6th – 7th – Crossing to Greenland

We spent two days crossing from Svalbard to Greenland, heading out the night of the 5^th and arriving at our anchoring point around 1630 the 7^th, several hours before the planned arrival. This was possible due to near excellent conditions during the crossing – despite being exposed the seas were calm and we encountered only little swell. The 7^th started with clouds/haze in the distance obscuring the sunrise and it stayed like that most of the morning when we spotted Greenland in the distance. At that point we caught up with the mist and visibility dropped to almost nothing until during lunch when we came out of it and we got our first clear view of Greenland’s east coast. We entered Copeland Fjord and anchored for the day.

Kittiwake. 

Just chugging along.

During the crossing there wasn’t much to do: standing outside hoping for any sightings (we didn’t even have birds following the ship), listening to some of the lectures held by the guides, eating, and waiting. So all in all the crossing turned out to be fairly uneventful though the lectures were quite interesting (Aurora Borealis, Greenland’s history & culture, Arctic wildlife/nature etc.).

First view of Greenland.

Arriving in Greenland we were surprised by how barren it all looked at first; it looks like a mountainous moon landscape, but also animals are low in supply around here – no whales, dolphins or seals, barely any birds and no bears (though the latter wasn’t too much of a surprise). We did get to see a few musk oxen, though they were very far away and barely much more than specs in the distance.

Musk oxen.

From now on, between 2300 and 0500, there will be a staff member on watch for northern lights and of they appear a call will be made over the PA. A short one, and only one. If there goes a call out for a sighting, and it disappears there will be no more calls if a new one appears in the sky later on.

Sunset colours.

5th – Cuddly bears

Just because you are on vacation the weather doesn’t need to be good. We have been experiencing all day with a slight mist and low-hanging clouds, but fortunately only the occasional drizzle.

I got up early in the morning (at 0300!!) to try and see if I could get anything constructive out of the sunrise. The colours were nice but there wasn’t as much as I had hoped, but despite that it did make a nice background for the birds flying around.

Sunrise.

Blue whale.

Back to bed an hour later and up with the rest of the ship at 0700 for the usual morning schedule before finding us in Hamiltonbukta where we took the zodiacs out in two groups: one landed and had a walk near an old whaling hut while the others zoomed about among the ice. After an hour or so we switched and coming out we got to see a young walrus up close resting on a small piece of ice, not doing much else other than keeping a careful eye on us. The group that started in the zodiacs had seen it circling the boats and climbing up onto the ice, showing that seeing wildlife is all about being at the right place at the right time.

Territorial fights and fighting over food was not uncommon to see among the birds.

Young walrus.

Back on the ship for lunch we relocated and in the process we spotted two more polar bears – a mother and her fairly large cub. They were quite far away and they were clearly just lying down resting and cuddling up to each other. That combined with poor visibility and the “must see a polar bear”-stress being over it seemed only a few people came out to look.

So far away.

Having relocated we landed at around 1600 for a walk; there were short, medium and long walks available and the latter would bring you up onto a summit of a nearby mountain/tall hill. It was according to our guide 300 meters and a bit and had the weather actually been nice with good visibility the view would have been spectacular.

 

We were back on the ship at 1845 just making it for dinner and skipping briefing. Dinner was followed by a trip to the bar, and at several occasions we rushed out trying to photograph the dolphins and whales that were in the water around us, all with varying success – mostly very little.

Just a hint of sun came out towards the end of the day.

4th – Going far east

Wakeup call this morning was at 0700 and the first half of the morning was spent on ship cruising along the ice shelf we had reached during the night. We had been sailing all night bringing us all the way down to the south-east coast of Austlandet, the eastern large island of the Svalbard archipelago.

 

After a while the zodiacs were lowered and we went out to see the ice a bit closer from a different – lower – angle, and hoping to see some wildlife in the process. While we did see a few birds and seals rearing their heads ice was clearly the main event.

Seal.

