Dave Hippler

Dave Hippler

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Romania and Moldova Путешественник
Cluj
22–25 авг., Румыния ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F
Cluj is Romania's second largest city and home to a couple universities. It's about the same size as Madison, Wisconsin. I dropped the car off at the airport and took buses into town to an apartment near the edge of the Old Town. The outside of it looks like an ugly communist block building. But my 7th floor apartment is newly remodeled and it looks great on the inside. The elevator however, is a death trap. I'll post a video of it here.

I have 3 days with no agenda. There are several museums and several pedestrian plazas. I was in luck because there was a large festival set up in the Piata Unirii, the main square. It was only a half mile away from my apartment.

Saturday night there were probably over 5,000 people there to watch a concert and mill around the food stalls.. On Sunday night there was a Broadway-quality play being performed. Heavy stuff though. When I walked by, the scene was Nazis rounding up Jews and executing them. It was quite a contrast to last night's rock concert.

On a brighter note, the weather was perfect and the two museums I went to were fun. For some reason pharmacy museums are big in Europe. I've been to a few but I find them fascinating. The one here was a good collection of medical equipment in the basement in addition to explanations of pharmacy throughout the ages.

But the highlight of my stay was the Steam Punk Museum. https://photos.app.goo.gl/dgmZ7k2zwetFdny67

There's only two of them in the world they say. I couldn't pass it up. I'll let the photos and videos do the talking but it was super fun and the staff at the museum were wacky comedians. I told a few of them that it reminded me of Meow Wolf in the United States. When I left, the guy taking my tickets had looked up Meow Wolf and told me how he wanted to go there now. (Santa Fe, Denver, and other locations in the US).

I had a very interesting conversation with one of the museum guides. He visited Chicago for a comic-con convention and just loved the city. We talked about technology, art, and architecture. He mentioned that a lot of the antiques in the museum were from the late 1800s and early 1900s and from the United States. The owner is a really creative artist who blends his art with these steam and early electrical powered devices.

I had several amazing meals and stumbled on a nearby botanical garden which had four huge greenhouses and lots of plants from throughout the world.

The traffic here is atrocious and the two major pedestrian zones are godsends. While I had a decent time here, I probably spent one day too much. I would not recommend it as a Must See in Romania. But if I'd never been to Europe before and landed here I would say this is an amazing city. I think I was spoiled by visiting Oradea and Timișoara first.

I can't wait to see Deanne. We are both flying to Chisinau, Moldova tomorrow where we will hook up and explore that country and then come back to Romania.

More photos and videos are here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/QXWfryG34W8b7G1YA

Steampunk Museum
https://photos.app.goo.gl/PfFbsydZe2i9zEsq8Читать далее
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ПутешественникSounds like a great trip, always fun to meet weird people!!
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Romania and Moldova Путешественник
1
1
Barsana Monastery
20 августа, Румыния ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F
This relatively new monastery (1993) made for a great stop on the way back to Breb after my failed attempt at a steam locomotive train ride.

The grounds were pristine and all the flowers were in bloom.

More photos and videos are here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/JwzxDcr4usQH3UHK7Читать далее
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- Bârsana Monastery
ПутешественникThe shingles are fascinating. Artwork.
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Looks fantastic, Dave! [LisaH]
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Romania and Moldova Путешественник
Breb, Romania
19–22 авг., Румыния ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F
The village of Breb, Maramures is a popular tourist destination for a reason. A lot of the old houses here have been preserved and converted to pensiunea (bed and breakfasts). Many of them have elaborate oaken gates and fences on the front. They're called poartă maramureșeană, which would translate to Maramures gates. I've seen dozens of them now and they're mind boggling. Some of them have large chains hanging from the front, but the chain links are all made of wood.

At my pensiune, there is the original older house in the back garden and a modern new building in the front. I booked at the last minute so I'm on the top floor of the new building. No complaints here as the old building is reported to be very creaky. The couple that runs the place are super nice and work all day. Breakfast is included and a huge group dinner is available for a small fee. They leave polinka out in the afternoon and evening for free and then provide wine at dinner also. I think it's $62 US/day for everything.

I'm the only English speaker here which makes things a little difficult but I'm getting by. Romanians come here for a weekend getaway and of course there's the requisite German and French tourists. I ate breakfast yesterday with a retired French couple and the man was from Toulon, one of my favorite French cities.

Dinner last night was a little more awkward as I was one of about 17 people and the only solo traveler and only English speaker. The two nice Romanian couples I sat with from Ploiesti did their best to communicate with me.

In a very strange coincidence, just hours after that, my uncle Bob sent me a few articles about an American Air Force B-24 gunner who was shot down and crashed in Ploesti on the property of a Romanian princess towards the end of World War 2. I'd never heard of the city! My father and uncles are from Geneseo, Illinois and Donald Gene Wright, the gunner, was also from there. Earlier in the day I had mentioned to my family that I'm in northern Romania. Ploiesti is in the south.

Donald Wright credits a Romanian princess named Catherine Caradja, the "Angel of Ploiesti " for saving his life and the lives of his fellow airmen. She insisted that they be treated well in the Nazi camp. She was apparently anti-nazi even though the Romanians had sided with the Nazis. Not long after that, Romania switched sides because they saw the writing on the wall. Wright was released, spent a two week leave in Geneseo, and then was sent back to war. He lived to tell the tale.

There's a famous steam-powered train line (Mocăniță) over an hour from here. It goes up into the mountains into a logging region. I tried to buy tickets online but their website was crap and I couldn't do it. On a whim, I drove all the way there to see if I could catch a train but they were sold out. So I went to the Borsana monastery on the way back. That made the long drive worth it.

