Sunday, 16 June 2019
Bergen to Svalbard - the southern fjords
We started off in Bergen in the southern tip of Norway. As our flight only landed a few hours before the expedition departure, we only had a couple of hours to see Bergen. All I could show here are a few things that caught my eye in Bryggen, the old town of Bergen with its Hanseatic houses.
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| The back alley behind the Hanseatic houses |
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Our next stop was Fläm,
famous for its railway up to Myrdal. For that reason, we had a wakeup
call at 5 am on our first day of the cruise so that we can beat the
crowds that would have been generated by the arrival of two other large
cruise
ships on the same day. And beat the crowds we did - we were almost the
only ones on the train and at the mountain top where we were treated
with waffles and coffee/tea, the first of many waffle treats on our way
up the Norwegian coast. This was a spectacular ride although I honestly
think it pales in comparison to the Rocky Mountaineer ride in the
Canadian Rockies. Still it was very enjoyable and there was a smashing
waterfall half way up where we were allowed to get off the train for
photos. On the way down the mountain, there was even a dance performance
by a lady in red (see video).
PRACTICAL TIPS: Advice for the Fläm train on the internet had been to sit on the right side going up and the left side going down. In reality if you sit on the same side of the train going up and down you would have seen both sides and they were both good. If you want to take photos, best to stand near the door where one of the windows can be opened.
PRACTICAL TIPS: Advice for the Fläm train on the internet had been to sit on the right side going up and the left side going down. In reality if you sit on the same side of the train going up and down you would have seen both sides and they were both good. If you want to take photos, best to stand near the door where one of the windows can be opened.
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| Typical fjord scenery |
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| Sweeping views of the valley from the train |
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| View of the switchback beside the waterfall |
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| View at the top in Myrdal |
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| View of the valley from Myrdal |
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| We were early enough for dew drops still on the plants at the top |
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| A spectacular waterfall half way up where we were able to stop for photos. There was even a dance performance on the downward trip. See video below. |
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| Picturesque village with church |
In the afternoon we cruised to Urnes where we visited a beautiful Stav church, built in the 11th century with no nails in the construction. We had the option of walking up to the church or taking a shuttle bus. We chose the latter to avoid the uphill hike but walked down from the hill after visiting the church. The easy hike was worth it as there were lots of spring flowers and quaint farm buildings along the way.
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| More lovely fjord views - see the layers of valleys behind the town |
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| Urnes Stavrik Church |
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| The exquisite sculpted side of the church that used to be the main entrance |
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| The trail down lined with flowers and quaint farm buildings |
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| Spring in fjordland |
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| The GExpedition waiting for us at anchor |
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Tuesday, 18 June 2019
Bergen to Svalbard - Olden & Geiranger
Going
up the Norwegian coast, our next stop was Olden, deep in the
Innvikfjorden. The main activity for us here is the short hike to the
Briksdalsbreen Glacier, an arm of the Josteldal Glaicer, the largest
glacier in continental Europe. Sadly, as with many other glaicers in the
world, the Briksdalsbreen has retreated considerably. But the drive up
was beautiful with lots of lake reflections.
After the bus ride to the Visitor Centre, we took what the Norwegians called "troll cars" up to the hiking point to get us past the steep switch backs beside the waterfall. Result is of course we saved our knees but missed getting good photos of the impressive waterfall - can't win them all! The short hike to the glacier was quite scenic with large boulders and granite slabs along the way. The end of the hike was magical with mist hiding the already much diminished glacier, then lifting and covering it again in a game of hide and seek with tourists hoping for a glimpse.
From Olden we travelled down the Innvikfjorden to the sea and then up the Geirangerfjord to Geiranger for the following day's excursion to the top of the mountain at Dalsnibba. Olden and Geiranger are only a couple of hours (72km) apart by road, but more than a 12 hour journey by sea. The sea journey was much preferred because of the beautiful fjord scenery.
