Breakfast was at 7am, followed by a briefing on biosecurity , zodiac safety etc. We then got all our outdoor gear ready for vacuuming to get out any potential seeds/ mud etc.
The morning activity was a Zodiac cruise around Lilliehookbreen. It is a glacier face which was pretty spectacular. The fog had covered up the top of the peaks to start with but then lifted rather nicely to reveal the full glory of the surrounds.
One can’t go hungry while exploring the artic …so you need to eat 😊. The next stop after lunch was just “around the corner. The plan was an option of three walks (with 3 separate guides) around Signehamma. The choice was a short, medium or long walk. The long walk was steep and icy -so I gave that a skip and went for the medium.
Many of the older patrons also went on the medium walk. This was the start of our problems. The surface was slightly uneven- as can be expected in the wild. When it came to crossing a small-scale boulder field (more like rock field not boulders by size- less than 30cm each) the old people struggled terribly with balance and complained bitterly about it. This peeved me (and many others; off). Hereafter the descriptions of the hikes were clearer so that the older (read less fit and agile) people knew what to expect.
After we came back onboard we showered and got ready for Captain’s cocktails. It is here when we meet the whole crew- including some of the behind-the-scenes teams. Usually, we would be able to interact more with them- including on the bridge but this was not possible due to Covid.
After cocktails we had dinner and Denise and I went to sauna and jacuzzi. It was great and we booked in further sessions later in the week. Densie is an ex-Kiwi who has lived in France for decades. We sat at the same table. Ultimately, we all had to sit at the same table to help contain the germs. So, it was me and Denise, Sheila (USA), Arthur (USA) and Rod (SA/Aus). We were all a bit sad about this as you couldn’t get to know as many people as usual with this arrangement.
