Cruising Svalbard
18th - 28th July 2023
Flying into Longyearbyen over the MS Spitsbergen
My Alesund
Northermost Post office
Roald Amundsen Bust and his house (on right)
rew over N Pole in Airship from here
Artic tern and chick and Suzanne obviously too close to chick for comfort
Graveset
"Grave Peninsula" - Burial site of 130 plus whalers from 1600-1800
Resting on iceberg following a "Polar Plunge" in the water
Smeerenburg
First sighting of Polar Bear
Started interacting with local Walrus
MonacoBreen
Calving Glacier and iceless bay
Not so iceless bay post calving
Texas Bar
Cabin built for trappers/hunters in 1927 and still in use (though not for that)
Kinnvika (above 80 degrees North)
Polar bear wandering along the ridge
Deserted research station
Suzanne does some litter picking
Passing the 80 degree North ceremony - iced water plus ice down the back
Andrew remains cool throughout (video from Anita)
and back in the cabin ice cubes under the shirt
Resting bear (some thought it may be the same bear as above)
Alkefjellet
Guillemot bird cliffs
Bingo, Bingo on board
Toriellneset
Walrus
Bråsvellbreen
A glacier we couldn't get near to, so Zodiac ride way out
A male walrus basks on Ice
View of ship over one of the few iceberg bits
Kapp Waldburg
Kittiwakes galore
Arctic fox after kittiwake chicks
Kittiwake and chick
Arctic Fox cubs
Burgenbukta
Before landing we went on the Science Boat collecting samples for a students project
later that same day!
BIt of a walk to the glacier
Suzanne with Manfred the Walrus
Panorama of the view
Seal
Follow that bear
My "Big Birthday" Polar Plunge
Invasion?
Birthday Boy
Gnalodden
More birds
More arctic fox cubs
Bamsebu
Whalers site - lots of Beluga Whale bones
[Now] privately owned cabin on the site of Beluga whale hunters
Suzanne thinking about all the slaughtered whales
Valrsolbukta
Camp Miller buildings
Remains of unsuccessful gold mining community
Rerindeer
Red flags show (straight?) route to stay out of protected areas - any one tell
the reindeer?
Midnight Sun
Puffin
Nordenskiodbrean
Pyraniden - Russian mining town opposite landing site
Andrew just thinking
Ready for our last landing
Resting Polar bear
Indecision about polar {bear] plunge
Last view of the MS Spitsbergen
Suzanne close up to Polar Bear