After a long journey, having braved days of travel, weeks of anticipation, and the full brunt of the open sea, we arrived today in Antarctica. Today the South Shetland Islands, lying north of the Antarctic Peninsula welcomed us and we made a landing, our first of many, onto Barrientos Island. Here we finally met them – penguins, the ambassadors of this land. Seals rested here on Barrientos too, and after admiring them, we continued on, an expedition truly underway.