At the end of a very mellow crossing of the Drake Passage, the sun made an appearance as we passed by the South Shetland Islands early this morning. A number of fin whale blows caught our attention, and conditions on deck while watching the whales through binoculars were positively balmy. After lunch, we made a continental landing at Brown Bluff, home to about 18,000 pairs of Adelie penguins and 800 pairs of gentoo penguins during the nesting season. As a first introduction to Antarctica, it was the perfect spot for guests to delight in the sounds…and smells…of these uniquely Antarctic birds.