“Things won are done; joy's soul lies in the doing.”
—William Shakespeare.
When National Geographic Explorer arrived at Monroe Island at 7 a.m. this morning, accompanied by petrels and albatrosses and having passed numerous beautiful icebergs, weather conditions allowed for exploration of the area on Zodiacs.
Being exposed to the wind and cold, we got to see chinstrap penguins and the ice up close for the first time. It was a true expedition experience: as conditions deteriorated quickly, we were reminded that this environment might seem hostile to us, but it is home to many well-adapted species, such as the penguins that did not seem to mind the 65 knots of wind and snow. We made our way back to our comfortable ship and continued on our way to Shingle Cove.
However, we were faced with the same unfavorable conditions, so we decided to begin our journey to Elephant Island. In addition to interesting presentations about photography and the Antarctic Treaty, we were rewarded with a beautiful sunset.
And to round the day off, it was the Captain’s birthday (Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag!) and he welcomed guests and staff at the lounge for an open Q&A session in the lounge.
