It’s a good breakfast when you can sip your excellent coffee and watch icebergs float by the window.
Soon after breakfast, we were getting ready for a zodiac excursion around the icebergs’ graveyard.
I didn’t have the best start to the day. I was in a rush to get ready for the zodiac, so I put on my fleece jacket, didn’t zip it up ( big mistake) and the put my waterproof jacket over the top.
When I went to zip it up, I intelligently matched one jacket’s half of the zip to the other’s. They jammed together. I was in trouble. Of course, you can’t get on a zodiac without being weather-proof.
Morgan was an absolute star. It took a few minutes of him wrestling with the jammed zips, but he managed to get them free without breaking anything. I owe that man a drink.
Then, once that was dealt with, I couldn’t find my room key. Every time you leave the ship, you surrender your room key so they can see who’s out and who has come back.
I tore apart my backpack and then went back to my room and did the same.
“Last call for the zodiacs” came over the loudspeaker. Natalie, who was going kayaking after the zodiacs, ran out to tell them I was coming, then she ran back to say they’d take me without the room key.
Bloody hell! Thank goodness!
I was the last one on board. Here’s the view as we set off.
See those dots at the top of the ridge? Musk Ox.
We saw this old, very compressed iceberg. The more compacted ice is in a glacier, the clearer it becomes, as air is removed from it.
At one end, under the golf ball section, you can see the movement of the waves as it changes colour. Amazing.
It’s incredible to think that 90% of these huge icebergs are under water.
Just like in Antarctica, we were served hot chocolate with brandy. It was so good, especially because soon after this, the weather took a turn.
You can see where the iceberg is by the blue line underneath the water.
Same iceberg, but look at the Organ pipes, or flutes. Fresh water from the iceberg moves up towards the top of the sea if there are any gaps.This iceberg has been underwater at some stage.
Two different kinds of ice in the one chunk.
Compressed air bubbles.
A duck!!!! Natalie saw ducklings as well, when she was kayaking, but they went closer to the shore than we did.
Here I am in Greenland, my left hand warm, and my right hand gloveless to be able to take pictures. The weather was getting worse by this stage.
The stripe!
This was the last photo I took. I needed to get my hand into its glove, and water was splashing over us every now and then. I was toasty warm everywhere else but my right hand.
I said I’d do the Polar Plunge this afternoon, but I’m rethinking it. It was bad enough in Antarctica with sunny skies. This is going to be a different beast altogether…
After lunch, we went out again. The weather was better, I was wearing my bathers under my clothes, so I decided to complete the set of possible Polar Plunges.
I’m so very pleased that I did it. It was easier this time to get in quick, because it was on sand instead of rocks. But yeah, once you go under and then stand up, you realise, Fuck it’s cold!
Tonight we’re having a barbecue out on the deck. In Antarctica it was warm and sunny, beautiful barbecue weather, even with icebergs floating by. Here, we definitely won’t be in t shirts and shorts!
But it’ll be fun, nonetheless.
Dad joke of the day:
Just WOW! I’ve never even considered a trip to the coldest reaches of the planet, but your travelogue is intriguing. However my winters are harsh and frozen so probably not for me. I have no idea how you plunge into the polar sea – do you know what the water temperature was? Amazing photos!
Omg I did the polar plunge in Antarctica, but it was jumping off zodiac and then back inside to a warm toasty robe! You did it hard-core!