by Calvin Sun | Jun 28, 2022 | June 2022: Svalbard, Norway
After 6 days off the grid in Svalbard, 5 of our 15 decided to join my whimsical decision to visit Tromsø on the way back home. After a dramatic goodbye and making up for missing our bus to the airport, 6 of us took the 2:45pm flight out from Longyearbyen to...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 26, 2022 | Fail, June 2022: Svalbard, Norway, Svalbard, Way Way Off the Beaten Path
Last day. Our last stop before our voyage comes to an end is at Colesbukta, a former Russian coal mining settlement long since abandoned. A surreal paradise of the abandoned, let the buildings speak for themselves. Or the...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 25, 2022 | June 2022: Svalbard, Norway, Svalbard, Way Way Off the Beaten Path
After some drama suturing up my knee last night, I slept in and skipped breakfast as our ship sailed into Kongsfjorden, an expansive fjord spilling with glaciers. By mid morning we then moored off Ny Ålesund, one of the northernmost...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 24, 2022 | June 2022: Svalbard, Norway, Svalbard, Way Way Off the Beaten Path
After a day on pack ice northwest of Svalbard, today we sailed into Woodfjorden, Andrée Land. The name Woodfjorden is referring to the large amounts of driftwood that cover some beaches. We then landed at Jakobsenbukta for our morning hike As...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 23, 2022 | June 2022: Svalbard, Norway, Svalbard, Way Way Off the Beaten Path
Today was a day of entirely sailing, where we headed into the unreal views of endless pack ice to the northwest of Svalbard. So I set up my office for the day: We watched endless beauty at 80º Latitude. A day totally...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 22, 2022 | June 2022: Svalbard, Norway, Svalbard, Way Way Off the Beaten Path
After breakfast on the ship for our third day we approached Virgohamna. Our group would luck out this morning in getting randomly selected first for kayaking, taking advantage of the low wind speed and calm waters here. So at 9am we...