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Follow the Sun

If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading

Expedition Cruise to Svalbard: Part 1 – What? Where? And how?

This summer we were able to cross another item off our bucket-list. We went on an expedition cruise around the island of Spitsbergen. With a suitcase full of winter clothes, we left a scorching hot Italy for an adventure in the Arctic.

Expedition Cruise to Svalbard: Part 2 – Nordbytjernet: An oasis of tranquility near Oslo Airport

Close to Oslo’s Gardermoen airport lies a recreational area with a forest and the lake Nordbytjernet where you can take a lovely walk.

Expedition Cruise to Svalbard: Part 3 – Longyearbyen the northernmost city in the world

We flew from Oslo to Longyearbyen the capital of Svalbard, where our adventure truly began.

The history of Svalbard and Spitsbergen in a nutshell

The written history of Svalbard begins at the end of the 16th century when Dutch seafarer Willem Barentsz discovered the islands.

Expedition Cruise to Svalbard: Part 4 – Camp Barentz and the Svalbard Museum

During our first day in Longyearbyen, we went on an excursion to Camp Barentz and visited the Svalbard Museum.

Expedition Cruise to Svalbard: Part 5 – Aboard the MS Fram

Finally, it was time to board and begin our expedition cruise on the MS Fram.

Expedition Cruise to Svalbard: Part 6 – Ny-Ålesund: a mining village turned research station

On our first day on board, we made an excursion to the northernmost settlement in the world, Ny-Ålesund.

Expedition Cruise to Svalbard: Part 7 – Frambukta: our first polar bear!

The weather cleared up completely and we continued our journey further north, where we saw our first walruses and our first polar bear.

Expedition Cruise to Svalbard: Part 8 – Ashore in Van Keulenhamna

Our first wet landing with the zodiac boats was in a small bay on the west coast of Svalbard.

Expedition Cruise to Svalbard: Part 9 – Negribreen: Zodiac tour of one of Svalbard’s largest glaciers

We had an adventurous day ahead of us, starting with a Zodiac tour in the morning to one of the largest glaciers on Svalbard, Negribreen.

Expedition Cruise to Svalbard: Part 10 – Heleysundet: through the narrow between Spitsbergen and Barentsøya

We sailed through the narrow of Heleysundet further along the east coast of Spitsbergen. Het was hier witter en ijziger, precies waar walrussen van houden.

Expedition Cruise to Svalbard: Part 11 – The walrus colony of Torellneset

On the Torellneset peninsula, we were introduced to a colony of walruses, an uneasy but very social animal that can be found all year round in Svalbard.

Expedition Cruise to Svalbard: Part 12 – 80° North and the ice edge: the northernmost stop of our voyage

We reached the 80th parallel north and toured among the ice floes at the ice edge, a remarkable day and one of the absolute highlights of our journey.

Expedition Cruise to Svalbard: Part 13 – Faksevågen, the polar plunge and a glacier in the fog

In the morning we went ashore in the small bay of Faksevågen, where we were going to do the polar plunge in the icy water. After midnight, a glacier emerged from the fog.

Expedition Cruise to Svalbard: Part 14 – The kittiwakes of Kapp Waldburg and the polar beer of Kapp Lee

We visited two islands in one day. On Barentsøya we had a visit to a colony of kittiwakes and on Edgøya the whole landing had to be cancelled because of a polar bear!

Expedition Cruise to Svalbard: Part 15 – The impressive glaciers of Burgerbukta

A landing in a beautiful bay with no less than two glaciers to admire in the Hornsund Fjord.

Expedition Cruise to Svalbard: Part 16 – A walk on the beach at Gnålodden

A landing in a beautiful landscape, a towering cliff, a trapper’s hut, and an aerial attack by an aggressive bird.

Expedition Cruise to Svalbard: Part 17 – Back in Longyearbyen, the end of the journey

Back in Longyearbyen we disembarked, but unexpectedly stayed an extra day in Svalbard and had time to explore the town. But then, finally, the time has come to leave Svalbard.