I woke this morning to an Oreo cookie of slate-grey water, creamy white snow, and steel-gray skies. (Note 1: there are way more than 50 shades of grey in Antarctica. Note 2: You might want to grab a snack; more food imagery to come.) We started the day in Marguerite Bay, which is a shamelessly overachieving scenic paradise.
The bay is something of a parking lot for ice bergs, “bergy bits,” and smaller fragments that reminded me of shaved coconut, popcorn, and packing peanuts. Ice bergs, I discovered, are like clouds: with imagination they can evoke all manner of things. One was shaped like the State of Virginia, another like a house with eaves, a third like a sinking ship, etc. And then there are the run-of-the-mill tabular bergs, which look like buttes. (Don’t mesa with them!)
The mountains lining the bay reminded me of chocolate macaroons. Most of the landscape is mountainous, but there are also loaf-shaped hills (banana bread with icing, in case you were wondering) and a few snow-covered hills (meringue whipped into peaks). I believe that concludes the gastronomic portion of this post.
After cruising the bay, we headed for Stonington Island. Miracle of miracles, the skies cleared on the way! By the time we got to the island the water was a rich blue, the snow blindingly white, and the sky brilliantly azure, the temps were in the low 30s, and the winds calm. Other than the lack of goats, sheep, and hummus, the colors were reminiscent of the Greek isles. We took a Zodiac ashore, clambered over a rocky beach, and then had to trudge through deep, slushy snow up a 25-foot hill, which made for quite literally “breathtaking” scenery!
Then came the fun: someone decided that sliding down the other side was the way to go, and soon all of us senior citizens were little kids again! (Note to self: next time make sure your underlayer is tucked securely into your pants so when you slide down you don’t get snow in any sensitive places.) We checked out an abandoned research station and then soaked up the island’s beauty.
Not only is Stonington Island gorgeous, but we saw our first seals (crabeaters, which of course eat … krill, and wouldn’t know a crab if it pinched them) and our first penguin, which I believe was an Adelie (pronounced like Katz’s: a deli). Earlier we caught a glimpse of the back and dorsal fin of a Minke whale (pronounced a la Peter Sellers saying “monkey” in the Pink Panther: “minkie”). As I write this, people far braver/stupider than I are plunging into the 28-degree water wearing nothing more than bathing suits. (Science lesson: salt water freezes at around 28 degrees, not at 32 degrees like fresh water.)
PuffinlessTravel 