Jan 30th, 2020 Day 27 of 128

We were up at 5:30am so that we could secure front row window seats in the Crow’s nest.  That is the space on the ninth floor that has all windows for the ultimate in viewing pleasure.  I was there by 5:30am and met Jackson and Dillon, the other two teenagers on the ship, and we saved seats for Megan, Valerie, Nana and Jackson’s mom. We were there for about an hour before the first views of Antarctica came into view.  It was breathtaking from the start.  We came into Admirality Strait on King George’s Island first. We are in an area known as the South Shetland Islands. We also visited Peter Landing and the U.S. research station. Scenic narration began at 8:00am. We saw the research stations from several different countries, pods of penguins, humpback whales and seals.  The ice fields were gorgeous and every view was more beautiful than the last.  I will let the photos speak for I can not find words to describe the majesticness of all that we saw today.  After we left King George’s island Megan and I stayed in the Crow’s nest till 1:30pm just enjoying all the views.  At 2:00pm I joined mom for our daily lecture called “A Beginner’s Guide to Penguin Appreciation.”  After that we headed back up the Crow’s Nest for the second scenic narration of the day as we entered into the area surrounding Deception Island.  There we drifted into Baileyhead cove to see a colony of Chin Strap penguins.  And by colony I mean fifty thousand mated pairs of Chin Strap penguins.  You could smell them before we could see them.  It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.  Please enjoy the photos.  As we left the cove, the penguins played in the ocean surrounding the base of the ship and we got to spend a great deal of time watching them swimming through the sea. I am exhausted and my heart is so full with everything we got to witness today.  Knowing we are among a blessed few that have had the opportunity to visit and see Antarctica.   This was just the first of four days we have here. Tomorrow scenic narration starts at 7:00am so it will be another very early morning for us all.  As I know the wi-fi is intermittent you will have to wait to enjoy this for a couple of days, but I know it was worth the wait.  With love and admiration of our planets beauty, Debra.