When returning from the 1½ hour quite cold ride we soon after had lunch while relocating a bit back westwards where the plan was to land, do a walk and see some walruses. The plan fell to pieces when a polar bear was spotted close to where it had been planned we were to go in land so instead we enjoyed the view from the ship for a bit before entering the zodiacs and just cruised along the beach where we both got to see the bear a bit closer (though still at a fair distance and falling asleep behind some rocks) and a few groups of walruses that didn’t just lie still but actually were moving around while we were looking. It was theorized that their activity was due to nervousness as the bear might have been closer earlier during the day.

Polar bear.

Arctic terns resting on a piece of ice.

Walruses.

Returning to the ship we had our usual briefing at 1815 but it was cut short by another polar bear sighting: this was more active and actually came down to the beach and walk around so you got to see it from all angles, even if this one also was a fair bit away. The rest of the night was uneventful: spending some time in the bar, having a few drinks and seeing the sunset before going to bed.

Having a walk.

3rd – And so it begins

I woke up at 0330 realising we were rolling quite a bit and that some sliding noise in the cabin had woken me up. A bit of more sliding was followed by a loud bump. I noticed it was my cabin mate’s stuff that had slid off the bed table and fallen onto the floor until I realised that I could still hear my water bottle continue shifting back and forth on our table. After securing it I also noticed that my bottle of “welcome back”-wine had slid from one end to the other on the table, so that got secured too before I returned to bed.

Wake-up call at 0730 and the morning was spent on breakfast and going through the mandatory safety-, security- and behaviour briefings, relaxation, looking for stuff outside and having lunch. Shortly after lunch our photographer held a short lecture on basic principles and techniques of photography, promising a more advanced one later on.

At this point we had arrived at Magdelenefjorden where we in the afternoon went out in the zodiacs and went onto land where we had a walk around. At one point an arctic fox walked up completely ignoring people only a few meters away. They are obviously used to these large numbers of people arriving not being a threat, and soon after it trotted away again. An hour later and change we got back into the zodiacs and went for a small cruise bringing us past a glacier and 3 large walruses relaxing on the beach.

Three walruses.

Returning to the ship we got refreshments while the ship lifted anchor, left the location and continued north, later rounding the northern point and down through Hinlopenstretet (Hinlopen strait) to Bråsvellbreen (Bråsvell glacier) which we will reach for tomorrow morning. The debriefing before dinner was a bit of talk about today, current plans for tomorrow and the captain introducing himself and the other officers. This was followed by dinner, relaxation and live music in the bar.

All morning the weather was grey and overcast not being very promising, but arriving at Magdelenefjorden everything loosened up and the weather improved greatly. The timing could not have been better. When starting our route north the clouds and drizzles returned and the crew is expecting wind and swell being much calmer here and at the destination than it was last night. Last night’s conditions hadn’t been forecast or expected at all, so let’s see how safe tonight’s prediction is.

31st of August – 2nd of September – Being foxy

As my office is closer to the airport than home is and I was leaving on a Friday early evening I decided to grab all my stuff and take it with me to work. After work I jumped onto a train, went to the airport, checked in my bags, went through security, spent time in the crowded lounge (though free food and wine makes everything better) and departed 30-45 minutes delayed.

Having originally a 1½ hours layover in Oslo the delay wasn’t that big an issue, but arriving I realized that my next flight was delayed half an hour, turning it into a complete non-issue. A short visit to the lounge (amazing brownies!) I went to the gate where I met 3 from my previous Antarctica trip, a girlfriend and this tour’s official photographer who I knew from my first Arctic tour.

As the flights was originally supposed to arrive in Longyearbyen at 0040 the delay meant that I didn’t get to the hotel until around 0230. On the Saturday I had a tour with focus on photography starting at 1000 so I went straight to bed. After 5 hours of sleep I crawled out of bed, sorted by stuff and repacked a bit before having breakfast, checking out and getting picked up for the day’s tour.