Up here, the Romanian farmers still stack their hay in the centuries old fashion. They're very picturesque. The other villages along the road are not much to look at but the countryside is beautiful. Even though the roads are in perfect shape, they are very narrow and I'm averaging about 35 miles an hour along the highways. There's just no room for parking and there's no shoulder. So people park on the road or just stop to chat, deliver goods, or pick flowers.

Today I'm actually going to take a vacation day and just chill out and walk around the village: no buses, no trains, no driving.

The old wooden church in town is supposed to have the oldest church spire in Romania. A lot of men work in the lumber industry here. Life moves pretty slowly. Even though a lot of people have converted their houses to the pensiunae, a lot more haven't. They might have chickens, cows, horses, or sheep in their yard. This is exactly what I was hoping for, because tomorrow I head to Cluj, the second largest city in Romania. Sometimes it's nice to step back in time.

More photos and videos are here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/c7TngDMunC1kLpfv9

For more on the angel of Ploiesti, see
Catherine Caradja - Wikipedia https://share.google/mcoaARslZQSKuLXIxЧитать далее
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ПутешественникNice job on the reel!!
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Romania and Moldova Путешественник
2
The Merry Cemetery of Sapanta
19 августа, Румыния ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
This little cemetery in the small town of Sapanta is famous because a local wood carver started making tombstones for everyone in the village who died. They are intricately carved and colorfully painted. And to top it off, he wrote a little poem for each person.

What's really cool is that the tombstone carving reflects the person's personality or career. I was expecting I might be one of a couple people there but given all the cars and buses, this is a major tourist draw.

The region of Maramures is especially known for its oak forests and wood carvers. As you can see in my other posts, the craftsmanship is amazing.

More photos and videos are here.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/BoZdPNVMrHzJL3EZ9Читать далее
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- Merry Cemetery
Путешественник I hope you bought this.
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Путешественник It didn't fit.
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ПутешественникDang. 😀
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Romania and Moldova Путешественник
Sighet
19 августа, Румыния ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F
Sighet is right near the Ukrainian border, which is across the Tisa river a mile north of town. It's the hometown of Nobel laureate and holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel. It's also the home of a notorious prison during the Communist era where the government imprisoned priests, liberals, radicals, and the usual suspects. Most of them didn't survive.

They were a lot more women wearing head scarves up here. Life moves a bit slower even though I got caught in a traffic jam. In these villages and cities in Maramures there is usually just one main road through town. Given that Romanians are prone to just stopping in the middle of the road to pick flowers or talk to neighbors, this can be problematic.

After my hike to the Cock's Comb, I found a cheap local place for lunch. I wasn't too hungry so I ordered soup and three mici sausages. I thought they were small sausages like Cevapi from Serbia. There were a dollar each so I ordered three. Boy was I surprised. Each one was as big as a bratwurst! I was able to finish two at least.

I wandered around town and went to an ethnic culture museum and saw many interesting traditional costumes there. And then I went to the Communist prison. These are always depressing but I feel it's important to see them. It was a word-heavy museum and it was all in Romanian but I got a booklet with translations in English. I kind of skipped through a lot of it but I got the gist alright.

One thing I learned is that the prisoners were forced to dig a canal that was to connect the Black Sea with the Danube. Countless thousands died on this project. The purpose was so the Russian Navy could sail up the Danube to invade Yugoslavia if needed. Tito kind of said "fuck you" to Stalin and that pissed him off to no end. But they gave up before finishing.

Then I made a brief visit to the childhood home of Elie Wiesel. These museums are all within a few blocks of each other in the very walkable city center. My next stop was a very freaky cemetery just up the road.

More photos of videos are here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/iUP4p41e8r8H4NYq9Читать далее
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Romania and Moldova Путешественник
Baia Mare, Romania
18–19 авг., Румыния ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F
It was a long travel day from Timisoara. After a 6 1/2 hour bus ride, I picked up a car in Cluj and headed north out of Transylvania and into Maramures. It's probably the most remote region of Romania and sits below the Ukrainian border.

I chose this town because it was a larger city in the area. I just needed a place to bed down before moving on to a smaller village the next day.

I booked a pensiune, which is a family run hotel in a rural region. It's like a pension in Latin America.

I was checked in by the 18-year-old son who spoke English. I was the first American he had met, so he had no end of questions. His father did a shot of palinca with me upon check-in. Nice. That's the local pear brandy. I've seen that tradition throughout the Balkans with Raki or Rakia. Same stuff, more or less and same tradition. One for you, one for me. For every guest!

Don't think for a moment this is in the backwoods with no electricity and I'm dealing with peasants. These are modern, educated Europeans in every way and the pensiun was a new building with all mod cons. When I pulled in, I thought I was in the wrong place. A large neon tooth sign lit up the front. Apparently they rent out the front of the building to a dentist.

Breakfast is included with these type of places and when I mentioned that I can't eat bread, Daniel told me he was a celiac. I high-fived him and his father gave me another shot. Then I told them that I hadn't had lunch and I asked for any restaurant recommendations. Daniel ran back to the kitchen and brought me some homemade gluten-free bread and various slices of vegetables and sausages.

He sat me down to quiz me on what I thought of Trump and Obama etc etc. He plied me with a couple more shots of palinca to loosen the lips. It worked and I gave him an earful.

I decided to walk around the central part of the city since I'd been cooped up in vehicles all day. It's a nice little town with some bars and cafes and not a whole lot else to do.

