Dancing on a moving boat looks tricky. The four dancers have an interesting act with one of the dancers inside a blow-up bubble. For a small cruise ship, the entertainment has been diverse and well done. Next we go to the Christmas Eve dinner, which is a lengthy affair with music and a four-course meal. We have soup, foie gras, scallop souffle, veal, and turkey. Most of the dishes are good. But, I don't care for foie gras, so my husband gets two servings. After dinner, we go to the Christmas mass, which is in French with no translation. So, we quietly leave early and go to the Christmas party where we enjoy the live music. We dance a bit, but mostly observe the crew as they are the most animated on the dance floor. It feels a little bit like a French disco! We decide to leave with the friends we met at our hotel and play a few rounds of cards. But, dawn starts to appear and suddenly we realize that it's 3:00am. We quickly dash off to bed and are excited to discover that the turn-down service includes a large box of French chocolates as a Christmas gift from the cruise company.

Today we attend the mandatory cleaning and decontamination to prepare our outerwear for Antarctica. We are excited that we will arrive in Antarctica soon! There are two English lectures ''Life of the Whale'' and ''Albatross, We Have a Problem.'' Both lectures are interesting, but the highlight of the day is spotting our first iceberg. It is fairly large and blue in color. In the afternoon, we attend a behind-the-scenes tour of the ship. It is loud and a bit more rocky-feeling on deck one. Deck one is exclusively for the crew. We see the engine, the stabilizers, and the water storage and filtration system. It's amazing how much goes on behind the scenes. Later, we go to bed a bit after dinner as our group is the first zodiac disembarkation once we arrived in the Weddell Sea. The Weddell Sea is named after James Weddell who discovered the great ice-filled sea in 1823.

This morning we wake up early as we need to disembark before 9:00am. We feel hesitant to leave the boat and our friends. While Antarctica is no longer uncharted land, it was still uncharted by us. And while the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration ended decades ago, our stage of Antarctic exploration ends today. The diverse flora and fauna will never leave our minds, and the sheer remoteness of the white continent ensures it will hold a special place in our hearts. And as we age and our crisp memories fade, we'll at least have many photos and this journal to help take us back to that special time when we were both explorers.