Lisa G Saw • March 8, 2023

Snowing In The Alps

From the warmth of my apartment I’m watching the snow falling outside. I’m sitting on a chair looking out of the window, mesmerised by the simplicity and beauty of the moment. I’m in a calm relaxed meditative state, with my feet planted on the ground and my back supported by the chair. My breathing has slowed right down. There are a few areas of tension in my body, so I tense the muscles in those areas, then with a quick release I relax them whilst simultaneously exhaling softly. It helps to release the tension deep inside. I repeat this a few times.

 

My hands are relaxed on my legs and I simply observe the snow. I love the white stuff. It makes me smile. I feel almost tearful. I don’t even know why. Is it that release of tension? Is it just the happiness I feel in this moment? 

The thick grey clouds prevent me from seeing far down the valley. The mountainside I can see from my window is visible, all the way to the top, though the jagged peak is far from clear. Just yesterday morning the ground was bare and brown, an expanse of exposed rocks and grass. But now, a thin veil of snow covers the slope. I’m sure it won’t be long before it’s a dense blanket. The green fir trees on the mountain now have a dusting of snow on their branches. The scene before me is slowly transforming into the winter wonderland I love so much.

The snow continues to fall. At first, it’s gently downwards. Then the wind changes direction and pushes the snow horizontally towards my balcony. Beautiful unique flakes of snow gently landing on the ledge. It feels like an invitation from nature to step into another world. I leave the warmth of the apartment briefly and brave the cold air that awaits me. It’s invigorating. It’s so fresh. I reach out my arm and let the snowflakes land in my palm. Softly, they fall. Ever so light. I can’t even feel them. Within seconds each snowflake melts away and disappears. A brief moment of delight, locked away in my memory.

 

I retreat back into the warmth once more. There’s another change in wind direction. Now the snow falls downwards again. Some flakes fall faster than others. There are ones that seem to be taking a more direct route to the ground, but other lighter ones gently descend, wafting a little from side to side. Beautiful. A gift from the skies. I feel a lightness inside me as I continue to watch the snowfall. I’m enjoying a moment of effortless being and noticing the benefit of this mindfulness moment.

By Lisa G Saw April 24, 2025
HEADING TO THE ANTARCTIC PENINSULA We had an early morning wake up call at about 5am to say we were close to the Antarctic Peninsula and had reached the pack ice. Despite the early hour, there was a lot of excitment on board and the cold air certainly woke me up. All around us were icebergs and brash ice and slowly the ship surged forwards.
By Lisa G Saw April 21, 2025
PENGUIN ISLAND We woke up to find it snowing heavily for the first time on our journey so far and I was thrilled. I love the snow! It seemed so fitting to be seeing the penguins in these cold conditions. We managed to get ashore in one of the first few zodiacs and stayed virtually until the last one, so we made the most of our landing and really enjoyed ourselves observing the penguins on the island and other wildlife. Sadly, there weren't any Adélie Penguin colonies to be found, but we saw a few Gentoo Penguins walking around.
By Lisa G Saw April 18, 2025
ONCE MORE AT SEA Leaving South Georgia behind us, we ventured further south towards the frozen continent of Antarctica. It took us three days. Since we were the first voyage of the season, we had no idea what lay ahead. Would we see any Adélie Penguins? How much of the ice would have retreated? Would we actually be able to walk on the Antarctic Peninsula, which was where we were ultimately heading? Everything had been so good already, I didn't have high expectations. I was just open to whatever we would experience and enjoying it all. Over the course of the three days we were at sea, we weren't able to be out on deck that often as the conditions weren't great. I certainly didn't take many photos. On our first day, though, I was pleased to take a few nice ones of a Blue Petrel flying close to the ship.
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