After a delicious breakfast the next morning I said my goodbyes and drove up to a mountain pass in the Gutâi Mountains, part of the Carpathians. Daniel had mentioned a great hike to the Cock's Comb. I didn't quite make it to the top but I went about 80% of the way and the hike was beautiful. Bonus: no bears or boars. They're both a problem in Romania.

More photos and videos are here.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/X7igvTJLwZrnDAj76Читать далее
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ПутешественникI love this! Experiences like this one are what makes travel so wonderful for me. An insignificant stop, what a joy! I am enjoying starting my mornings with your adventures!
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ПутешественникThanks Sharon. It happens less and less, but it still happens sometimes.
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ПутешественникAwesome Dave! I love that you found a guy who high-fived you over having celiac LOL.
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ПутешественникI love that story! It reminds me of Rick Steve's book Travel as a Political Act. You are doing better work as an ambassador to America than any of the current bozos!
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Romania and Moldova Путешественник
The Gypsy Mansions of Huedin
18 августа, Румыния ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F
I passed hrough this town on a bus on the way to Cluj. I thought "What the hell are all these cool looking houses doing here?" At first they looked really nice, like mansions. But I saw several that were being built and they were really poor quality. We call that lipstick on a pig.

A lot of them were falling apart during the construction phase. I've seen that before. It looked like some of the owners ran out of money during construction.

People on the bus were pointing and laughing. The intricate metal work on the roofs looked really cool but then I noticed a lot of them were twisted and falling apart, even though they were not that old. They actually look like they're made out of aluminum foil. I definitely had to look that up.

I found a blog by a Romanian woman who gave a little background. Between her blog and Wikipedia I found that they are called Gypsy Mansions. The BBC did a documentary years ago tying a gypsy pickpocket ring in England to this village. About 1,000 people in about 100 families were involved. Those numbers sound a little too rounded but you get the picture. And of course some of the money must have came from legitimate work abroad. Right?

The mansions are a sign of status, wealth, and pride to the local gypsies. And a lot of them are left unfinished on purpose for tax purposes. Apparently you don't have to pay property taxes if the house is unfinished!Читать далее
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Really cool!! [Deanne]
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ПутешественникThat's wild!
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ПутешественникGood story. I drove around the North of Romania but never saw these.
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ПутешественникWhat an education you are getting!
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Romania and Moldova Путешественник
1
Timișoara
16–18 авг., Румыния ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F
I don't think I've ever seen so many people addicted to ice cream before. And I'm from Wisconsin. Oradea had an ungodly amount of ice cream shops and were doing good business. But Timișoara (TEE me show AH ra) is over the top. Granted its 33 today which is about 93 degrees Fahrenheit and it's Sunday.

I just spent a couple hours walking around town. People were eating ice cream in the afternoon. People were eating ice cream before dinner. And people were eating ice cream after dinner - over a thousand of them walking around the piatas with their partner, their children, their parents, whomever. The main takeaway here is that they were all eating ice cream at some point during the day.

It was beautiful. It wasn't a festival or anything special. it was just a summer Sunday. And while I'm sure there were many tourists here, the vast majority were locals.

Timișoara is as big as Madison, Wisconsin where I'm from - 300,000ish people. But because everyone is strolling in the central piatas (plazas) it seems so much larger. The Old Town is car free and it's about a half mile by half mile circle. It makes sight seeing so enjoyable.

This is where the Romanian revolution began in 1989. My hotel is near the piata where it all started. The room is a modern, luxurious room for $60. It comes with air conditioning. In Europe you always have to look for that because it's not necessarily standard.

I checked in and had lunch at one of the sidewalk cafes. I ordered Goulash and a local red wine. I'm right near the Serbian and Hungarian border so those cuisines are found in many restaurants. For $3 a glass, the wine was a steal. The menu translation said it was a "black girl" wine. I definitely had to look that one up! The
Fetească Neagră is a local grape translated as black girl, as in a very dark grape that is considered precious or delicate.

I took a bus to the north side of town and went to one of those traditional rural village museums. About 50 years ago some people started collecting old houses from the countryside, took them down, shipped them here, and rebuilt them. At the oldest of them, I couldn't stand up in either room. People were short! And as I went on and the houses were newer you could tell that the nutrition got better over the centuries because the ceilings and beams got higher.

The next day I went to the Revolution Memorial museum. In December 1989 people gathered to protest the removal of an agitator priest. A couple days later it turned into a real revolution. Troops showed up and opened fire and even killed children on the steps of the cathedral. Within 2 weeks, Caucescu was dead and it was over. They're very proud to have been the flash point.

Architecture here? There are many beautiful Secessionist buildings here, just like in Oradea. Timișoara is a larger city and the buildings are spread out a little bit and they're not quite as grand. Some still need a lot of work, even though Timișoara was declared a Cultural Capital of Europe in 2023. But there are some real gems here and in the Old Town most of them have been gussied up.

So far I'm absolutely impressed with what Romania has become in the 37 years since that revolution. This is only my second city but I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the country. Color me impressed.

More photos and videos are here

https://photos.app.goo.gl/zK8bsznZw9bmmJoE9Читать далее
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"Color Me Impressed" 😅 Love it! [Deanne]
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Путешественник Love it!
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Romania and Moldova Путешественник
Oradea, Romania
14–16 авг., Румыния ⋅ ☀️ 90 °F
My Lufthansa flight from Munich only took 1.5 hours across Austria and Hungary. I checked into a small apartment near the center of the Old Town right away. What a great introduction to Romania! It's an absolutely beautiful city in the center.

