Outside, fluffy chunks of snow are being blown onto deck, sometimes blowing straight off, other times sticking to a rope or sail.

Outside, fluffy chunks of snow are being blown onto deck, sometimes blowing straight off, other times sticking to a rope or sail. The land of the South Shetlands faded away about 24 hours ago and we are now navigating the Drake Passage, with water all around us.

Already Antarctica seems like a dream. The pure air, absolute isolation, silence, and breathtaking natural beauty all made for a surreal experience. The sunset for our continental landing at Brown Bluff, the first nice weather day in weeks, treated us to a multi hour spectacle of countless colors and shades, with the color never leaving the sky, as sunset transitioned directly into sunrise, as a full moon rose above the Antarctic Island cliffs and glaciers. That treat of colors and scenery that evening was more special than anything that I could have even dreamt of so it must have really happened, right?

What an amazing trip. I look forward to returning time and time again in my memories and revisiting photos to spark more memories. Perhaps the occasional dream might be able to transport me back to this special place, popping into my head during a random night in the future, but nothing, not even a dream, (where anything is possible) could quite recreate the experience of being here.