Geiranger is a UNESCO World Heritage site with its majestic, snow-covered mountain peaks, waterfalls and lush, green valleys. The views were spectacular, in between times when they were not covered by mists. It was snowing and hailing when we were up at the top of Mt. Dalsnibba but we were lucky to hit a temporary window as the mist cleared just for a few minutes to reveal the view. My trusty camera caught what the eye couldn't see clearly - a view of the valley and fjord down below - and it was worth the nausea-inducing bus trip up the switch backs.
The Fjord Visitor Centre in Geiranger is a modern building shaped
like an arrowhead and built around a waterfall. The 350 steps down to
the pier alongside the waterfall was an easy hike because of the
frequent stops to capture the changing views of the falls. Departing
along the Geiranger fjord was in itself an event with waterfalls on
either side of the ship's hull - the Seven Sisters on one side and the
Friaren (the Suitor) on the other.
After the bus ride to the Visitor Centre, we took what the Norwegians called "troll cars" up to the hiking point to get us past the steep switch backs beside the waterfall. Result is of course we saved our knees but missed getting good photos of the impressive waterfall - can't win them all! The short hike to the glacier was quite scenic with large boulders and granite slabs along the way. The end of the hike was magical with mist hiding the already much diminished glacier, then lifting and covering it again in a game of hide and seek with tourists hoping for a glimpse.
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| Note the switchbacks |
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| "Troll cars" |
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| Giant boulders and slabs along the way |
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| The much-retreated glacier and the beautiful lake at its foot |
From Olden we travelled down the Innvikfjorden to the sea and then up the Geirangerfjord to Geiranger for the following day's excursion to the top of the mountain at Dalsnibba. Olden and Geiranger are only a couple of hours (72km) apart by road, but more than a 12 hour journey by sea. The sea journey was much preferred because of the beautiful fjord scenery.
Geiranger is a UNESCO World Heritage site with its majestic, snow-covered mountain peaks, waterfalls and lush, green valleys. The views were spectacular, in between times when they were not covered by mists. It was snowing and hailing when we were up at the top of Mt. Dalsnibba but we were lucky to hit a temporary window as the mist cleared just for a few minutes to reveal the view. My trusty camera caught what the eye couldn't see clearly - a view of the valley and fjord down below - and it was worth the nausea-inducing bus trip up the switch backs.
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| View of the Geirranger Fjord and part of the Seven Sisters Waterfall from Eagle's Bend |
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| Looking towards Geiranger we saw more snow-capped mountains |
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| The fog just rolled in 5 minutes after we took the picture of the fjord |
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| View of the valley and the fjord from the top of Mt. Dalsnibba at almost 1500 metres. See the switchbacks up the mountain. |
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| Snow-covered Dalsnibba and the switchbacks. A day earlier and we wouldn't have been able to go up the mountain because of the snow. |
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| The waterfall alongside the Fjord Visitor Centre |
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| The beautiful backdrop for the town of Geiranger and the GExpedition at anchor |
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| Troll town! |
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| Going out along Geirangerfjord |
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| Seven Sisters Falls |
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| Friaren (the Suitor) lay, supposedly drunk (see the bottle?), on the opposite side of the fjord from the Seven Sisters after he was rejected multiple times... |
Next Post: Trondheim, city in Central Norway
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Thursday, 20 June 2019
Why I love Trondheim (Central Norway)
I
love Trondheim! This was where I encountered for the first time several
birds I have never seen in my life! We chose to do a hike in the
Bymarka Nature Preserve instead of doing a city tour, knowing that we
would still have the afternoon to walk the city. Bymarka covered a
large area of 80 sq. km with tons of walking trails through beautiful
boreal forests and lakes. It was a lovely walk even though it was
raining part of the time. During the two hour hike, we saw a pretty pair
of Eurasian Wigeons, goldeneyes, a black-headed gull, a hooded crow and
a Great Tit - never even heard of this one but it has a distinctive
sound and was a real attention getter - that's how I found it in a
tree! There were also all kinds of flowers that carpeted the side of
the trails - it's spring afterall.
