Last day on Seabourn Quest

Today is our last day on board as we cruise north along the Chilean Coast heading for San Antonio and then a taxi ride to the capital of Santiago. So today I include a picture of the lovely observation bar on the Quest. This is a multi-purpose space, afternoon tea at four, pre-dinner drinks (my cocktail of choice is a Gibson, Marion’s a Sidecar), and a post dinner nightcap. It also has an observation platform around the outside, although my preference was for the deck above because it was more sheltered from the wind and usually I was on my own up there.

 Last night was a final hurrah when all the crew gathered and there was a recap of the cruise. We were of course reminded that we had made history by sailing south of the Polar Circle. This included the video that we have all been given, our friends should prepare for a viewing, which so captured the great experiences of this cruise that it moved Marion to tears. It will be a beautiful memory of what we have experienced. There was also an exhortation to spread the word regarding the importance of the Antarctic and preserving that environment. In particular it is where nations work together rather than competitively, a lesson for us all.

After the presentation we had a lovely dinner with our friends Coralin and Chresten from Lake Tahoe. It was great to have found some kindred spirits on the ship. Marion and I both had Chateaubriand that was absolutely delicious. The catering has been outstanding, both in variety and quality. It will be a shock to prepare breakfasts from next Tuesday. After a good night's sleep we woke up to a misty day with the coast of Chile obscured by fog. This was appropriate as the main task was packing, not easy, as we seem to have acquired quite a lot.

We will leave the Quest with a heavy heart after a most wonderful introduction to cruising and a humbling visit to the most marvellous place on earth. We are truly privileged to have experienced this wonderful environment. We can repay this debt by evangelising the necessity to treat our environment with more respect remembering that we are caretakers of our planet. The motto is that we are the guests and should treat our home like guests.