Orne Harbor

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From Half Moon Island, we sailed on to Orne Harbor for promised spectacular views from atop the ridge. 

The expedition crew set out on arrival and surveyed a safe pathway that zig-zagged its way up the steep slope for us to follow. The kayaks were brought out for those who had opted for that activity.

The weather was very changeable. In the morning, it was overcast and gloomy, with a thick layer of fog. By the time my group- the giant petrels- got to go ashore after lunch the sun was shining and the winds were calm.

I made it only to the first stage. Sadly, I did not get all the way up to the top of the mountain. I was really struggling, slipping and sliding around in the snow. Due to my ongoing work situation (not having any), I have to be super-careful not to do anything where I might hurt myself. I could just see myself tumbling down the mountain, rolling like a tumbleweed all the way down to the sea and then having a heart attack in the freezing cold water. 😦

After making that decision, I made my way back to the landing site and watched the zodiacs come and go. The scenery was so beautiful. I didn’t need to go anywhere else to see even more of it.

I sat in the snow and watched the penguins and the people come and go. Absorbing the sunlight and the immensity of the atmosphere, I was so grateful of the fact that I was able to even just sit there- in Antarctica!

penguins
more penguins

I even managed to get a decent shot of a couple of penguins in the water. They’re so fast when they’re swimming!

Gentoo penguins in the water

I’m glad I made it as far as I did. Turns out, this would be our only landing on Antarctica. All the rest of our stops were on nearby islands. I was a little disappointed to learn that, but I have to admit the places we did go were pretty much just as wonderful. What difference does a name make? I’m not sure, but I am still glad I get to say I got to go to Antarctica and not just close to it.

Spigot Peak as viewed from MS Roald Amundsen

24 thoughts on “Orne Harbor”

      • I like your choices. 🙂
        I haven’t been to Penang or Florence yet but both have been on the list for a while.
        Angkor was really something. I should’ve spent more time there. I also want to go to Bagan. Have you been there?

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      • I might try to go back to Angkor this year. Don’t know how or when…
        I want to walk the ruins at a slow pace. Sit in one place and meditate the beauty.
        Bagan? Burma right? No, we haven’t been to Burma yet. Another place on the TT list. I imagine you have?

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      • Angkor, yeah it’s definitely worth spending time there. I hope to go back there someday too.
        No, I haven’t been to Bagan yet, or Burma(Myanmar) at all. I hope to go someday, hopefully soon before it gets so touristy.

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      • yeah, it’s kind of a paradox. We all want to travel, but don’t want to be around hordes of tourists. I’m not really enthusiastic about what some places are doing- restricting people from visiting and making it even harder to get there.
        My recent trip to Antarctica is a perfect example. I’ve been wanting to go for decades. I seem to remember that you used to be able to go on a cruise ship, but that changed a while back. Of course that makes it a LOT more expensive to get there now which is why I’ve been waiting for so long to go. I don’t like it when it’s so crowded, but I do think everyone should have the opportunity to travel too. No idea how to solve that issue.

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      • Agreed. Selection will eventually be made by money (more expensive) which is not acceptable. There is one option though: as far as museums go, ost museums I know in Europe (e.g. Le Louvre) have short opening hours. Up to 5PM. If opening hours were until 10pm, I’m sure many tourists would gladly go in the evening, which would diminish crowds in the day. And of course that would mean hiring more personnel. Which is always good.

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      • I agree, money should not be the selector. No real ideas for what the solution would be.
        I do think your suggestion about the museums is a good one and would help. I know some of ours stay open til late. They even have special events at night. Same for the zoo (they charge extra for that tho).

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      • True. A sense of measure is needed. If the average museum ticket in Paris is about 12 Euros, I would say 20 Euros for a night session would be acceptable… That would imply large extra personnel costs…

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      • As in many things it is or should be a matter of measure. Let’s say the typical rate for a museum in Paris is 12 Euros. About 15 bucks if I recall. I would gladly pay 20 or 25 Euros for a night ticket if I felt there would be less crowd… And putting the special ticket at that price wouldn’t really stop people from going to this or that museum.

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      • Maybe. I’m thinking more of the poor to lower middle class people who might like to go to these places. They can barely afford their important bills, so might not have the original 12 euros to start with, much less the extra fees to go at night (when they’re off work).
        Personally, I wouldn’t mind paying a few bucks extra IF I get some extra benefit out of it. Like you say- less crowds, short lines, special access, etc. But it would have to be just a “few bucks” and not hundreds or thousands (like when they stopped the big cruise ships from going into some places- so only the small ships are allowed and they all cost a LOT more).

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