Port Lockroy, Antarctica

Port Lockroy, Antarctica was one of my favorite stops. It was a base that was used as a research station up until 1962. In 1996 it was renovated and turned into a museum and outpost. We were the last boat coming up for the year, so we were picking up a couple that had spent the summer there as carpenters renovating it.

The couple lived in this little place for three months. They were stuck on a tiny island, eating canned food, and hadn't showered the entire time. When we arrived they couldn't be happier to eat a warm meal and take a hot shower. It was by far what they were most excited about.

When the couple arrived three months before, the winter had broken a few windows. The snow had flown in and created a two foot layer of solid ice across the floor. They said the first two weeks they slept on the kitchen table while they broke, melted, and got rid of the ice. Sounds fun.

As much as what they were doing sounded like a grand adventure, it also sounded absolutely miserable! I feel like I am tough, and I don't think I could ever do that. They are rockstars.

Port Lockroy is the only outpost on the Antarctic Peninsula. You can write in a guest log, stamp your passport, and mail out any letters or postcards. I sent out two postcards, one to me and Kevin, and one to my parents. We received both of them in December! How wild is that. I sent out postcards from Antarctica in March, and they got to us in December. Pretty cool.

The base has also been made into a museum. Everything is left the same as it was in 1962 when it closed down. I loved seeing all of the old stuff; the bottle labels, brands, and styles from the 50's and 60's were amazing!

I thought the kitchen was adorable.

The work room was awesome too. I'm pretty sure it was wear the seven dwarfs worked. Everything was miniature. You would have to bend over walking through; even the tools looked tiny. Even though they were tiny, I'm sure they were quite sturdy holding up to Antarctica's crazy weather.

I can't imagine living in this place for months at a time. You had everything you needed in the four tiny rooms, but that was what they were, four tiny rooms. It could make anyone go insane.

They also had pin-up girls on the back of the bedroom door and bathroom door, so nice of them. The couple we met said that they had been taken down at one point, and then they decided to repaint them to keep the museum authentic. 

I loved getting a small taste of their life. Every detail was so interesting. It was hard to imagine what they would go through living there, but I'm super impressed they chose to do it!