I was mesmerized by the icebergs in Antarctica- each unique like a snowflake. But in addition to beautiful looks, they also had a personality which is what I think drew them to me the most. An iceberg is a large piece of freshwater ice that has broken off a glacier or an ice shelf and is floating freely in open water. They move slowly, barely detected – slowly following the currents and winds. Sometimes their center of balance is disrupted, and all hell breaks lose and they flip, thrash, and roll in an effort to find that beautiful balance again. They may subsequently become frozen into pack ice and not move for a while. Surprisingly only one-ninth of the volume of an iceberg is above water on average. The shape of the underwater portion can be equally beautiful, but hard to decipher.
As I learned more and more about the icebergs thanks to our Expedition Staff lectures, I came to admire them and sort of think of them as a living entity – mainly because in some odd way they represented my story and journey. Breaking away from my old life and slowly drifting in and out of balance, yet ultimately powerful. Secretive and hidden only allowing people to see what I want them to while the rest of me remains out of sight. Who knows – one day I may become stuck in pack ice and stay somewhere for a while again.
Which iceberg photo is your favorite?
Disclosure: Expedition Trips and G Adventures hosted my Antarctic Peninsula Cruise. However, all of the opinions expressed here are my own – as you know how I love to speak my mind!
Sherry Ott is a refugee from corporate IT who is now a long term traveler, blogger, and photographer. She’s a co-founder of Briefcasetobackpack.com, a website offering career break travel inspiration and advice.
Additionally, she runs an around the world travel blog writing about her travel and expat adventures at Ottsworld.com.com.
