4 June 2013 Welcome to Antarctica…and the Palmer Archipelago

In the wee hours of today our ship cruised into the Gerlache Strait. This is an awe-inspiring stretch of scenery and wildlife. It is named after a Belgian Lieutenant Adrien de Gerlache. He came across this strait in the beginning of 1898. It runs between the Antarctic peninsula and the Palmer ArchipelagoA chain of many islands.. Did I hear someone ask what is an ArchipelagoA chain of many islands.? Well, basically it is a chain of islands. Oftentimes they are volcanic. Anyone want to venture to explain that? The weather today went from cloudy to sunny to all out snow. The only constant was the beauty which was overwhelming all day and into the evening – as in 3pm when the sun was down. We had a chance to a good portion of the Lemaire Channel before the sun went down and the snow came with it. The straits and fjords down here are nothing short of spectacular. Whales like to hang out in them, penguins and seals as well. And wherever you go, you will see a variety of sea birds. We were treated to a plethora (yes, look that word up) of marine animals amidst some impressive mountains and glaciers. See for yourself…