The Site of Shackleton's Great Adventure on a Gray Day

The Site of Shackleton's Great Adventure on a Gray Day - Nov. 22, 2019

November 24, 2019

Black mountains, white snow, gray sky and water with the beautiful blue of the ice. What a view to awaken to.

Thought I'd post some photos of the interior of the ship today. Everywhere there are the hand sanitizer dispensers that every ship has. We are staying on deck 8. The aft portion of deck 6 is the Aune dining area and the forward portion is the science center. The Roald Amundsen is an expedition ship, not a cruise ship, and hence the large area devoted to the science center.

Besides the sanitizer dispensers there is also a hand washing station just before the entrance to the main dining area. The blue one is warn water, the green ring is soap and paper towels are above. Most people use the sanitizer, a number wash their hands and a few just walk right in ready to spread their germs.

Our assigned table for the evening meal is the one to the left next to the window. We are as far away from the kitchen and buffet tables as possible. It was the last window table available when we picked our table, but since it is right next to where the servers are, the service is great.

Part of the buffet area. It also runs across the entire width of the ship.

This section is pretty much the same for breakfast and lunch. I'm a cheese and seafood person so I know it well.

Now we come to the science center. I took all these photos early in the morning when there there were very few people out and about.

Blue covers over microscopes. Images from the microscopes can be shown on the screen.

Approaching Elephant Island where the Shackleton Expedition sought refuge when their ship was destroyed by the ice. It is worthwhile to lookup the "Shackleton Expedition" to learn the story what took place. It is one of the greatest examples of what leadership is all about and is a staple in executive training.

Shackleton monument.

Today, instead of an encampment of marooned sailors, it home to penguins.

Smaller pieces of ice form into these long streams.

I like this photo with the few splashes of color.

While Linda takes fewer photos than I do, I generally post of blend of both of ours. I thought I'd post a section with just Linda's photos for a change.

Just a few areas of blue ice add some color to this photo.

There are also presentations that run throughout the day. The following 2 photos are from the Chief Engineer's presentation. It would be an understatement to say that he has in depth knowledge of every single device on board..

The ship is extremely efficient and uses half of the fuel a similar ship uses due to the incorporation of batteries for extra power as needed which allows the diesel engines to constantly run at their most efficient rpm. When the ship stops for us to go ashore, the side thrusters are run off the batteries to hold the ship in place. Every other system aboard is also based on the latest technology.