The weather was grey and dull with the occasional drizzle to light rain (which was better than the 80% that had been forecast). We got to see some viewpoints in and around town, and a few places where there were good chances of bird sightings. We also went past the see vault (which is being restored due to melting permafrost preventing us getting close) and the fire department’s plane training location. Having it close to the airport means that the first sight of some arriving tourists would be what looks like a plane in flames, and adding to that a nearby shooting range first impression would be very interesting). We ended up in Bjørndalen where we had great view of the valley before returning to town, seeing an arctic fox on the way and ending at the hotel at 1600 sharp.

Purple sandpipers.

Arctic tern.

Bjørndalen.

Arctic fox.

I grabbed my stuff, checked into my next hotel and went for a walk where I bumped into the photographer (who, after 30 hours of travelling from San Francisco passed out for 12+ hours when reaching the hotel) and we quickly decided to go and grab some dinner together. I had a short walk afterwards, passed by the shit that at that point had arrived at port, realised that there was no chance of any good sunset tonight and retired to the hotel. An hour later around 2330 I passed out for the day.

The alarm went off at 0900, I grabbed a quick breakfast before checking out and handing my luggage over to the ship’s crew. I went for a short walk, tried to shoot some birds but despite the weather being better than yesterday there wasn’t much going on. I ended up in the North Pole Expedition Museum which turned out to be quite interesting but with a lot of dry text, before finding a place for lunch. I found a café where I had their chili con carne which was closer to “carne con slightly undercooked beans, no chili but otherwise not bad”, washed down with a delicious semi-large soft vanilla bun.

Wandered about a bit after that, found to my disappointment that the photo gallery was closed, and finally got onto the bus, drove to the ship, checked in and found my cabin (back in 327!).

During the guides’ presentation one asked for any repeat customers to raise their hands. Normally they have 10-20 on a tour doing so but this time at least ¾ of the passengers who put them up. The usual safety briefings and welcomes were performed and dinner was served – reminding me why I was so fond of the food here. It was delicious. During dinner the Expedition Leader came over to say hi to us (we who met at Oslo airport) – apparently she remembered us from the Antarctic trip.

The rest of the evening was calm. We were anchored just outside the harbour due to inspections but at midnight on the spot the engines picked up and we left to go north for tomorrow’s program, effectively starting the tour.

One would think I missed being in the cold

When returning home from Svalbard I agreed with myself that I wouldn't return; not because it hadn't been a great experience but due to it being fairly pricey.

Despite the trip to Svalbard was cheaper than going to Antarctica I decided to see the latter less than half a year later. And when returning home from Antarctica I agreed with myself that I wouldn't return; not because it hadn't been a great experience but due to it being fairly pricey.

Some time after coming back home from Antarctica someone from the trip created a group on Facebook to arrange a reunion in 2018 - and having said reunion on a trip to Svalbard. There were quite a few people backing up around this idea, and so was I, but I pointed out that as I had already been there, and recently, I wasn't totally convinced. 

Having an excuse to go travelling I looked at the options and said that if I was to return to Svalbard I'd take the long option where you'd also pass by Greenland and Iceland.

So....

Yeah.

1st of September

Arrival in Longyearbyen where I'll spend a night before leaving.

2nd -  6th of September

We'll board the ship in the afternoon and spend the first couple of days sailing around Svalbard before starting the crossing of the Greenland Sea heading west.

7th - 8th of September

Crossing through Northeast Greenland National Park towards Greenland. Not much land to be spotted so I'm crossing my fingers for whales, orcas and the like.

9th - 13th of September

Reaching the coast of East Greenland and the Northeast Greenland National Park we'll be getting a close up of the Eastern fjords. We'll be visiting the village Ittoqqortoormiit and a look into Scoresby Sund.

14th - 15th of September

Crossing the Denmark Strait to Reykjavik.

16th - ? September

I haven't bought my flight tickets yet so I haven't quite made a final discision on how to end the trip. I might just go home after leaving the ship but there's a chance that I might spend a couple of days in town before leaving.

