Grytviken was the first place we were able to go ashore, although until the last minute it looked like the winds were going to keep us from landing. The South Georgian government inspector had to clear the ship first, to make sure we didn't have any contaminants (or rodents), and she also checked each of us before we got in the zodiacs—our boots, our jackets, our gear. Did we have any velcro? No? Good.
It was established as a Norwegian whaling station in 1904, and is still described as the largest “settlement” on South Georgia. There's a post office and a museum for the cruise ships that stop there, but they are only open during the summer; the people who work there go back to England in April.
The main reason I really wanted to go there was to visit Shackleton's grave in the small cemetery there, but it was an odd, beautiful place well worth seeing apart from that history.
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