February 20,

We awoke and readied. The yacht was anchored in St. Andrews Bay. At 0730, we went to breakfast, as the first half of our group went ashore. We both ordered from the menu, rather than doing the buffet, having Muhammara- ‘The Red One, a levantine blend with piquant flavors,’ pomegranate and (tomato?) molasses with roasted walnuts and piece of sourdough toast & Pain Perdu- ‘The Lost bread, a reimagined recipe from: The Rome’s 1st C. Cookbook,’ a “French toast” with caramel sauce and whipped maple Mascarpone. These two dishes were so different and uniquely original. It was a great breakfast. We went back to our room and readied for our excursion.

At 0915 we boarded a Zodiac and went to shore. We landed with a 1.25 venture. I felt the immediate realization that we were very few amongst 150,000 breeding pairs (and pre-pairing) penguins. This is one of the largest colonies of King Penguins in the world. It hit me as we followed our ‘cone/flag trek,’ that we were a “people highway” through a “city of penguins”… I like this analogy. We do have to gingerly make our way though because the penguins don’t recognize our highway. There are also Elephant Seals and Fur Seals.

We made our way to the marked end of our trek, as we parallel, some dozen feet away, a stream lined with penguins. At the end of the destination, the guide Sara was there. We chatted a bit with her taking in the sweeping vistas of three glaciers- Cook, Buxton, and Heaney; “that once were one glacier centuries ago,” she said. I could make out the valley that this glacier carved to the ocean.

We then return along the stream, branching off, and retracing our steps back. Again we had to alter our course some, due to the wildlife. We saw some 15-18 month old chicks still covered in feathers – to varying degrees. Pinch me…it was still hard to believe that I am here. These penguins, and seals- I won’t be forgetting.

We reboard a Zodiac that does a small cruise – again showing the sheer volume of penguins in this stunning St. Andrew’s Bay. Then back to our yacht, and our room for a shower. We collected laundry and turned it in to be done for a hefty $40. That accomplished, we went up to the Dome to toast our successful South Georgia exploration with champagne, and talked some with a couple we have talked with before. She had identified a Snowy Sheathbill bird that we were watching. Lunch was next. I had a lettuce salad, potato salad, and Mexican tortilla soup. Jeff had bits of pork roast, Indonesian spicy chicken, Tuscan beef casserole, and grilled Ocean Perch.

We skipped the 1400 lecture, but went for the 1500 one. Jan’s lecture was “The Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration By Means of The Fine Arts- 19th century fine arts, philosophy, and cultural history referencing motivations of the heroic age in polar exploration. I find him a dynamic speaker and he made it fascinating. Then we went back to our room and took a precautionary Dramamine. Jeff had a siesta, as I watched a program on Antarctica. At 1600, Jeff went to a Mixology demonstration. I went to the Briefing/Recap at 1815. There were short talks by Alex, Glenda, & Isidro; then Chad followed with a briefing; an outline of tomorrow,an at sea day; and Q&A.

At 1915, we went to supper – did not seem as busy, maybe some were seasick as we were in open waters now. We each had a Soup- Cream of Jerusalem Artichoke; and Pumpkin Cream. I had Mahi-Mahi with rice and a coconut lime broth; Jeff had Lamb Rack with fondant of potato, asparagus,and a lamb jus with onion gel. We each had a Pinot noir and then shared a Dark Chocolate Souffle (64%) with hazelnut and chocolate sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. After we finished, we went back to our room. Jeff went to bed (he might be getting a cold?). I blogged and then turned in by 2130.