The Hapsberg's built a lot of the buildings in the late 1800s and early 1900s in the Secessionist style, which is known usually as Art Nouveau. And to quote the movie "In Bruges", it's like a fucking fairy tale.

The plazas are newly repaved, the buildings have fresh paint jobs, and the lighting on them at night is astounding. As a bonus, there's really not too many tourists here. I'm noticing lots and lots of local Romanian families out and about. I heard some young Hungarian tourists today. The Hungarian border is a short drive away. I see the occasional tour group, but those are seemingly Romanians.

It's just such a nice treat to not be in a city with hordes of toursists, yet it's everything a European city should be.
I came here for the architecture and it's mind blowing. The city hall here looks as nice as Paris' Hotel Deville.

I spent my day and a half walking all over and taking lots of photos. I went to a couple museums, including the fortress museum on the edge of the center. It was falling apart and ready to be torn down in the 70s but it's been totally rebuilt. The museum had a little bit about every period of Romanian history.

There was even a room with a collection of old calculators and adding machines and computing technology all the way through modern computers. I'm so old that the first computer I ever used, the Mac SE, was prominently displayed.

The highlight was the Darvas-La Roche House, a Secessionist house full of period piece furniture. Wow. Just wow.

I'm trying Romanian food for the first time. My introductory meal was Sarmale (stuffed cabbage rolls). Delicious. Another meal was a chicken dish with a mushroom cream sauce. And I just had to try the tripe soup. Amazing stuff.

More photos and videos are here.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/NDgWJtxcmjjvNAav8

And if you're into Art Nouveau, here's photos from the Darvas La Roche house.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/UYayLS68YiwxSGbs8Читать далее
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Romania and Moldova Путешественник
1
Munich
12–14 авг., Германия ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F
I'm headed to Romania but I got a cheap flight to Munich and decided to spend a couple nights here first. It's my third time in Munich so I'm going to try to hit some spots that I haven't seen before.

One thing I noticed immediately is that there is a LOT major construction going on. The biggest project is the redevelopment of the main train station. It's looking pretty sad right now but soon it will be as nice Berlin's, which is a massive and modern complex built within and underneath the train station. It looks like that's what they're going to do here.

Munich has a few great pedestrian shopping streets so I did a fair amount of walking around and gawking at the sites. I went to the Residenz, a sprawling and grand palace of the Bavarian Kingdom. The treasury was worth the price of admission alone.

And I had to visit the NS-Dokumentationszentrum München. It's a document museum and library which details the rise of the Nazi party. What a fascinating museum. The Nazis started in Munich and spread out from there.

And what would a visit to Munich be without going to the Augustiner restaurants/ beer gardens in town. Fortunately my hotel near the train station is also near two of them and I hit them both on the same day. I had a fried pork knuckle (Haxe) at lunch at one and then I went to the sprawling beer garden at Augustiner Kellar for dinner. It holds 5,000 outdoor seats and is one of the largest in Munich.

I was seated at a table with another gentleman and we made fast friends over Nuremberger sausages and a liter of helles. He was quite the interesting guy - Palestinian born but emigrated to Germany in his youth. He got a PhD in physics and then a medical degree. He works for a company that developed the lasers for Lasik surgery. We talked about travel and politics and he insisted on buying my beer.

It was only a short stay, but it was well worth it for the stopover. Tomorrow I fly to Oradea, Romania. It's near the Hungarian border and it's known for it's Art Nouveau architecture called "Secessionist. " These buildings were built in the late 1800's and up to the start of World War 1 when it was part of the Austro- Hungarian empire.

More photos and videos are here.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/SmhNLKknxnyK9s1QAЧитать далее
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Путешественник Ha!
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Antarctica - Lucky Number 7 Путешественник
Ushaia, Part 2
16–19 янв., Аргентина ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F
We've come full circle. That was the trip of a lifetime. I couldn't have asked for a better one. We spent 18 days and nights at sea. The staff repeatedly told us how lucky we were. Not only did we get the Drake Lake both ways, but we had excellent weather. Not one excursion was canceled. We saw literally hundreds of thousands of penguins. There were dozens of whales including that great experience with the Southern Right Whale, and more seals that you could imagine.

We're hanging out for three nights in Ushaia. There's really no reason to. We booked this trip at the last minute. I thought we'd want 3 days to explore here but the mountains and glaciers here pale in comparison to what we just saw. So we're just relaxing and writing and editing. We also hung out with new friends Patrick and Kay.

Deanne and I both agreed that we will never come back. How could it possibly be any better? And in a bizarre coincidence, some neighbors from McFarland, Wisconsin saw us in a coffee shop! Deanne's workout friends from the gym were just getting ready to leave on their excursion.

Here's some fun facts from the trip:

64.5 degrees south is the farthest we went. That's the farthest I've been. Tromso, Norway is the farthest north at 69.6° North.

The ship had 106 crew and 140 passengers, a great ratio.

We went 3,577 nautical miles on the trip and made 18 excursions! Wow. Not one was cancelled, a very rare thing.

Wildlife
Too many flying birds to count but especially Petrels, Skua and Albatross species.

Dusky Dolphin

6 of 7 penguin species
Gentoo penguins
Chinstrap Penguins
Adelie Penguins
King Penguins
Magellanic Penguins
Rockhopper penguins

4 whale species
Humpback whale
Fin Whale
Right whale
Sei whale

6 seal species
Leopard seal
Weddel Seal
Crabeater Seal
Fur Seal
Elephant Seal
Sea Lion

More photos and videos are here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/wyNnPiHBWLrUsYwB8

An interactive map of the whole trip is here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/N3boKhjooRi1E7o46Читать далее
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Simply incredible. Truly a trip of a lifetime. How wild they you ran into friends! The world is small. [Sharon]
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I am so very happy for you guys that you got to do this amazing trip. [Deb]
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Antarctica - Lucky Number 7 Путешественник
New Island, Falklands - Sailing Home
14–16 янв., Фолклендские острова ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F
We made two stops on New Island in the western part of the Falklands. These were the last two of 18.

