But tonight, my mind is flying, remembering what we have discovered and achieved. The photographic comparison of the 20 landings is amazing, the similarity is so great that we have the feeling nothing has changed, that it could as well be 110 years ago.

On a personal level, I am a little disappointed because, although penguins officially qualify, there are not too many birds in the area, a lot less than in the North. But I am totally blown by the beauty, the virginity, the greatness of this kingdom, where nature is queen and solitude the subject. To travel here without leaving anything behind, to have the feeling of being welcome and not as a conqueror filled my heart and my soul for many years, till the moment I will be back.

I have also to say that we had good weather, and that helps to love Antarctica. Eight really wonderful sunny days (a little bit more than average), only 5 bad ones (the average), and the rest “normal,” meaning not too windy, not too cloudy, not too foggy, not too rainy but a little bit of all of the above!

Now we are sailing North after the perfect stop and the perfect end of our southernmost journey. It is nearly the end and as I ride this boat side-by-side with a humpback whale all I can be is happy about what we have done.

Posted on 2008-01-27