Glacial ice sheets , Isjfjorden
Our alarm was set for 6:45 on the morning of 14th September. Our Hurtigruten app had notified us the day before that there would be some picturesque sights to see down the Isjfjorden from 7:30am until 10:30am.
We got ready and went out on deck just after the start time, to be welcomed by some of the most incredible sights that I have ever seen. This is why I wanted to come here, to view the Svalbard archipelago and the island of Spitsbergen.
We entered the Isjfjord and our first point of interest was the coal mining settlement that has been occupied by Russians and Ukrainians, although most Ukrainians have left now. There was a main building with black smoke coming out of it, which we think might have been burning fuel as a way to generate power and heat for the inhabitants.
We sailed further into the fjord and it was here that we saw the beautiful mountains of the High Arctic tundra. I loved looking at the glacial ice sheets on the mountains, and this is when I really felt that I had arrived in the Arctic.
It was cold, about eight degrees centigrade and the air was fresh and pure. It felt good to get some air in our lungs on deck 9. Here, we were at a latitude of 78 degrees North, which is approximately 820 miles from the North Pole.
Claes, our favourite restaurant manager, was serving hot wine to everyone on deck 9, at about 10:30am, which was a lovely gesture. This was whilst some of the crew were talking about the area around the fjord and Spitsbergen.
Yemrbukta, Isjfjorden
The world’s northernmost settlement is situated at Longyearbyen, which is our first port of call on the island of Spitsbergen, Svalbard. As well as the coal mining colony, there are scientists that visit the islands to carry out research.
As well as doing research regarding important areas such as climate change, Svalbard is also home to the Global Seed Vault. It is not situated in Svalbard itself, but many people try to go there despite not being able to go in. It is a facility that is used to store every single type of seed that currently exists which would be used as a backup for a world disaster. This is ensuring that the diversity of all plants continues in the future.
When we got off the ship, we walked some 20 minutes or so into the town, before we arrived at our first stop, the North Pole Expedition Museum. Here, we had to take our shoes off in the entrance, which is customary and expected in Svalbard. You can either walk around in stockinged feet, or borrow some of the Croc-style shoes on offer.
Admission to the museum cost 150 NOK each, which is approximately £11 sterling. It is a small place, which is dedicated to the attempts that many explorers that have reached, or claimed to have reached, the North Pole. Explorers such as Amundsen and Nansen were quite a big feature here. There was also a lot of information about the airships that were used to access the North Pole.
We left the museum and then headed up into the main town. Many people claim that the area around Longyearbyen is very grey, so the houses have been painted in different colours. We passed some of these as we wandered around the town.
Longyearbyen is quite an industrial looking place. The buildings are not that pretty, and if you took away everything it would be a barren, stark place with the backdrop of the glacial ice sheets in the distance. It is remote and yet beautiful.
The walk up the main road was uphill, I just wanted to see the glacial ice sheets before we headed towards the main part of the town. Here, there were a few shops selling traditional Norwegian clothing, plush polar bears, fridge magnets and hats that cost near enough £50. We bought a couple of fridge magnets and another Christmas tree decoration before heading to our first pub. This was a bar called Karlsberger pub. This sold the local Spitsbergen ale that is brewed and the world’s northernmost brewery, Svalbard Bryggeri. The bar was decorated with old photographs of former miners. There was a sign on the wall stating that the pictures were the property of the Spitzbergen Coal and Trading Company Limited.
Velkommen til Karlsberger Pub i Longyearbyen Svalbard
Svalbard Brewery – The world’s northernmost craft brewery
Once we had finished our drinks, we went back to the museum to buy a tshirt before going to the world’s northernmost bar, called the Barentz Bar (yes there is a theme going on here). This was a bar attached to the Radisson Blu, and is more geared towards tourists and therefore they charge more money. The bar bill for two similar drinks to the Karlsberger pub was much more.
Again, the beer here seems to be much stronger, so we didn’t have anything else to drink. We walked back to the ship, some 25 minutes or so away, and arrived back at the ship at approximately 6pm. The ship was sailing at 7pm so we got back in plenty of time.
Barentz Gastropub | Mat & Drikke i Longyearbyen | Hurtigruten Svalbard
We had a lovely Norwegian version of the Irish coffee, made with Aquavit and honey, and took this up to the top deck to warm ourselves up. This was absolutely delicious.
At 7pm, as the ship sailed, we went to the restaurant which gave us the most pleasurable experience again. It is like the gift that keeps on giving. For our courses tonight we had:
First course – Sea urchin and horseradish foam;
Second course – Crayfish lollipop, shellfish foam, butter sauce and tarragon;
Third course – Moose tenderloin, variation of chanterelle mushrooms, green cabbage lingonberries and red wine sauce;
Fourth course – Himmeltind cheese, cloudberry and Norwegian crisp;
Fifth course – Winter plum, white chocolate ice cream and caramelised cashew.
The captain had announced tonight that we were going to have a 3-4 metre swell, so there was no dancing allowed in the bar. At this point we retired to our room to ride out the storm.
jctraveller 
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