At New Island North Harbor we saw lots of Striated Caracaras (birders were excited) and Rockhopper Penguins. They look a little bit like the Macaronis. There was also a Albatross rookery, so there were lots of pics with Mom and chicks.

At New Island settlement, there were about eight houses and a small museum. It was sunny and warm that day so we were all sweating and took off our layers. We walked across the island to a sandy beach with more Southern Rockhoppers and a Cormorant rookery.

More photos and videos of New Island North Harbor are here .
https://photos.app.goo.gl/5d2MdoB1oz6r5MPs6

More photos and videos of New Island Settlement are here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/QBasPtFCZ3NctFHY6

An interactive map of the whole trip is here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/N3boKhjooRi1E7o46Читать далее
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Antarctica - Lucky Number 7 Путешественник
Sailing to Stanley
11–13 янв., Фолклендские острова ⋅ 🌬 54 °F
It took two leisurely days to get to the Falklands. That left plenty of time for a charity auction and a crew talent show. Those were lots of fun. Two people donated $900 each to be able to name a whale. The Happy Whale Project identifies whales by their markings and then uses photos from tourists to track where they are.

There were lots of whale sightings on this journey. Every now and then our leader Hannah would get on the horn and tell us there's a whale on the port or starboard side. And over the two days there were plenty of lectures from experts on the wildlife we would be seeing.

There was also time for two crew members to give a mock debate about the Falklands/ Malvinas War. Paul, the ship historian is a former UK commando. Santi, the kayak guide lead is the only Argentine crew member on board. They had a pretty fun banter and made some interesting points on both sides. Finally, we got to take a tour of the bridge and hear some interesting stories from the Ukrainian captain.

We made a landing at Stanley in the Falkland islands on the 13th. This is the only day with rough weather. It was very windy. The city of Stanley was somewhat underwhelming. There was not a lot to do there except the insightful museum which gave details on the Falklands War along with their history.

Photos and videos of the journey to the Falklands are here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/8yHWSwA8Piso2De98

Photos and videos of Stanley, Falkland Islands are here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/7NZChwFBo8vpuQTf8

An interactive map of the whole trip is here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/N3boKhjooRi1E7o46Читать далее
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Antarctica - Lucky Number 7 Путешественник
1 1
Party with a Southern Right Whale
10–11 янв., Южная Георгия и Южные Сандвичевы острова ⋅ ⛅ 37 °F
This was the highlight of the trip, something most people can only dream of. It was just another normal zodiac excursion: more penguins, more seals, more glaciers. At this point it was nothing too special because we were nearing the end of the trip.

We were almost done with the excursion at Elsehul when one of the guides mentioned on the radio that there was a Southern Right Whale out at the entrance to the bay. The whale was so named because it was the "right whale" to catch.

Our German guide Martin zoomed out and we waited. And the rest is magic. Those white things on its head are barnacles and collosities.

It's not rare to see a Southern Right Whale. But it is rare for them to just hang out at a Zodiac and check us out for 10 minutes.

As if all of that wasn't enough, we also saw lots of Macaroni Penguins and seals before the whale sighting.

Here's my edited version from our zodiac.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/bEUSYd1LpkEqofEN8

Here is a full GoPro video from Nate, a different guide. This one's amazing since you can see what the whale looks like underwater.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/4CkDNJU9vhdHSvQ87

Here's an interactive map of the entire trip.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/YkSRjQs3rmC1yBF87

More photos and videos are here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/vvEfZCArscZxPQbi9Читать далее
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Just incredible! [Sharon]
26.01.2026ОтветитьПереводить
🤣 [Deb]
26.01.2026Ответить
Just WOW!! [Lisa H]
26.01.2026Ответить
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Antarctica - Lucky Number 7 Путешественник
1
1
Salisbury Plain, Bay of Isles
10 января, Южная Георгия и Южные Сандвичевы острова ⋅ ☁️ 36 °F
This was our last landing on South Georgia. And what a doozy. This is probably the largest penguin colony we've seen on the trip. Over 150,000 King penguins? Hard to say. I never expected to see so many, or be up so close. Because of the bird flu, we had to stay about 5 meters from the animals. But that's close enough. Those molting brown juveniles look so miserable, waiting to blossom.

Here's some fun facts from the trip:

64.5 degrees south is the farthest we went. That's the farthest I've been. Tromso, Norway is the farthest north at 69.6° North.

The ship had 106 crew and 140 passengers, a great ratio.

We went 3,577 nautical miles on the trip and made 18 excursions! Wow. Not one was cancelled, a very rare thing.

Wildlife
Too many birds to count but especially Petrels, Skua and Albatross species.

