We have been far beyond the satellite footprint, so I have been saving some thoughts to send when we returned to the modern world of instant communication - so please read this from the start - and it will bring any reader up to date with our northerly adventures.
BERGEN, NORWAY – Saturday 25 June 2011
It was a cloudy, and calm morning as we turned left out of the North sea into the islands and peninsulas that guide you to Bergen. We are now on the edge of troll country, so we approach it quietly , and the city greets us on a Saturday morning. The city already has two ships in before we are also disgorged into the streets and cafes, and tourist points. We took our time, and I even managed a sketch (not that good yet), before we took to the paths and streets. This is our third visit to this pretty place, so we have already done the main points - so we sought out the main public library, and found a lot of the same problems with old buildings and extension possibilities, and stock and expansion are common the world over. The staff of course had perfect English, and I could only respond with the hellos and goodbyes and thankyous in their Norwegian (very similar to Danish in these phrases), and felt very inadequate. Photos will be posted when we have better connection and speed.
Sunset this morning - 12.41am, sunrise – 5.41, so sleeping is quite strange – but it is getting more normal. Darkness will be significantly shorter from now as we go a long way north, on a sea day. We’ll see how what else there is to do while messing about in boats.
More soon
We are well over the ARCTIC CIRCLE, gliding past the most stunning scenery on our way to Harstad, a very cultural community in the north of Norway. There are snow capped mountains, and serious troll territory. Our daily news announces for today – the sun never sets, so we have made it to the land of the midnight sun. It is quite a surreal experience, the lack of darkness, it is so natural to us, that its absence is quite strange. Not necessarily missed, just different. We are waking very early – often around 4.00 – and there is the day already up and presenting itself in all the glory of Norwegian landscape. It is pretty cool – mild – with the gulf stream keeping the harbours warm all year. The seas are gentle – the sip is just gliding, so the ship’s company is very happy. The only unfortunate news at the moment – we may not get as far as we hoped to the polar cap – the ice is breaking up earlier, and significant drifts of ice are moving into the shipping lanes – and we are definitely not an ice breaker – we will have to wait till closer to the area. That is all part of the fabric of travel, and mother nature is in charge up here.
Have started classes again – the viking life and explorations – very interesting .I did not know how far east the Swedish Vikings moved – founding Kiev, and named by the Finlanders as the Rus – hence Russia comes to the language.
Breakfast and solid ground awaits.
More soon
Sailing through daylight all through the ‘night’, we are making our way towards Magdalene Bay, very near the Arctic ice barrier – we have been able to come further than first hoped. It is just after 6.00 am, and the sun is high and pouring into the cabin. We can already see the west side of Spitzbergen, with snow and little glaciers through the early clouds hugging the coast. Breakfast ensuite, while we get dressed in the warmest clothes we have – yesterday it only got to 6 C, pretty chilly, though the 13 laps of the track (equals 1 km) does warm you up nicely. The captain is predicting we will be in the ice flows by 8.00 – we are a very long way from home, and from much life at all. It is so amazing to see nature this raw, and pure beauty – Ill report more as we experience this incredible sight.
More soon
What an amazing day we have had. The captain informed us it was 3 C., we are 80 degrees north, 600 miles from the north pole. Incredible sights awaited as we sailed into Magdalene fjord and bay. The glaciers come down to the water, though there is quite a lot of morain – one of the speakers has noticed some comparative changes in the reach of the glaciers from a couple of years ago. The blues and greens of the sea, the ice with its subtle shades of blue at the edges – the quiet crunching of the little berger bits – (mini icebergs – these can be up to 30 metres wide – and only about 1/8 is showing above water.) It is hard to construct expressions to describe this beauty, the camera does not do it justice as the panorama is 360 degrees around us. It has to be seen and experienced. It is also very quiet – people don’t speak much, and with only a few hundred spread all round the boat – there is space for all. To know we are so far north – almost the top of the world is almost overwhelming – with a new admiration to the original explorers – even with all our modern fibres, it is still incredibly cold. How the Vikings managed in their open boats defies belief, but they did make it, and much further – all the way to Greenland and on the Canada.
Yesterday and today – the daily news announces – The sun does not set – The lowest point of the sun and the movement up the horizon coincided at 2.00am – I actually awoke around that time, to a cloudy but bright daylight, and a little fishing boat nearby – we were not quite a lone in this wilderness. It was the first sign of human life outside our vessel in over a day. The birds keep us company, and the quick ones (including us) have spotted a couple of whales (minki and orkas)
We sail on – to the edge of the permanent north ice cap. On the horizon , we saw the strange low white lines, with broken shreds of ice drifting around. That was the edge of the last stretch of ice leading to the north pole. The ship glided further. Closer till we got to the point where the ship could not safely go further – we stopped and drifted for a while, - we exclaimed how far away from the real world we were, a rubber inflatable was launched, and a couple of the crew retrieved a lump of this floating ice , a tiny gesture in this huge, demanding environment. This day has been an absolute highlight of the trip, and a memory that will remain forever. To be so far north, after such a long trip, is amazing, to be thought about long after our return. This part of the world is obviously so fragile, it does bring home the reality of what man is doing to this planet, and what may have already been irretrievably lost. Again, we find it hard to capture the scene photographically, it is beyond our abilty to capture and contain – that is how it should be.
Might go and thaw out some more –(only 3 C still) those layers do work, and I appreciate all the items that jumped into the bag.
There is still no internet – we are way too far north, (officially we are out of the satellite footprint) so all of this will be placed on the blog when the link is made again – in the meantime, the world goes on without us.
More soon
A visit to the most northerly city – with over 1000 inhabitants – Longerbyen in Spitzbergen . The first place we have visited which has warned you not to leave the city area without a guide – because of the risk of an encounter with polar bears – everyone of which you will come off the loser. So we played it safe, and found the library – and I have possibly made a significant library visit – to the most northerly public library in the world. The librarian was very helpful,(one of two members of staff) and interested in where we were from – I guess any visitors to this part of the world are welcome. It is also the first Library where I have had to take off my shoes - a common feature here – I guess due to the snow and slush everywhere –and that is fine – keeps everything very clean. All the Libraries we have visited have great lighting – in the rooms and also over shelves – a reflection of the long period of darkness in the winter months, and this one is no exception – a bright happy looking place – very clean lines and unfussy furniture.
We visited the local church – also the most northerly in the world –there they offered rubber clogs for your footwear swap (think croc style) – in various sizes in the entry porch . Photos will be attached when the links are better. Longerbyen has the feel of a frontier town – coalmining is the main occupation apart from some tourist activities, and the infrastructure of that industry dominates the town. We walked the main street – and checked out various sights and viewing points – very cold, though double the temperature from yesterday – a toasty 6 C – top temperature – a few layers are involved when dressing. ( I am feeling like the proverbial polar bear).
The daylight continues to provide curious activities - waking at 3 am – and wondering if you should really get up and make more of the opportunity. It is strange – we see night (aka darkness) as the completion of the day – it defines the boundary of each calendar day – I am still working on this one.
More soon
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