Antarctica is a very special place. It's very cold there, of course. As a matter of fact it's the coldest continent in the world. And it is certainly the quietest. And the least populous. Other than our fellow passengers and those on two other cruise ships, we saw fewer than 15 people during our ten day cruise.

But we saw nature in some of its most stunning shapes and colors. Naturally there is plenty of ice, so the basic color of Antarctica is white. But there are also many beautiful shades of blue due to the refraction of light.

And then there are those special kinds of wildlife that survive so well in the coldest places on our Earth.