A Is for Antarctica

A is for Antarctica

This is a new first for me. When I've done the A to Z Blogging Challenge in the past it usually takes me until "H" or "I" before I get behind. But this wasn't the case in the weird year of 2020. I fell behind on the first day, which was yesterday. My goal for this challenge is to complete it and to complete it in April. We do get to skip the weekends, so I plan to work one day of this weekend and get back on track with the rest of the bloggers.

We're beginning our 2020 Around the World from A to Z with a visit to Antarctica. My trip to Antarctica was literally a dream come true. For decades I believed only explorers went to Antarctica, and not always with good result. At some point -- maybe 2000  --I started to notice trips to Antarctica, but they were way out of my budget. Way out of my budget! But I put it on my "dream" list and figured it might be just that, a dream. 

Fast forward to 2014 and someone -- I'd love to remember who it was and thank that person -- mentioned that the big cruise lines also did trips to Antarctica, and the cost was significantly less. It wasn't the same as the smaller explorer ships, but I would still see Antarctica, even if I never set foot on one of the glaciers. My dream was becoming closer to reality. It got still closer when I received an email in 2015 letting me know that the trip was half the regular price. I already had plans for the winter of 2016 -- you'll see them in a post to come -- but I tucked the idea into my mind for 2017. Sure enough in December 2016 I saw the opportunity to take my dream trip. Six weeks later I was on the way to Argentina where I would board the ship for Antarctica. 

 Worth the wait 

Some places don't live up to the expectations, but not the case for my trip to Antarctica. What I saw surpassed my expectations. Every scene was a memory I didn't want to forget and a scene of extraordinary beauty. I had loved geography in elementary school and each day was a living geography lesson. 

There were so many memorable moments, but one of the high points was going around Cape Horn and through the Drake Passage, where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet. 

Not my best picture, but I was happy to be sharing my trip with a

 wonderful group of new friends that I met on the ship.  

It was fun to share my dream trip with all of Buttercupland. I'm not quite sure where our Around the World Blogging Adventure will take us next, but I'm leaning to somewhere about as far from Antarctica as we can go. Any guesses where "B" will take us?

I'm doing okay and keeping busy. My Zoom for today was another Weight Watchers group. I've got a bean and kale stew cooking -- lots of vegetable washing and chopping -- in the crockpot and took a nice walk this afternoon. I'm not quite sure what I did for the rest of the day, but it flew by. Is anyone else finding that the days are going quickly, too?

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. Lots of love and wash your hands!