This trip is with the same company I traveled with last time I was on Svalbard and to Antarctica so I am very much looking forward to it, especially because I know the conditions we will be staying in for the two weeks and the crew and staff are absolutely amazing and worthy of any praise they can get. Too bad it's 10 months until departure. I'll have to find something before that to distract me.

20th - Home

Wakeup call at 0630 which not only was earlier than usual, it felt very early after only 4 hours of sleep (I blame it on good company in the bar). At 0645 bags were to be placed outside the cabins to be brought to shore. I put mine out, returned to the cabin to get something and came back out – less than a minute later and the bag was already gone. Service was swift (or they were looking forward to getting rid of us). Breakfast was at 0700 and at 0745 we started disembarkment for the last time.

There isn’t much to see and do in Longyearbyen, fortunately we were holed up at the hotel where there was free wifi. I visited the Svalbard museum which showed a bit of history, wildlife etc., to pass the time and an hour or so later I exited again. A quick lunch was had before the bus came to pick us up and bring us to the airport.

The flight had a few surprises; I had tickets for SAS Plus which meant that despite the short distances flown I was served food (well, snack at best) and drinks that the plebs (those in the cheap seats) would have to pay for. We had a layover in Tromsø and despite all of us were going to Oslo we all had to exit the plane. We were also told by the purser that if we were continuing to Oslo we would have to retrieve our bags and check it in again. Weirdos. So we all grabbed our stuff and exited and went to the baggage claim. A lot of bags arrived, but not ours. After waiting 10-ish minutes (with app. 40 minutes between arrival and departure) someone found out that what we had been told was not entirely correct; if you were going to Oslo but not further you would have to grab your bags, but if Oslo only was a layover you didn’t need to do anything. So with time getting critical we rushed through customs and went back through security (which suddenly got clogged by all the passengers that arrived at once) and returned to the plane.

On the flight towards Oslo we were told that an error had been made and no fresh water had been loaded onto the plane so coffee and tea could not be served (in SAS Plus we still had access to bottled water). Also, the toilets would only work for a limited time. Half way to Oslo they locked off the toilets as they had run out of water. Luckily it was a one our flight and not a long intercontinental one…

Arriving in Oslo and continuing on the last stretch to Copenhagen went without a hitch. My bag even made it all the way!

Big thanks to the staff members Sarah Auffret (Expedition Leader), Dr. Julia Lindow (Ass. Expedition Leader), Thomas G. Smith (Firearms Master), Guy Esparon (Naturalist), John Kernan (Biologist), Diego Punta Fernandez (Staff Assistant/Naturalist), Jacqueline Deely (Photographer), Kevin Closs (Musician), Terence "Scobie" Pye (Zodiac Technician), Jonathan R. Green (Geologist), Truls Kuhle (Staff Assistant/Naturalist), Wayne Brown (Staff Assistant/Naturalist), Carol Francis (Historian), Phil Hunter (Staff Assistant/Naturalist) and Dr. Susie Newton (Ship's Doctor) for being such great guides. Big thanks to the crew members Andriy Domanin (Captain), Josi Silva (Hotel Manager), Margaret Krzyzelewski (Deck Cadet) and the remaining 48 crew members I don’t know/remember the name of (bartenders, waiters, housekeeping etc.). Big thanks to Danni, Alison, Trevor, Nicolle, Jana, Carina, Christel and everybody else I don’t (but probably should) remember the name of. Thanks for the company, thanks for a great tour, and hope I’ll get to see you again some time.

And for some that will happen; being the same ship I’m joining in Antarctica some of the crew and staff will be the same. And after this tour, now knowing what I can expect, I am even more excited about Antarctica than before.

We even received a diploma for going that far north!

A map of the route.

