It was our first morning waking up in Antartica on the G Adventures ‘MS Expedition’ ship. And the sunrise was unbelievable. Pink and purple hues cracked over the shoreline, seals floated past on icebergs and whales circled the ship. It was magical.

The reflections of Antartica’s looming coastline were perfectly illustrated in the depths of the sea.

We were heading to Brown Bluff which stands in the Antarctic Sound, some 15 kilometers (9 miles) south-east of Hope Bay, where the eastern edge of the Tabarin Peninsula drops almost sheer to the water from an ice-capped 745-meter (244-ft) summit.

The landscape was spectacular.

Brown bluff it is one of the very few spots you can get ashore on the Antarctic peninsula proper on the Weddell Sea side of the peninsula so this was my first day stepping on mainland Antarctica. Surrounded by glaciers and small (by Antarctic standards) ice caps,  a 3 kilometer (1 3/4 mile) long rocky beach rises to a steep scree slope, which in turn rises to meet a towering rust-colored cliff of volcanic rock.

The day before we had enjoyed our first landing on Penguin Island, where we watched wildlife at play on the volcanic beach. But Brown Bluff seemed more rugged, more icy and more like my expectations of Antarctica.

Maybe the weather made the day seem more wild. The gentle snow feel softly but consistently, coating every rock, every penguin and every seal in a harsh layer of white. This morning made me realise the rough conditions that these brave creatures endure through their icy lives.

It was one of those places that I was overwhelmed with happiness to just sit and enjoy my surroundings. It was like people watching in Paris – except I was more scared of frostbite than running out of coffee and the people I was watching were actually penguins and seals.

This was one of those difficult days on my expedition when I had to chose between kayaking or going on shore but I was very happy with my choice as I sat in pure bliss on the icy beach people watching the local penguins. Not even an espresso could have made me any happier.