Dusky Dolphin

6 of 7 penguin species
Gentoo penguins
Chinstrap Penguins
Adelie Penguins
King Penguins
Magellanic Penguins
Rockhopper penguins

4 whale species
Humpback whale
Fin Whale
Right whale
Sei whale

6 seal species
Leopard seal
Weddel Seal
Crabeater Seal
Fur Seal
Elephant Seal
Sea Lion

More photos and videos are here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/U1aAQiZYooRTxJFC7

And this is the highlight of the trip: a Southern Right Whale sighting on January 10th. It's so rare for one of them to hang out next to a Zodiac, I'm posting it in every footprint.

https://findpenguins.com/0x7ax2pvwii8d/footprin…Читать далее
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WOWWWWW!!!!😍 [Deb]
26.01.2026ОтветитьПереводить
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Antarctica - Lucky Number 7 Путешественник
The Shackleton Hike/ Stromness
9–10 янв., Южная Георгия и Южные Сандвичевы острова ⋅ ☁️ 30 °F
We were presented with the opportunity to hike in Shackleton's footsteps. The last part of his amazing journey was when he and two other men walked across South Georgia Island to the whaling station of Stromness.

They were the first persons to walk across the island. It was 1916 and 2 years after his journey started. A large group of his men stayed on Elephant Island for over a year. About eight of them took one lifeboat and sailed to the wrong side of South Georgia Island. It was no small miracle that they landed on the island at all. Shackleton and two others walked across the ice and snow and somehow managed to find civilization. Everyone was eventually rescued after Shackleton heard the morning whistle to start work at the whaling station the next morning.

It sounded fun so I decided to do it with about 40 others. After we started the hike, our ship sailed to the bay on the other side to meet us. There was no turning back! It only took about 3 hours but it was fun.

More photos and videos are here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/4j5pnfaMfkToNupG7

And this is the highlight of the trip: a Southern Right Whale sighting on January 10th. It's so rare for one of them to hang out next to a Zodiac, I'm posting it in every footprint.

https://findpenguins.com/0x7ax2pvwii8d/footprin…Читать далее
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ПутешественникI was wondering if/when you would be able to recreate part of Ernest’s travels. So cool. 👍
24.01.2026ОтветитьПереводить
How I found so Interesting is the golden groundcover. Did you find out why/what that was? [Linda W]
26.01.2026ОтветитьПереводить
ПутешественникAbout the only thing that grows there is moss and lichen.
26.01.2026ОтветитьПереводить
How cool to have lived up to the website namesake! [Linda Watson]
26.01.2026ОтветитьПереводить
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Antarctica - Lucky Number 7 Путешественник
1
Fortuna Bay, South Georgia Island
9 января, Южная Георгия и Южные Сандвичевы острова ⋅ ⛅ 30 °F
Another day, another bay. Fortuna Bay has lots more King Penguins and Fur Seals. This was the only day that snowed surprisingly.

Fortuna is a spot with over 100,000 penguins. That's a lot of poop, which filled our senses. The brown ones are molting juveniles.

More photos and videos are here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/JTZYpSEharAtNYLL9

And this is the highlight of the trip: a Southern Right Whale sighting on January 10th. It's so rare for one of them to hang out next to a Zodiac, I'm posting it in every footprint.

https://findpenguins.com/0x7ax2pvwii8d/footprin…Читать далее
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Путешественник ❤️
23.01.2026Ответить
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Antarctica - Lucky Number 7 Путешественник
1
Grytviken, South Georgia Island
8–9 янв., Южная Георгия и Южные Сандвичевы острова ⋅ ☁️ 36 °F
Pronounced GRIT vit kin, Grytviken is a former whaling station settled by Norwegians. What a nasty industry. Before petroleum and plastics, whales provided heating oil, lamp oil, and lots of other products. It shut down in the 60's.

There's a small community that lives there now and it has a nice museum. We got a tour of the rusting facilities from one of the museum employees. The site was cleaned up about 10 years ago.

It's also where Ernest Shackleton is buried. He and his men survived that arduous trip from 1914 to 1916. But several years later he made a return trip from England for another expedition and died shortly after landing here. His wife wanted him to be buried here.

There were lots of pesky seal pups hanging around. We were lucky to have a sunny day.

More photos and videos are here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/SmWWSwQQvnqehcP5A

And this is the highlight of the trip: a Southern Right Whale sighting on January 10th. It's so rare for one of them to hang out next to a Zodiac, I'm posting it in every footprint.

https://findpenguins.com/0x7ax2pvwii8d/footprin…Читать далее
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What a great picture! It's like you got them to pose! [Sharon]
23.01.2026ОтветитьПереводить
ПутешественникThey're like that all the time. They're posers.
23.01.2026ОтветитьПереводить
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Antarctica - Lucky Number 7 Путешественник
Hercules Bay, South Georgia Island
8 января, Южная Георгия и Южные Сандвичевы острова ⋅ ☁️ 36 °F
We moved up the coast to Hercules Bay, but had to stay in the Zodiac. This is home to a large Macaroni Penguin colony and a few Elephant Seals hung around. These penguins have distinctive fancy yellow feathers that look like eyebrows.

The "Macaroni" has nothing to do with the penguins looking like pasta. The term originated in England in the 1760's for young, rich, dandy men who wore outrageous fashions after returning from their European tours. I guess lonely whalers thought these penguins looked pretty dandy.

The song Yankee Doodle Dandy was written 10 years later by Redcoats making fun of naive rubes in the colonies who thought a feather in their cap was high fashion. I had to come all the way to Antarctica to learn this.

More photos and videos are here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/teRn6nVw2fT9ZV1i6

And this is the highlight of the trip: a Southern Right Whale sighting on January 10th. It's so rare for one of them to hang out next to a Zodiac, I'm posting it in every footprint.

https://findpenguins.com/0x7ax2pvwii8d/footprin…Читать далее
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Antarctica - Lucky Number 7 Путешественник
Gold Harbor and St. Andrew's Bay
7–8 янв., Южная Георгия и Южные Сандвичевы острова ⋅ ☁️ 37 °F
This was the first of 4 days at South Georgia Island. It ended up being the highlight of the trip. As you can see, there was sooooo much wildlife.

