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Christmas markets again

Koln and Munster, Germany
Sunday, Dec 05, 2004 [...]

The Last Frontier --Antarctica

Antarctic Peninsula Eh?<br /><br />This might be a longer email but hey....one can´t possibly skip the details. Our ship was quite a collection of oddballs but I guess that´s what makes it fun. The first day we were crossing the Beagle Chann [...]

Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a Pirate's Life for Me January 5, 2004

All Antarctic cruises must cross the Drake Passage, the most turbulent sea in the planet. The current whips around the pole, touching all the world's oceans. The swells are grand and foreboding, but also mesmerizing from the stern as we pass over them [...]

A Study in Four Colors January 6, 2004

You could paint the entire Antarctic landscape with only white, black, and a little bit of blue and green. There are no other colors here.
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Got Penguins? January 6, 2004

Thanks to clear skies and calm waters, we could drop anchor at Half Moon Island, an old caldera worn away to a crescent bay. Atop the rocky, snow-drenched bluffs of this South Shetland isle was a vast rookery of Chinstrap penguins.

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A Blustery Morning January 7, 2004

Expedition cruising means everything is subject to change. Itineraries are vague and flexible. Everything depends on the weather and ocean conditions. The staff motto must be: "The itinerary exists only for us to deviate from." [...]

Pole Position January 7, 2004

Seven people reside year round at Arctowski, a Polish station. Researchers here study penguins, the food web, glaciers, and oceanography. The station was built in 1973 and is legendary for its hospitality. They have a tiny gift shop, also a little Catholi [...]

Volcanoes, Whaling, and Polar Swimming, January 8, 2004

The deception of Deception Island is that, from the outside, the sheer cliffs conceal the best-protected place for ships on the Antarctic Peninsula. A ship's captain had to be persistent and continue all around to find the one small entryway into the [...]

Two Tickets to Paradise January 9, 2004

For cruising the aptly named Paradise Bay, staff naturalist Kara was our by zodiac driver. She told us all about the wildlife we saw and pointed out the Blue-Eyed Shags nesting on the cliff face near the station. All they had were narrow ledges, but it wa [...]

Up Close and Personal With Penguins January 9, 2004

Curverville Island is a tiny speck surrounded by ice and snow. Ships have to anchor rather far away from the steep, rocky coast. Curverville is home to several large Gentoo rookeries. Penguins nest low on the ground here, in addition to their usual high n [...]