After the hike, we were taken on a tour of the Sverresborg Folk Museum, an open air museum with 80 buildings from the area. Here I encountered one of the most entertaining museum guides I have ever met in my travels - what a delightful young lady. I typically don't enjoy listening to long narratives but she made it so amusing and down-to-earth I stayed with her for the half hour she was talking. Then I encountered another new species called Fieldfare (like a robin) on the grounds and even caught it with a worm in its beak!
After the museum, we were dropped off in the middle of town where we grabbed a quick lunch at a riverside café in Bryggen, the old district by the river. This gave us our first taste of the iconic view of old Trondheim, with its wood houses on both sides of the river. When we returned after our visit to the Nidaros Cathedral nearby, the late afternoon sun made the buildings even more picturesque. I was looking at my two sets of photos, before and after, and trying to figure out why the later set looked different; I found out it had nothing to do with my camera settings - the difference was in the angle of the sun!
We
missed the tour of Nidaros Cathedral because of our hike and so had to
pay for entry. Admission was pretty steep at around $18 CAD per person
so if you were
offered a free tour, don't forgo it. Even more disappointing was, after
paying for the ticket, I found out that photography is not allowed
inside! The original Cathedral was built in the 11th century but there
were several fires and restorations, including the addition of the rose
window and the pipe organ in the early 20th century - the two creating a
stunning visual at one end of the church.
It was a nice walk through the old town back to the pier to board our ship, giving us an opportunity to see both old and new Trondheim and a chance for some street photography. The encounter with the Pied Wagtail, another first for me, topped off the exceptional day with its combination of nature, culture and city experiences.
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| Flower-lined trail in Bymarka Nature Preserve |
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| Lake in Bymarka where we found the golden eyes, the wigeons and mallards |
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| Pair of Eurasian Wigeons |
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| I found the Great Tit near this lake on the edge of the Reserve |
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| Great Tit - found it by following its song |
After the hike, we were taken on a tour of the Sverresborg Folk Museum, an open air museum with 80 buildings from the area. Here I encountered one of the most entertaining museum guides I have ever met in my travels - what a delightful young lady. I typically don't enjoy listening to long narratives but she made it so amusing and down-to-earth I stayed with her for the half hour she was talking. Then I encountered another new species called Fieldfare (like a robin) on the grounds and even caught it with a worm in its beak!
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| Houses in the Sverresborg Folk Museum |
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| The very entertaining young lady guide made the story of the old house sound interesting |
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| Fieldfare |
After the museum, we were dropped off in the middle of town where we grabbed a quick lunch at a riverside café in Bryggen, the old district by the river. This gave us our first taste of the iconic view of old Trondheim, with its wood houses on both sides of the river. When we returned after our visit to the Nidaros Cathedral nearby, the late afternoon sun made the buildings even more picturesque. I was looking at my two sets of photos, before and after, and trying to figure out why the later set looked different; I found out it had nothing to do with my camera settings - the difference was in the angle of the sun!
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| The Old Town Bridge |
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| The late afternoon sun on the riverside houses |
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| Looking back at the Cathedral from the other side of the river |
It was a nice walk through the old town back to the pier to board our ship, giving us an opportunity to see both old and new Trondheim and a chance for some street photography. The encounter with the Pied Wagtail, another first for me, topped off the exceptional day with its combination of nature, culture and city experiences.
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| The main street in Bryggen - the paved part of the road was actually the bike path. I thought it was easier to walk on to take photos and almost got run over a few times. |
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| Locals in the newer part of town |
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| A snazzy building at the waterfront |
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| At the pier |
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| Pied Wagtail - it literally wags its tail! |
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Friday, 21 June 2019
Hole in the mountain and more
Amazing views up there and truly a natural phenomenon, with that hole in the massive granite dome. Legend has it that a troll was trying to chase a beautiful girl and aimed the arrow at her when he realized he couldn't get her. The troll king threw his hat into the arrow's path to save her - and the hat turned into the mountain with the hole in the centre...As expected the downward hike was more difficult, but we picked our way very carefully and got back safely but our knees and calves were sore for the next day.
