Paulet Island

Like a giant muffin Paulet Island sticks out of the sea - we have left the Antarctic Sound, in VERY calm waters. So we decide to go cruising with our Polar Cirkel boats. Here it all meets: History, wildlife and geology. The noise and smell of about 300.000 Adelie Penguins is unmistakable, they are everywhere! The place is so swarming with wildlife tha you have to squint to make out the famous stone hut of Nordenskjölds men who had stranded here for a long time.
Do they do it for fun? This is the first question that strikes you when you watch the Adelies jumping from and onto the ice floes. Well, WE do have fun, this is certain...

At sea

Another leg, another round of lectures. Passengers relax in the Sauna or the Jacuzzi. In the evening Peter von Sassen ist MC to the interviews with the captain, the chef, chief engineer and Karin. Time passes quickly now.

Laurie Island, South Orkney

Winds have picked up, dense fog all around us, we go rather slow now. A landing on Coronation Island is impossible, just too dangerous. The captain brings us through the narrow Washington Strait. And then good news: The crew of the Argentine base Orcadas gives us permission to land and visit the station. Half an hour later we drop anchor in a short distance to the windswept pebble beach that features some bright red modular buildings. We get a very friendly welcome on the beach by the station commander. They even take the time to give us the full tour, including museum and Bruce's hut of 1903. After a nice coffee in the main building we head back to our own home, FRAM.

At sea

This day belongs to photography. Everywhere people are sitting behind their laptops, working hard on the result of several day's intense photo shooting. Quite often you her a happy "Yeah!!" when a shot turned out just the way it should. Then crowds bend over the screen, admiring the portraits of seal, penguin, fellow travellers or beautiful volcanoes.
And the learning doesn't stop, either. Hard to choose between lectures on whale hunting history, cormorants, volcanic geology, penguin biology, fossils or climate. The seas get a little rougher towards the night, rocking us into sleep.

Fortuna Bay

Fortune is on our side as we enter Fortuna Bay: Clear blue skies again, sparkling sunshine on the slightly rippled seas. Hundreds of fur seals greet us loudly on our approach, many of them dashing around our Polar Cirkel Boats, jumping and apparently enjoying themselves. At the foot of the ragged mountains we walk a while towards the big glacier that is looming in the background. After crossing a streamlet we are getting closer to a moving field of black, white and flaming bright yellow: Thousands and thousands of King Penguins... But we see also a lot of fluffy brown - the chicks, half grown, sporting ridiculous variations of plumes, still being fed by their parents.

Stromness

Paradise with an touch of apocalypse: The rusty, shattered remainders of the ancient whaler's shipyard, huge propellers half buried in the beach, tanks kettles, chains, houses - and all densely populated by the new inhabitants: Fur seals, elephant seals, Giant Petrels and King Penguins. An unreal walk takes us a little into the valley through which the immortal Ernest Shackleton descended to Stromness after his unbelievable odyssee. Surely one of the most impressing spots on these islands!

Grytviken

Blue skies and sunshine welcome us to the ragged scenery of South Georgia. On the beach we see numerous grey dots - all seals! Big elephant seals on the way to Shackletons grave, many young fur seals all around us, apparently curious and not afraid at all. And among them the majestic waddle of King Penguins, what a sight!
After a splendid walk round the bay, a visit to the museum and tons of photos taken, we head for the small jetty on the other end and get back to FRAM.

Two days at sea...

...must not be boring at all. All kinds of seabirds circling around the FRAM, seeming to seek the passengers lenses. Questions? Not a problem, the lecturers will answer them right away. In the mornings and in the afternoon we have lectures on Penguins, plate tectonics, the legendary Ernest Shackleton, ice, antarctic fishes, marine ecology - a floating university with a view. Or you go to the gym for a most unusual workout that makes the lunch buffet even more worthwhile. It is everything but dull.

Port Stanley

The capital of the Falkland Islands has seen a lot during the recent history, and a lot of it can still be seen in the museums, memorials, pubs and shops. After an impressing maneuver "parking" the FRAM at the pier, we have nearly a whole day in this fascinating place, taking a nature walk with Manuel, a guided animal-spotting tour, or a history stroll with the British historian Ian Stone.

New Island

After only a few hours more, we arrive close to the sandy beaches of New Island. Passengers get their rides in the Polar Cirkel Boats and start walking across the grassy plains of New Island, at the end of which the steep cove of the blue-eyed shags opens up to our feet. Shags, Albatross, and Rockhoppers as far as the eye can see, while deep down below the green sea sends heavy waves on the ragged shore. A wind-torn paradise!

Westpoint Island, January 9, 2009

Very early in the morning, we land in Westpoint Island, in the West of the Falklands. The weather is splendid, everybody is surprised about the mild climate. After being welcomed by the islands owner we make our way to the other end of the island, some walking, some taking a ride in the Land Cruisers. Walking down towards the cliff, black-browed Albatrosses are soaring around our heads, a beautiful aerial ballet. A few minutes more, and we stand in the most amazing rookery of Albatrosses and Rockhopper Penguins, living side by side.

At sea, January 8, 2009

Heading for the Falkland Islands we pass the Isla de los Estados in moderate winds and visibility. So we have a lot of time for lectures on board, about Albatrosses, the Falkland War, Falklands Earth History, and Earth's Climate System. In the evening we enjoy our seated dinners with specialities from all around the world. After that, German TV host Peter von Sassen presents a movie on a spectacular trip to Greenland in a kayak.

Ushuaia, January 7, 2009

We are waiting for our passengers in Ushuaia, Argentina. This time it is a German-Swiss charter, so our German-speaking lecturers will be up front. However, we have the pleasure to take a small group of Chinese environmentalists on board, former guests of the MS Ushuaia. The trip starts with a little surprise: Ushuaia Airport has a broken radar dish and is non-operational for a couple of hours. So we have to reroute the passengers via Rio Grande. After an unexpected but very scenic bus ride, everybody arrives more or less in time, smiling. Around 7:30 pm, we are ready to lift anchor and head for the Falkland Islands.