Bergies and Penguins...

"...Morning Coffee with Klaas, Marianne and Sophie in the wheelhouse this morning seemed surreal. The portholes were spattered with massive soppy snowflakes, through which we saw fantastic blue and white icebergs floating past. Nick's voice crackled over the radio now and again as he stood ice watch up on the foredeck, and I thought myself a bit lucky that today was my turn being the galley fairy. The bosun was concerned last night about keeping the new foredeck wet, but today that won't be a problem... The snowflakes were turning into a thick slush on the deck and the clock was nearing seven; time to get breakfast started and spend some seriously emotional moments chopping onions. As I crossed the main deck a particularly nice berg with an aquamarine arch rolled past. Just another coffee break on Europa."

Working on the ship, one often forgets where we are and the everyday natural wonders that we sail past. Life just simplifies and condenses itself (especially if one happens to be sleep deprived) until, if one is not careful, one finds oneself smothered in the plight of the deckhand - trying to please both the bosun and the cook, keep the voyage crew happy by including them in the sailing but also keeping the officers happy by doing so in a timely manner. It's quite the balance. But once in awhile, a particularly nice day or a giant blue iceberg, or an extra few hours of sleep will remind one that we are past the end of the world, in the wilds of the seventh continent, and about as close to raw, untouched nature as one can get.

Some of that nature includes the Penguins. I must admit I was a bit skeptical at the start of my first trip about the penguins, mainly because there is so much hype about how cute they are. But after seeing my first penguin it all melted away because they are indeed cute, they have to be one of the most unique and cute things I have ever seen. Watching them happily waddle down the beach to go for a swim, wings outstretched behind them for balance is something I'll never forget. They are incredibly awkward on land, amazingly graceful in the ocean, and just all around adorable.

There is much more that I saw in Antarctica, some great moments with nature and with mates, some that can't be described in words. The sheer ruggedness of the landscape took my breath away, and the amount that it changes in just a month is awesome. One of the more special moments was a morning on the second trip when I scrambled on deck with a mug of tea and was taken aback with rays of sunshine, seventy-meter-high glaciers nearby and ice everywhere. It was difficult to see exactly how Eric has got the ship into this position because we seemed to be completely surrounded, and Jordi, our lead guide was simply ecstatic. This was a new place for everyone, even Jordi hadn't been here before, and it was the furthest south Europa had ever been. There was too much ice for the tenders, so the morning was spent cruising Europa around among the bergs in unsurveyed waters. What else is there to say, really, it was a unique experience where everyone was lost in the beauty of Antarctica. 

So I would say this venture, one I didn't see myself doing even a few years ago, was a smashing success. Maybe I haven't figured my life out, but I've made some incredible discoveries about life and how you choose to live it. If you take the opportunities that arise, however unlikely they may be, they do have the potential to take you to some incredible places, physically and mentally, and bring you to new perspectives that you never would have considered before.