Arrived safely in Longyearbyen the capital of Spitsberge (a former mining town) which is a high Arctic archipelago surrounded by rugged mountains, sweeping tundra, ice caps and glaciers and only 600 miles from the North Pole! Yipeee!! 2,000 Polar Bears as well as walruses, reindeer, Arctic fox and huge seabird colonies live here I'm told and its 24hr daylight, what more could a girl want. (actually some sleep would be nice too...) The town of Longyearbyen must be a bit grim to live in but it's an interesting place to visit for a day whilst waiting to board our Russian Icebreaker, the Plancius. The ship looks small and definitely not luxurious but the cabin blurb looks good (not planning on sending much time in it anyway) and the view spectacular. Its overcast but dry and the temp is around 8c. Set off in the morning (12/7) and not sure when next wifi opportunity will be although there is wifi on board I suspect the cost will be prohibitive!!
bearded seal
our ship Plancius
going on and off ship
guides on polar bear lookout!
They take bears very seriously here...
post office at the top of the world
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