At Gold Harbor, there was a King Penguin colony where over 150,000 of them nesting. These are the guys with the gold neck and ears. The awkward brown ones are juveniles molting their brown feathers. Also in abundant supply were the cute Fur Seals and their playful pups.

Near the beach were lots of Elephant Seals. These are the big boys and the males like to fight a lot while the females just scratch their heads.

In the afternoon we went to St. Andrews Bay for more of the same. Those seal pups are just like dog puppies. But they nip at you. We used ski poles to keep them at bay. If you touch their highly sensitive whiskers, they kind freak out and back off.

Elephant seals video
https://photos.app.goo.gl/auqmhRJzkwuLBtx7A

Gold Harbor photos and videos are here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/GN33eqHNYdcf6HDe7

St. Andrews Bay photos and videos are here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/R8nY6DweT8JhEVxq6

And this is the highlight of the trip: a Southern Right Whale sighting on January 10th. It's so rare for one of them to hang out next to a Zodiac, I'm posting it in every footprint.

https://findpenguins.com/0x7ax2pvwii8d/footprin…Читать далее
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Antarctica - Lucky Number 7 Путешественник
Elephant Island and The Scotia Sea
4–7 янв., Scotia Sea ⋅ ☁️ 34 °F
We had lots of time when sailing through the Bransfield Strait off of the South Shetlands. But never a dull moment from Polar Latitudes. They filled the time with interesting lectures on krill, Ernest Shackleton, and even the detailed history of an iceberg.

I had no idea that large icebergs are named and tracked. Antarctica is split into quadrants: A, B, C, and D. When one calves off, the first letter of the name shows where it came from. The following numbers are the year it happened, and the last letters are given in order and if there are more than 26 in a year, they add a second column. The largest iceberg we saw was called B15AB which means it came from the SW corner of Antarctica in 2015. It was the 28th one that calved that year.

So much for the background. Suffice it to say this guy was HUGE! Some are as big as Jamaica. They are miles and miles long and hundreds of meters high. We sailed past this guy and the expedition leader talked about it as if it was an old friend. And given the ocean currents and temperature, she wouldn't see it again.

The lecture on the Antarctic explorer Shackleton by the ship historian was even more interesting. Long story, but a failed expedition in 1914 left them stranded on their ship, on ice, and islands for 2 years! And everyone survived. Great story.

Elephant Island is where one group stayed behind for a year while Shackleton and a few others sailed on, looking for rescue. What a cold, lonely, desolate late place. But, they have penguins and seals!

More photos and videos are here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/piSadFD3YmmLmgf48

And here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/FyjD6iouwjCuUUNC9

And this is the highlight of the trip: a Southern Right Whale sighting on January 10th. It's so rare for one of them to hang out next to a Zodiac, I'm posting it in every footprint.

https://findpenguins.com/0x7ax2pvwii8d/footprin…Читать далее
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Antarctica - Lucky Number 7 Путешественник
1
Half Moon Island and Bransfield Strait
3–4 янв., Bransfield Strait ⋅ ⛅ 34 °F
Next stop: Half Moon Island in the South Shetland Islands. We just left the Antarctic mainland. Most cruises only visit the tip of the Antarctic peninsula that's closest to South America. We're happy that we got on land several times but the real wildlife is in the other Islands nearby.

We took another zodiac and saw Gentoo and Chinstrap penguin colonies and lots of Weddell seals. We are lucky that the sun was out. That's not always the case. Some days are pretty dreary

More photos and videos are here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/zSf1CJS6f1iJ9hrd9

And this is the highlight of the trip: a Southern Right Whale sighting on January 10th. It's so rare for one of them to hang out next to a Zodiac, I'm posting it in every footprint.

https://findpenguins.com/0x7ax2pvwii8d/footprin…Читать далее
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Путешественник Wonderful shot👍
20.01.2026ОтветитьПереводить
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Antarctica - Lucky Number 7 Путешественник
1
1
Kayaking, Polar Plunge, Palaver Point
2–3 янв., Bransfield Strait ⋅ ⛅ 28 °F
Our expedition company, Polar Latitudes, offered kayaking as an option. We chose to do it for one day at a place called Charlotte Bay. The water was calm and there were icebergs in the water. We spent a couple hours paddling around and saw a Humpback whale in the distance a few times.

We enjoyed it but we would never have done the full immersive kayaking program. Those people went out about a dozen times and that meant the time you're in a kayak is time you are not on land walking around getting close to the wildlife. To each their own.

Afterwards everyone had the opportunity to do a Polar Plunge off the side of the ship. We thought what the heck? I'd say about only a third of the passengers did it. While it was cold, they greeted us with towels and drink and there is a sauna onboard.

The sun sets really late this far south, after 10:00 p.m. That gave us time to do an excursion to Palaver Point on Two Hummock Island after dinner. It was more penguins, more ice, and more beauty. We can't get enough.

There was a Chinstrap Penguin colony at the point. We got to see them playing and move on the snow. Sometimes they'd push themselves on their stomach and sometimes they'd walk awkwardly across it.

