Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1530042
38 | Viking Explorer Society News CHRISTMAS ON ICE Melanie Gray sailed to the end of the earth to experience the festive season. We asked her what life was like in Antarctica on and off board. Why did you choose to travel to Antarctica? Taking a voyage is my absolute favourite way of travelling, and Antarctica has long been on my bucket list. I wanted to experience the "ice desert" for myself and be one of only a small percentage of humans to set foot on the seventh continent. I'm so excited to say that it was the last continent to tick off my list. And, I also wanted to see penguins in their natural habitat rather than at a zoo or aquarium. What surprised you most about the region? It wasn't as cold as I thought it would be even though it was summer. I didn't expect for most days to be so peaceful and calm with the sun shining so beautifully, like a perfect winter's day. I couldn't believe the vast size of the icebergs and glaciers or how crystal clear and clean the water was. What was your favourite shore excursion and why? Kayaking was incredible. I've never kayaked before and I was pleasantly surprised at how safe I felt. It was so incredible to get up close to penguins swimming and jumping in an out of the water. It was just so peaceful out on the water—the expedition team were incredible. What is your favourite memory from the trip? To see how happy everyone on board was when we first saw the ice as we approached the Antarctic Peninsula. We all sounded like little kids in a lolly shop! What was the festive spirit like on board? The festive spirit was perfect. There were stunning Christmas trees and garlands draped everywhere. My favourite part was seeing all the gingerbread houses on display—a couple of the chefs worked tirelessly on them one evening for us to enjoy and it was displayed like a little village. Were there any special Christmas activities on board? Although I didn't partake, there was a gingerbread house making class, which, from the finished products, looked like a lot of fun. On Christmas Eve we were treated to a huge smorgasbord of Christmas sweets with lots of trimmings including a chocolate fountain! What was served for Christmas meals? On Christmas day, we had a traditional roast dinner with all the trimmings throughout all the restaurants on board. What was your favourite thing you ate on board during the festive voyage? A very tough question to answer as the smorgasbord was incredible! But, I have to say, the egg nogg was my favourite. Clockwise from below: Christmas Onboard Viking Octantis; chocolate smorgesboard; Christmas Show; Viking Octantis