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| That piece of rock in the top left corner is Torghatten |
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| Rocky path to the top |
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| Nice view though! |
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| This was where we thought we're almost there, but it's another 15 minute climb up |
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| At the hole! It's actually quite big - see the people on the other side |
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| The treacherous downhill path on wet rocks |
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| White-tailed Sea eagle |
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| Pair of Common Eiders |
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| Red-breasted Merganser |
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| Great blue heron on a tree and in flight |
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| Greylag goose family |
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| Cormorant with big fish |
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| Gull tried to steal fish but got bitten by cormorant |
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| Ouch! That hurts! |
We attended a tour at the Visitor Centre after being treated to fish soup and waffles - great narrative by an articulate young lady on the superstitions kept by fishermen (women are bad luck, if they saw a woman on the way to the fishing boat, they would turn back, etc.). The eiderdowns are almost weightless. We closed our eyes and let someone put a ball of eiderdown on our hands, we wouldn't feel it at all. An eiderdown could cost upwards of 60,000 krones ($9300 CAD). It was an interesting visit!
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| A fishing village in Vega |
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| Leaving Vega |
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| Another group named "Seven Sisters" |
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Sunday, 23 June 2019
Reflections Galore and the Artic Circle
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| View of the Svartisen Glacier from the café |
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| I also did a short hike through the beautiful birch forest, teased by the sound of bird songs, but they were not easy to find among the leaves, unless they want to be found, as in the cocky pied wagtail below, hopping around the café grounds. |
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| Pied wagtail |
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| It was amazing how the mirrorlike reflections did not change even as the sun rose high up in the sky. This was the reflection that greeted us as we returned to the ship. |
We
continued our norlthward journey crossing the Arctic Circle, paying due
respect with champagne on deck to note the passing of the Arctic Circle
monument at Vikingen. It was an exhilarating moment for some who had
also been to the South Pole and could finally be confirmed as
"bipolar"...;-)
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| The Arctic Circle monument at Vikingen |
Next up was the island of Lovund, known for the kittiwakes
nesting on a huge rock a short distance from the pier and the puffins
nesting half way up the mountain. The kittiwakes were very visible but
the puffins were too high up to be seen easily, even with a long lens.
But we braved the rock scramble to viewing the area and was able to make
it back down the treacherous wet rocks, content with having at least
seen a few puffins.
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| Lovund, a peaceful village - it was heartening to see kids freely roaming the streets on their bikes in the mostly car-free town - not a common sight these days in the cities. |
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| Bird condo! |
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| Eurasian Magpie |
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| The great view from the puffin viewing area - but also note the rocky downward path |
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| A grey-faced puffin - apparently not all puffins have white faces! |
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| This polished modern building was a bit unusual in this little village, population 500! There are more birds than people here! If I weren't already cutting it very close to the last zodiac, I would have found out more about it! |
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Tuesday, 25 June 2019
Lofoten Islands - Stunning!
I've
heard so much about the Lofoten Islands that when we finally got to set
foot on them, I didn't feel that we had enough of it - I kept wishing I
could get closer to the rocks and the mountains. We got magnificent
views of the dramatic landscape from viewpoints calculated to provide
postcard-perfect pictures but somehow I felt we were too far away. We
had a bus tour going through five of the islands, but what we needed was
a good hike to get up close to the rocks. Well, maybe next time...
Our first stop was at a village called Ä (the last letter of the Norwegian alphabet) on the island of Moskness where we visited the Torrfisk Museum, dedicated to the Atlantic cod. We learned all about Stockfish, unsalted dried cod which was the main industry on these islands. Portugal and Italy are the largest customers. The fish heads go to Nigeria where they are used for soup because of the protein. It was an interesting visit with an enthusiastic guide, the owner. We then proceeded through the islands going from south to north with the first stop at the iconic view of the islands at the picturesque village of Reine.
