Saturday 17 December 2011

Spot the difference!


BEFORE:
AFTER:

Where can we start? It almost seems as we have been to two completely different oceans, when we contrast yesterday’s and today’s Drake Passage! Yesterday, it was dark raging waters crested with furious white foam; today we had calm azure seas. Yesterday, we barely saw small Cape petrels keeping close to the water surface to avoid the fury of the wind; today, we admired a host of bigger birds, like wandering, black-browed and grey-headed albatrosses, elegantly and effortlessly ascending and descending around the vessel. Yesterday, very limited visibility because of the high waves and the dark skies; today, endless horizon all around Fram. Yesterday, a great many passengers feeling rather queasy and common areas on board not quite ghost-like, but rather lonely; today, many well-rested and happy people enjoying the view from the outside decks, contentedly reading or dozing in the observation lounge, and generally enjoying the many amenities Fram has to offer, including of course the choice of food in our well-provisioned restaurant!
Although Captain HÃ¥rvig specifically invited all on board Fram to enjoy the beauty of nature in the middle of yesterday’s strong storm, we have the feeling passengers are quite happy to have seen this wild spectacle, and to have nothing but memories of it today…