In the afternoon we went out in two groups. It was still sunny but not as bright.
We passed icebergs that were continuously changing the landscape as they flowed north.
The scenery changed dramatically the further south we sailed. Very rocky terrain and not as high as it had been previously. Penguins were seen high on the rocks.
As we looked back at the ship from the zodiacs we saw a very picturesque sight.
The lone penguin below captures the isolation one feels here.
One group went to Vernadsky Station
the others to Wordie House and then they swapped over. Both were in very nice settings. But how isolated they must have felt and now some still may feel in winter. The two islands are very close to each other but yet so far if the weather is fowl.
Our lithuanian group all went to Wordie House on Winter Island first.
It was formely base F of the Tabarin Operation from UK. Shackleton’s geologist James Wordie set up the buildings here in 1949.
It is now an historical site.
After going through the site many climbed up the glacier.
When there was an opportunity we took group photos. It was quite an ordeal as camera after camera took a snap.
Then down they came looking like large penguins on ice.
The terrain here was very different.
The rocks are covered in striking colours of Antarctic lichen – yellow’s oranges and black.
There were small patches of moss like flora.
When we went across to Vernadsky Station (formley Faraday Station) on Galindez Island
we were there with a mission. The leader of our group had brought a sign to out on the sigh post showing how far to Lithuania.
This was attached to the sign post and we had a group photo here as well on a sledge that used to be used here for exploration.
This station was sold by the British to Ukraine or a symbolic one pound. It is a big station and operates all year round. Ten of the staff will spend their second winter here. This was also the place where they discovered the hole in the ozone layer. They monitor the ozone layer here several times a day. The number of times it is done is dependent on the weather.
This was the most southern point that we visited. It was at 65 degrees 15 min south.
We toured the facility and then visited the most southern bar in the world. They make there own vodka and sell it to tourists.
Eventually we went back to the ship to start our return north.
We were all deck sorry to be turning back north.
Lots of whales were seen at a distance as we passed interesting icebergs on our way north as a sea breeze picked up slightly.
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