Stockfish samples at the Stockfish Museum.
Our
last stop was at the picturesque fishing village of Henningsvaer. Lots
of reflections here and interesting doors on the houses...
The last excitement of the day was the ship's trip into the narrowest fjord in Norway, Trollfjord which is only 100 metres wide at its narrowest part. The scenery at the end was spectacular with the evening sun hitting parts of the mountains. The Captain did a nifty manoeuvre at the end to turn the ship around.
Our first stop was at a village called Ä (the last letter of the Norwegian alphabet) on the island of Moskness where we visited the Torrfisk Museum, dedicated to the Atlantic cod. We learned all about Stockfish, unsalted dried cod which was the main industry on these islands. Portugal and Italy are the largest customers. The fish heads go to Nigeria where they are used for soup because of the protein. It was an interesting visit with an enthusiastic guide, the owner. We then proceeded through the islands going from south to north with the first stop at the iconic view of the islands at the picturesque village of Reine.
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| Reine |
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| The mountains around Reine |
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| Look at those rock faces! |
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| The squatters (kittiwakes!) have taken over this building at the waterfront in Moskness |
Stockfish samples at the Stockfish Museum.
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| Fish farms |
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| Fish drying on racks which were everywhere on the islands - they have to be finished the drying process by June before the insects arrive! |
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| The red cabins are fisherman's cabins (Rorbuer) |
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| A pretty church with a Russian inspired spire where we stopped to stretch our legs. We clambered over a meadow and saw some oyster catchers nesting. |
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| Nesting Oyster catcher |
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| Some of the rugged landscape we saw on our way through the islands |
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| Our lunch stop at the small fishing village of Nusfjord on the island of Flakstad |
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| Kittiwakes were nesting everywhere, including window ledges! |
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| Another picture postcard view at Nusfjord where we had our delicious Norwegian lunch |
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| The ceiling of the museum shaped like a Viking ship |
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| Near the museum |
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| The "Lofoten Wall" - collection of mountain peaks that from a distance appear to form a straight line |
The last excitement of the day was the ship's trip into the narrowest fjord in Norway, Trollfjord which is only 100 metres wide at its narrowest part. The scenery at the end was spectacular with the evening sun hitting parts of the mountains. The Captain did a nifty manoeuvre at the end to turn the ship around.
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| Going into the narrow fjord |
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| This hidden gem at the end |
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| One of two waterfalls on the sides |
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| Rock formations along the side of the fjord |
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| Leaving the narrowest fjord in Norway |
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Friday, 28 June 2019
Last stops before the Arctic
Before
Tromso, our last stop before heading to Svalbad in the Arctic, we had a
wonderful nature day in the Sundsvollsundet Nature Reserve on the
island of Helloya. There was a large colony of kittiwakes nesting on the
cliffs in addition to guillemots, cormorants and gulls - lots of mating
and nest building activity with the kittiwakes, allowing for some
interesting action shots. There were also lots of pretty anemones and
sea urchins just at the water line with some extraordinarily beautiful
rock formations.
We spent the afternoon spotting Sperm Whales in Bleiks Canyon, a deep sea canyon known to be the haunt of Sperm Whales. There were at least four or five whales and I was able to catch a few whale tails - it was quite an exhilarating experience, holding our breaths waiting for the whale to blow several times before diving and showing its tail then madly clicking away! The Sperm Whale is new to me - it is the largest of the toothed whales and is the second deepest diving mammal. It has a round dorsal fin and a blow hole on the left side of its head so the blow is never straight up.
The day we arrived in Tromso, it was foggy and wet - this was actually the first day of bad weather so we were not complaining. The Arctic Alpine Botanical Garden in the rain was still pretty and in fact water drops on the flowers added to the shots. This is an unusual Botanical Garden in that it is the world's northernmost botanic garden. It was surprising to find so many flowering varieties and of course the tulips were still blooming in June. The garden focuses on plants from the Polar regions or high mountains which have difficulty surviving in the warmer climate where most botanical gardens are located.
