Christmas Day on L'Austral

Having gone to bed late, we do not wake until 9:15am. We relax a bit before the lecture ''Marine Mammals'' begins. Then for our lunch they serve a fixed-course Christmas meal with sweet potato soup, salmon, and a special yule log for dessert.

In the afternoon, we attend a lecture on the elephant seal. Then the expedition leader tells us about our first disembarkation on South Georgia. The plan is to arrive in Fortuna Bay and go on a six kilometer hike which follows the last part of Ernest Shackleton's famous hike across South Georgia. We will hike up for 300 meters and see waterfalls, elephant seals, fur seals, and perhaps penguins on our walk ending in Stromness Bay.