Expectations were blown away today, if any had remained. A beautiful morning that gave rise to an emperor penguin viewed from the ship before breakfast. What could be better? Parking the ship IN the ice and walking onto the frozen ocean in the company of emperor penguins, of course!

We followed that up with an outdoor BBQ lunch in the lee of a giant tabular iceberg. (Nice being able to drive one’s restaurant wherever one likes.) The afternoon was spent attending an educational talk by our visiting scientist Catharine Walker from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, humpback whale watching, and scenic cruising amongst the gorgeous icebergs of the Weddell Sea.