We visited the Polar Museum, housed in a stunning building. The Tromso waterfront, which we could see from the museum, was actually quite pretty in the fog.
We took a cable car ride up to the top of the mountain but was fogged in - the view was better on the way up than up on the mountain. We then visited the famous Arctic Cathedral, but there was a wedding there and we could not get in to see the beautiful triangular stained glass window inside. It was not our lucky day. But the Tromso waterfront had some interesting buildings and the old town was quite picturesque. We were keeping our fingers crossed that the weather would improve as we head north across the Barents Sea to Svalbad.
Leaving Tromso and heading for Svalbard!
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| The rock formations are incredibly coloured! |
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| Such a pretty sea urchin! |
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| The mountain backdrop was equally stunning |
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| Courtship |
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| Mating |
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| Not sure if this was aggression or passion |
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| This looked like squabbling |
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| Flying back with nesting material |
We spent the afternoon spotting Sperm Whales in Bleiks Canyon, a deep sea canyon known to be the haunt of Sperm Whales. There were at least four or five whales and I was able to catch a few whale tails - it was quite an exhilarating experience, holding our breaths waiting for the whale to blow several times before diving and showing its tail then madly clicking away! The Sperm Whale is new to me - it is the largest of the toothed whales and is the second deepest diving mammal. It has a round dorsal fin and a blow hole on the left side of its head so the blow is never straight up.
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| Sperm Whale |
The day we arrived in Tromso, it was foggy and wet - this was actually the first day of bad weather so we were not complaining. The Arctic Alpine Botanical Garden in the rain was still pretty and in fact water drops on the flowers added to the shots. This is an unusual Botanical Garden in that it is the world's northernmost botanic garden. It was surprising to find so many flowering varieties and of course the tulips were still blooming in June. The garden focuses on plants from the Polar regions or high mountains which have difficulty surviving in the warmer climate where most botanical gardens are located.
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| Outstanding rock gardens in the Arctic Alpine Botanical Garden |
We visited the Polar Museum, housed in a stunning building. The Tromso waterfront, which we could see from the museum, was actually quite pretty in the fog.
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| Polar Museum |
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| Tromso in the fog |
We took a cable car ride up to the top of the mountain but was fogged in - the view was better on the way up than up on the mountain. We then visited the famous Arctic Cathedral, but there was a wedding there and we could not get in to see the beautiful triangular stained glass window inside. It was not our lucky day. But the Tromso waterfront had some interesting buildings and the old town was quite picturesque. We were keeping our fingers crossed that the weather would improve as we head north across the Barents Sea to Svalbad.
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| Tromso from the cable car |
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| All we could see up at the mountain top - one group from the ship was actually hiking in the fog, until they found they couldn't go any further up and had to turn back. |
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| The Arctic Cathedral |
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| The gorgeous stained glass seen through the window |
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| Tromso waterfront - mix of modern and old buildings |
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| A fishing boat with all the processing equipment on board |
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Leaving Tromso and heading for Svalbard!
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Tuesday, 2 July 2019
Crossing the Barents Sea to Svalbard
The
Barents Sea was the last hurdle before the Arctic - I was certainly
worried about the crossing of such a wide expanse of sea which is really
part of the Arctic Ocean. Luckily there was no storm - even though the
waves were quite high at times, it was a relatively smooth crossing even
for someone prone to seasickness like myself. In fact, it was calm
enough that when we were half way across and reached the one island in
the middle of the sea - Bjornoya (Bear Island), the southernmost island
in the Svalbard Archipelago, we were able to stop and cruise around the
island, something that many of the expedition staff haven't been able to
do during their many previous crossings because of rough seas.
The island is wild! Its geology spectacular! And there was amazing bird life on its cliffs - this remote island in the middle of this vast expanse of sea plays host to puffins, murres, guillemots, kittiwakes, skuas, auks, eiders, gannets and gulls in the tens of thousands. The sky around it was full of birds flying back and forth. While I was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of birds and the noise they made around us, it was the rocks that struck me dumb with their astounding cragginess, probably the result of weathering arctic storms. It was for me, one of the most beautiful islands I have seen on this trip.