There is a threat of avian bird flu here so we have to stay 5 m away from wildlife and clean our gear before and after every excursion - a small price to pay for keeping the wildlife safe

More photos and videos are here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/pib13VEnTV51KE3Z8

And this is the highlight of the trip: a Southern Right Whale sighting on January 10th. It's so rare for one of them to hang out next to a Zodiac, I'm posting it in every footprint.

https://findpenguins.com/0x7ax2pvwii8d/footprin…Читать далее
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Путешественник You kids didn’t stay in very long! 😀
19.01.2026ОтветитьПереводить
ПутешественникNope!
19.01.2026Ответить
So incredible! I love that you all say YES to it all! The whale experience was crazy!!! Thrilling and terrifying! What an amazing trip. [Sharon]
20.01.2026ОтветитьПереводить
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Antarctica - Lucky Number 7 Путешественник
Cuverville Island and Paradise Bay
1–2 янв., Bransfield Strait ⋅ ☁️ 28 °F
Finally! Our 7th continent.

Cuvervile Island is home to the largest Gentoo penguin colony in the Antarctic peninsula. There were lots of icebergs and lots of penguins, including Chinstraps. Everyone was pretty ecstatic. Little did we know, we'd later see hundreds of thousands of penguins, including 6 of the 7 species in Antarctica. I now understand the name of this blog. We found penguins.

After lunch we went to Paradise Bay and stopped at Brown station, an Argentine science station. It was unmanned. Our guide said " Yeah, the Argentines like to build these bases but don't have the money to staff them."

Even though the Antarctic treaty has been in place since 1959, many nations still hold on to their original claims and there's a fair amount of these stations in the Antarctic peninsula. I think it's kind of a back-up plan in case things don't work out in the future.

More photos and videos are here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/kZLigRgZ1tm5tQAh8

And this is the highlight of the trip: a Southern Right Whale sighting on January 10th. It's so rare for one of them to hang out next to a Zodiac, I'm posting it in every footprint.

https://findpenguins.com/0x7ax2pvwii8d/footprin…Читать далее
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You guys look like superheroes! [Alec]
18.01.2026ОтветитьПереводить
ПутешественникWe feel like superheroes. 😆
19.01.2026ОтветитьПереводить
ПутешественникThese shots are fantastic. Thanks for taking the time to log your adventure. So happy for you two. Slax
18.01.2026ОтветитьПереводить
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Antarctica - Lucky Number 7 Путешественник
New Year's in Antarctica
31 дек. 2025–1 янв. 2026, Антарктида ⋅ ☁️ 34 °F
At some point in the night we crossed the 60th parallel. That latitude is what defines Antarctica. An international treaty protects the whole area between 60°and 90° and it belongs to no one country.

On New Year's Eve we did our first excursion on a Zodiac raft, the first of 18. It took us a long time to suit up with all the layers of clothes, muck boots, and life jackets. On every trip everyone got faster and faster at it. It did remind me of my days in the Illinois National Guard, what with all the hurry up and wait, but all the standing around while waiting to get on a zodiac was well worth it.

Our first stop after passing through the Gerlache Strait was on the Melchior Islands. On the zodiac in the bay we all celebrated New Year's Eve with some sparkling wine in paper cups.

Later in the night, not long before midnight, the ship received a distress call called a "pan pan." It's one level of distress call under MayDay. Apparently someone on a small sailboat burned themselves while boiling water and requested medical help. The fact that the sailors were Russian and our ship's captain was Ukrainian meant nothing at the moment.

Our ship, the Seaventure, changed course and went way out of the way to help him and give medical care until another ship that was heading towards Ushuaia went out of their way to pick him up and take him back to a hospital. That put us way off schedule but the crew was amazing and shuffled some things around and we didn't miss any excursions.

More photos and videos are here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/VqSbEFMRCQ2NNdrS6

And this is the highlight of the trip: a Southern Right Whale sighting on January 10th. It's so rare for one of them to hang out next to a Zodiac, I'm posting it in every footprint.

https://findpenguins.com/0x7ax2pvwii8d/footprin…Читать далее
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I love this story. It highlights that we don't live in a bubble, all connected. Your ship and crew sound amazing, creating an amazing experience for you all. [Sharon]
20.01.2026ОтветитьПереводить
Путешественник❤️
20.01.2026Ответить
ПутешественникI'm three days in and it's just amazing. Wow.
21.01.2026ОтветитьПереводить
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Antarctica - Lucky Number 7 Путешественник
The Drake Passage
29–31 дек. 2025, Drake Passage ⋅ 🌬 36 °F
The first part of the trip passed through the Beagle Channel, which is a narrow and calm channel that separates Chile and Argentina in the extreme southern tip of South America. It empties into the Drake Passage.

The Drake Passage is known as one of the most turbulent ocean passages in the world. It stands between the South American continent and Antarctica. Its nickname is the Drake Shake. But on the rare occasion when it's calm, it's known as the Drake Lake. We were amazingly lucky to experience the Drake Lake.

For two days, the sea was calm and we had a fair amount of sun. Everyone here was relieved because we have all heard of the horror story of violent passages. Or they've experienced it. We met many people who've been to Antarctica once or twice before. 7 meter waves are not uncommon.

When the trip started we weren't sure what the order of events were. It really does depend on the weather and the Captain's got the final decision. This is a long cruise and we're hitting the Falklands and South Georgia in addition to Antarctica. Fortunately we're heading straight to Antarctica. It will take 2 days.

The crew is top notch. We spent the two days getting familiar with the ship, having safety briefings, attending lectures on wildlife, and getting to know fellow passengers. It looks like it's going to be fun.

More photos and videos are here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/2CAErkB37hnDdUF99

And this is the highlight of the trip: a Southern Right Whale sighting on January 10th. It's so rare for one of them to hang out next to a Zodiac, I'm posting it in every footprint.

https://findpenguins.com/0x7ax2pvwii8d/footprin…Читать далее
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