My eyes fling open at 6:30, I look out and we are about to enter Glacier Alley. Glacier Alley is a channel just south of the Magellan Channel on our towards the Beagle Channel, arrival time is to be 7 am. Should I sleep a little longer (I didn’t get to sleep until about 2 last night), no I just can’t as the little explorer in me just cannot miss this, so up and out by about 10 to 7am. I head straight to the top of the ship where there is one two other people there with wind howling cold, cold enough to make your eyes water - we all nod at each other as we wish each other a good morning. I have time to run down one floor to the Crow’s nest for a coffee and croissant. The crows nest has about 50 guests sitting sipping their coffee waiting for the next turn in the channel and the “Alley”. I’m thinking how civilized is this as a waiter hands me a coffee in a fancy cup and saucer combination, “would you like a sugar or ham and cheese croissant, sir”. I sit on the bar stool and sip the coffee and enjoy one of each croissant, this is just not right, how can you see this amazing sight from the comfort of a lounge chair taking pictures through a window - no not for me as I chug the rest of my coffee, bundle up and head back outside where all the serious people are - well okay about 5 people by about 7:10 but we all agree this is the best place as tears run down our cheeks as we see the first of many glaciers as the commentary starts. One couple, with about three cameras, has one mounted on a tripod taking time lapse pictures (1 every 3 seconds, he had this camera out there for almost 3 hours), the other two taking turns as they run around the top deck getting every possible angle. Between the first and second glaciers I run down and finally give into wearing my winter hat, yes, it was that cold, the wind cuts right through you here.
At about 8:00 Jan comes up top to get some pics in front of a glacier, calls me crazy and says that I should have been an explorer - I tell her that I am with a smile as I keep clicking the camera. She says she is down stairs with Silvie enjoying the glaciers from there, okay, you know where I am… 9:30 she pops her head back up and says she is getting breakfast, I say that I should be down soon as my fingers are beginning to turn an interesting shade of blue (I am wearing finger tip type gloves). We are coming to the end of Glacier Alley and good thing because I can no longer feel the finger that pressing the camera button, I am having a hard time taking pics, hmm, thats never happened before. BTW, there is an ebb and flow of people coming up for short periods of time as the commentary highlights some of the sights and Glaciers, like every time there is a sighting whether it be a Whale, Seal, Sea Lion, Albatross, glacier etc. I try to take a few more pics as we head out of the alley and my finger really is starting to hurt, I head down to wrap my hand around a cup of hot coffee and breakfast - I think I’ll have treat this morning with some pancakes. I talk to a fellow passenger who tells me she had a similar feeling with her hand and said that she pressed it against the warm display case housing the sticky cinnamon rolls - she also told me that she stood there so long that she just had to have one, ha, we had a bit of a laugh.
Our commentary throughout has been great, I have reserved judgement on this up to now as with all our cruising I am a bit picky. We have had the best, Barbara if you are out there this comment is for you and for those of you who know Barbara, know what I mean, well Heather must have been trained by Barbara as she is really excellent. Two things that are important to me, knowledge and passion, Heather carries both is spades. While up on on the top deck about the time I am noticing the problem with my finger, I look down at one of the bridge wings and see Heather with microphone in hand commenting as if she is reading a detailed excerpt. I thought she was reading all this detail about where we are and what we are seeing but no, she really knows her stuff and by watching her, you can see that she is loving sharing this knowledge as we all watch it live. So, great job Heather.
By about trivia time or 1 o’clock my finger still feels a bit spongy but I think it will be okay as I am writing this I can still feel it, kind of like I bruised it - probably just took too many pictures, lol.
A few seminars this afternoon before a power nap and then doing my laps around the deck, a well earned steam and then get ready for a formal night. Today is Princess Beatrix of Amsterdam’s birthday, so we are having a formal night and need to wear something orange, okay, sure why not. During dinner we are scenic cruising Cape Horn, how cool is that under an unusual calm sea eating surf and turf (okay, two surfs but who is counting), commentary comes on and I grab my camera for some more pics. Wow, what a day. Ushuaia and the end of the world tomorrow so thats it for tonight. Here are a few pics of our day, yes it was a hard time determining which to include and which to leave out. This commentary was to be short tonight but wow, what a day, yes another wow day…
Oh and great pillow gifts tonight, commemorative, blanket, touque, gloves, Antarctic book - we are ready for our next amazing experience, hope you are enjoying the ride from wherever you are…
