Paulet Island / Brown Bluff -- solid land and penguin poo

Our day started with a beautiful zodiac cruise around some unbelievable icebergs. The hues of blue are just spectacular! We landed on Paulet Island where several groups of juvenile Adelie Penguins patrolled the beach. It was a rocky beach, covered in pink penguin remnants, so slick and not somewhere you want to land face first. The smell was overwhelming, but the charming Adelies sported mohawks and fluffy wing puffs which made it all lighthearted. In addition, there was a small mountain literally covered in Blue-eyed Shags. Stunning landscape, but smelly and challenging! That afternoon we landed again for the first time on Antarctica proper, Brown Bluff! We took an obligatory group photo, including many of the crew, then set off in groups to explore the area. We found a Snow Petrel nest, and had many close encounters with funny Gentoo Penguins chasing each other around the beach. Seals also abounded. We had made it! We were finally in Antarctica!