And that it was. It felt like an attempt to enter the Guinness Book of Records for horizontal rollercoaster riding. It calms down a bit around midnight, and I manage to fall asleep, albeit restlessly. Jan, on the other hand, seems unaffected and has been sound asleep since the beginning.
We wake up at 7 am to a clear blue sky and temperatures of 6 degrees Celsius. Why today? We're at sea all day. Having this weather for just half an hour in Antarctica would have been fantastic, but we can't complain.
We have breakfast at the Lidl (we've renamed the Lido to Lidl. Up instead of down) and then we stop by our cabin to grab some books and the laptop before heading to the Crow's Nest. It's still quiet there. We try the internet, which has improved somewhat. Our Som, the singing waitress, is also there, and at 9 in the morning, she's just as enthusiastic as she is at the end of the evening.
With a hot chocolate and an Americano in hand, we head downstairs for Neil's final lecture. This time, it's about the Endurance, the ship Ernest Shackleton sailed to Antarctica for his expedition and what happened to it. Neil has been closely involved in the two expeditions that searched for the wreck. The second expedition found it in March '22, and it was still in excellent condition. He can't reveal much about what happened afterward because various agencies, organizations, National Geographic, and Hollywood are all involved.
Following that, Jim talks about the Falkland Islands. In his informative style, peppered with dry humor, he manages to tell an engaging story about the location, origins, and life on the Falklands, as well as what there is to see around Port Stanley Unfortunately, he doesn't mention anything about the photos of Antarctica on a USB stick, so we'll have to follow up on that later.
In the cabin, we watch an episode of Poldark, and just as it ends, Agung comes for cleaning, so we head upstairs for lunch.
There are cases of Covid on board here and there, and our neighbors down the hall seem to be in quarantine, as well as another cabin further down. The cleaning crew there wore white suits.
The Lido is crowded, so we try the Dining Room, but we're too late for that. They only serve between 12 and 1 on sea days, which we find a bit stingy. So, we sit down to read in the Pinnacle Bar, where the bar is still closed. At 1:40 PM, we head upstairs and find a spot at a table with Americans. One of the ladies just got out of quarantine today, while her husband is still in. We find the Covid policy a bit strange here. So, we're just keeping our fingers crossed that we stay safe.
In Port Stanley we have a 3.5-hour tour planned, and we were hoping to find another short one on land, but we run into Alfy, who tells us they haven't booked any tours yet and were hoping to arrange something on land. However, there seems to be a maximum number of people allowed at the penguin resorts and such, and everything's already full. So, in the afternoon, we'll explore the town (with its 2500 residents) or see if we can find somewhere to hike.
It's now become 10 degrees, but since we're sailing northward, our balcony is on the wrong side. But at least we can step outside without being blown away. It's been a bit here, a bit there all afternoon, but mostly in our cabin, where we're enjoying a Poldark binge. We've been indoors almost all day on this sea day, and the weather's been decent, so we head to deck 3 for a walk. Just stretching our legs.
Before dinner, we have a drink at the Gallery Bar, which we call the Casino Bar because it's next to the casino. We're late, so it's quite crowded, but we find a spot on a bench. Some loud Americans sit next to us, but they leave fairly quickly. Then another couple joins us, and one of the men accidentally kicks our table, causing our drinks to spill over the edge. Thank you very much. Fortunately, they also don't stay long.
For dinner, we go to the Lido because today's menu in the Dining Room doesn't appeal to us. After dinner, we decide to go back to the cabin. Tonight, we don't feel like going out. We're really into the series, so we prefer to stay in and watch. Sorry, Meagan and Gabe.
We're sailing smoothly, the weather is calmer, so we're hardly rocking at all. That promises a better night's sleep.