We are in the Drake Passage again and it is not as easy as it was on our way down to Antarctica, but it could be much worse. It is true the ship is moving, however none of the horrible stories we have heard about this infamous body of water is coming true for us. The routine on board is carrying on normally with a safety drill for the crew, lectures, documentaries, and visits to the bridge, which are surprisingly well attended given that some of us prefer to stay in their cabins today. The most amazing people on board today are the wonderful men and women who work in the galley and the restaurant. With same happy composure as usual they brave the moving seas and spoil us with excellent service an tasty morsels. Some passengers find it hard to stand up and the waiters still manage to juggle plates and glasses as if they were on firm ground!
The food on this voyage has been excellent. Some meals were served as sit-down dinners, but mainly it is buffet style which makes it more flexible during landing operations in Antarctica; remember: Flexibility is the name of the game during an Antarctic voyage, and that holds true even for the restaurant. The buffet is always decorated according to varying themes and sometime our waiters even dress up to fit the motto of some evening meals. It is quite surprising to see the variety and range of different delicacies they conjure up in the galley every day given that they have no chance to go shopping anywhere during the voayge! Every meal is fun, because we are always anxious to see what will be on the buffet. Shackleton wrote about his men who were marooned on the sea ice in the Weddell Sea, "The very fact that they don't know what is going to be for dinner gives them something to think about." Well, we do not need this kind of mental distraction, but still our admiration for the crew members who are responsible for our culinary entertainment is immense.
During the day the sea calming down a little, so it bodes well for tomorrow; who knows, maybe there is another pleasant surprise for us in store.
