We normally have nothing to report on our return travel day/days, which is a good thing. But we wanted to share a last small couple of things that usually wouldn’t be worth mentioning in the blog, but since you weren’t able to go with us on the original booking in 2020 (small little world-wide pandemic), or the re-booked trip in 2021 (pesky little pandemic...
Our last full day on the Fridtjof Nansen and our last full day in Argentina! No fun activities in the morning. Our bags have to be out by 21:00 tonight and we have an activity planned until 20:00 so the main objective today was to be mostly packed by lunch time. The afternoon/early evening activity was a cruise through the Beagle Channel, which separates Chile...
Another day in Ushuaia, Argentina and another outing in Ushuaia, Argentina. Due to incoming ships, our ship had to leave the dock and anchor in the bay, requiring us to tender to and from the ship and shore. The boat is anchored at one end, which we know because the landscape we see from our balcony continues to change. We’re basically moving in an arc...
Another day in Ushuaia, Argentina…. And another amazing weather day! We mention the weather because they somewhat describe their weather as we do in the Midwest, but on steroids. Their weather can literally change every hour, which isn’t surprising since they’re squished between the ocean and mountains. Rain was in the forecast, clouds were getting...
Day 2 of our adjusted “Trip to Antarctica, but we didn’t make it to Antarctica” schedule. Hurtigruten (the expedition cruise line) has done an outstanding job of arranging for activities last minute to ensure that travelers have daily activities. How they have done this for over 300 people in a town of 100,000 during tourism season is beyond us! To organize the...
There were two ship-wide meetings today – one to discuss compensation and one to discuss the remainder of the trip. Hurtigruten provided options – stay in Ushuaia and join the Antarctic cruise that leaves in a few days, re-book for 2023 on one of several trips, receive a partial refund, or take trip credit on a future Hurtigruten trip. Considering the situation...
Another day at sea, headed north instead of south. And a continued dose of the Drake Passage. While it wasn’t truly highlighted yesterday (with the other news to relay), the 2nd day on Drakes (heading south) was again very “fresh” as our captain called it, with swells back up in the 8 to 10 meter range. Soooo, 2 days on the Drake (the typical), but now 2 more back...
WARNING – PARENTAL WARNING – WARNING Proceed with caution, as this post, unlike others, is particularly heartbreaking! Today we started preparing our personal effects – clothing, backpacks, etc. – that we will take with us to Antarctica. Small seeds can get stuck in velcro, seams & cuffs of clothing, in the bottom of bags, etc. Since preventing non...
First full day at sea, headed to Antarctica! The seas were churning, but nothing like they were days ago when the wind and seas wreaked havoc onboard! Swell / waves are only 5 to 6 meters, as compared to the 8 to 10 from a few days ago. The only significant task on the schedule today was getting fitted for boots. Tourism on Antarctica follows strict...