Apparently all good things must come to an end… And it was the end of a perfect few days cruising around Antarctica.

We sailed out through the South Shetland Islands, marvelling at another calm, overcast yet gorgeous day.

Antarctica is unlike any place on this planet. There is no continent so isolated, so pristine and so mysterious as the ice at the bottom of the world. There is no place so surprisingly magical. It is an icy fairytale.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from a cruise ship heading to Antarctica but Holland America did a fantastic job of introducing us to this magical continent. It is the most comfortable way to head so far South while at the same time feeling so close to it all that you almost could reach out and touch the ice.

Experiencing such a unique and special part of the world with my very unique and very special mother was beyond amazing and something that we will always cherish – knowing that we could never describe and fully share the magic of our time in Antarctica with anybody else through mere photos or words.

Thank you for having us Antarctica and goodbye – for now…