19th - мать Россия

Morning as usual and today’s plans would be simpler than usual as today we only had plans for the morning. We visited Pyramiden in Billefjorden, an old Russian coal mining town app. 4 hours from Longyearbyen. At its peak it had 1200 people living and working there, but with the mining ending in 1998 the town was now inhabited by 6-7 people at any time. It’s a ghost town now and according to one of our guides it’s near identical with the numerous towns spread out over all north-eastern Siberia. Being a Russian mining ton it was technically Russian ground we were walking on but at least the usual passport and visa mess wasn’t necessary.

The town was horrendously bleak, nothing like I have ever seen before. According to the local guide, Sasha, he has been here 4 years and have no plans to leave as he enjoys spending time here. It must require a special mental attitude to cope with this environment. But we are all different so it he likes it here it’s all good. People are in the process of cleaning the surrounding area to get rid of trash and destroyed buildings while keeping the center and those buildings intact. A lot has changed since 1998 but there is still quite a bit to go.

Sasha. 

The center of town, called Champs-Élysées. You can see the similarities, right? The grass seen here is the only grass in all of Svalbard. Imported from Ukraine. Still going strong after all these years.

We visited the former main administration building (now visitor’s center) where they had a few old yellowed photos and rooms in various stages of disrepair. I doubt anything has been done to the building since the mining was shut down. There was a gymnasium that looked very well kept and I am assuming it’s because they still occasionally use it. There was also a large auditorium and that didn’t look much worn, either.

The northern-most statue of Lenin in front of the visitor's center.

It might be a ghost town but the view is nice.

The building contains a swimmingpool which was used for training by the Russian olympic swimmers.

Coming inside it was clear that there had been close to no upkeep.

The bar was very nice and felt almost out of place sitting in between the other buildings.

While bringing the ship around into Tempelfjorden we were briefed on disembarkment procedures for tomorrow; if you have a flight out when most of the passengers do (including me) we disembark early morning and all luggage not needed until leaving Longyearbyen will be taken directly to the airport. Nice service!

In the evening we had a raffle and auction (with all earnings going in full to Planeterra). The raffle tickets had been sold the last couple of days in the reception and the winners were drawn tonight. The auction was for the G flag that had been waving in the front of the ship on the tour which would be signed by staff and whatever crew you’d get your hands on. I skipped the raffle so I had more freedom to go for the flag, we ended up being two fighting for it but when he bumped the bid to 300 USD I had to realize that he had beaten me. And I heard later that he had donated the flag to the two young siblings (14 & 15 years old) that had also been on the tour.

So not only did he outbid me, he also turned out to be a better person than me.

Bastard.

The flag in question.

18th - Polar plunging

Wake up and breakfast as usual. Soon after we were off at 14^th of July Bay and Glacier; we did some bird watching from the zodiacs for a while before we went on land and had an hour and a bit to walk around by ourselves and look at flora and birds. It was nice for once to be on land and being able to choose your own pace and walk around by yourself.

Reindeers.

Puffins.

Arctic fox.

Snow bunting.

Moss campion. Taking full advantage of the sun it flowers first on the south side and slowly works it way across its hemispherical shape and flowers on the north side in the end. Also called the compass plant.

In the afternoon we relocated to Ny London in Kongsfjorden nearby with similar plan(s). It has previous been a mining industry for marble (it ended when people realized the low quality of the marble) and apart from bird watching we had the opportunity to look at the geology and marble patterns. On land we had a tour of the historical sites before given the opportunity to go into the water from the beach. I was part of the last group landing (did another photographic cruise) and were therefore only given a very short version of the tour (which I didn’t mind at all) but in spite of this we still got delayed and didn’t make it back to the beach in time to see people jumping in. I had not made up my mind yet whether to do it or not – but had dressed for the occasion if I ended up going for it – but coming back to the beach after all the action I ended up not going. Would I have done it if I had been able to do it together with everyone else? Bravery in numbers? I want to say yes but I honestly don’t know. In the end around 20 people ended up jumping in.

A nesting long-tailed skua.

Late on the ship, around 2330, a whale was spotted on the horizon. The only reason it was seen was because we could see it blow. Due to the distance it was impossible to identify it.