After landing and making my way to our hotel, I decided to explore Christchurch a bit - which is pretty much what I've been doing yesterday and today. I saw the beautiful botanic gardens, the Avon river, Christchurch Cathedral, the old Canterbury University, and the Canterbury Museum of Natural History. Christchurch isn't exactly a bustling metropolis, but it is a very charming place to spend a couple days. The gardens felt very much like a fairy tale, and the gothic buildings all over the place enhance the effect.
Today, my sightseeing took me up to the top of the (volcanically formed) Port Hills (via gondola) on the edge of town and across the other side to the town of Lyttleton. Lyttleton is the port near Christchurch which originally brought settlers to the area and was also used by many Antarctic explorers, like R. F. Scott, as a base from which to head South. It turns out Lyttleton isn't as hustle and bustle as it used to be (at least on a sunny Sunday afternoon), but is still an active port.
Apart from the sightseeing, I did actually spend some time getting properly outfitted with cold weather gear. There is a required list of items and we had to double check that everything fits as expected, because it's now or never - Antarctica is not the place to find out that your boots are too small! I now have the warmest coat and boots I will ever own as well as three separate fleece layers for both top and bottom. At the outfitting I also met Rob, our mountaineer, who was the one who suggested today's adventure - he used to live in Christchurch until a couple years ago.
And, finally, Robert and Jenny arrived in time for dinner this evening, and so we are set for an early morning departure.
Photos coming soon - I wanted to upload them now, but for some reason the wireless connection is being very slow.
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