Bear Island has only 4 inhabitants, the staff at a meteorological station. It's hard to imagine living here with the birds! When we were in our zodiac, we discovered a natural arch and with the approval of the group leader, our zodiac ventured forth through the unknown tunnel. It was quite an adventure and we were surprised to find even birds inside the tunnel! Please see the video below of our navigation through the tunnel and also to get a sense of the sea conditions - considered calm but still tossing in our zodiac. I was taking photos at shutter speeds of 1/1250 second and higher to get sharp enough photos. We also came across an abandoned Russian trawler that had washed up on the shores of this island - a piece of junk on an otherwise all natural environment.
An overnight journey from Bear Island would take us to Svalbard in the morning - the top of the world!
The island is wild! Its geology spectacular! And there was amazing bird life on its cliffs - this remote island in the middle of this vast expanse of sea plays host to puffins, murres, guillemots, kittiwakes, skuas, auks, eiders, gannets and gulls in the tens of thousands. The sky around it was full of birds flying back and forth. While I was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of birds and the noise they made around us, it was the rocks that struck me dumb with their astounding cragginess, probably the result of weathering arctic storms. It was for me, one of the most beautiful islands I have seen on this trip.
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| Spectacular rock formations around the island |
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| Those are not dust spots on my camera - they are birds flying above the island! |
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| Look at the astonishing bird population on these cliffs! The sedimentary rock layers are almost designed to accommodate the residents, whether migrant or permanent... |
Bear Island has only 4 inhabitants, the staff at a meteorological station. It's hard to imagine living here with the birds! When we were in our zodiac, we discovered a natural arch and with the approval of the group leader, our zodiac ventured forth through the unknown tunnel. It was quite an adventure and we were surprised to find even birds inside the tunnel! Please see the video below of our navigation through the tunnel and also to get a sense of the sea conditions - considered calm but still tossing in our zodiac. I was taking photos at shutter speeds of 1/1250 second and higher to get sharp enough photos. We also came across an abandoned Russian trawler that had washed up on the shores of this island - a piece of junk on an otherwise all natural environment.
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| Abandoned Russian trawler on island |
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| Puffins |
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| Common murres and guillemots |
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| Looks like a social here |
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| And some mating on the side |
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| A skua feeding on a kittiwake |
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| A Northern Fulmar enjoying the swell |
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| Skua flying off for more food |
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| Looking at the island from this angle reminded me of images of Ayer's Rock in Australia |
Wednesday, 10 July 2019
A warm welcome to the Arctic!
What
a pleasant surprise to wake up in Hornsund, Svalbard to blue skies,
sunshine and magical reflections of the Arctic landscape. I quickly
clambered up on deck after gasping at the scenery from our window - have
to confess that more than once on this trip, I wished the ship offered
cabins with balconies! Everywhere I turned, the scenery was
breathtakingly beautiful. And this continued for the rest of the day.
The ship anchored at Gnalodden and we got on zodiacs to get close to the icebergs and hear the air bubbles crackle inside them. As the zodiac stopped and turned we got to see the stunning land and seascape from different angles. It was a photographer's paradise!
We went ashore briefly to look at a historical trappers's cabin and climbed up to a viewpoint to get a panoramic view of the surroundings. Armed expedition staff were positioned on both the landward and seaward side to make sure we were safe from wildlife, mainly polar bears as they could apparently run up to 40 km/hr and easily outrun humans. We saw hundreds of kittiwakes, guillemots and glaucous gulls, including a rare sighting of an ivory gull. We went back to the boat for lunch while the ship saled past the majestic peak of Hornsundtind, the highest mountain in southern Spitsbergen.
The ship next cast anchor in the bay of Brepollen with its stunning scenery and mirrored reflections. We got into zodiacs to see the two glaciers, Svalisbreen and Mendeleevbreen. The glaciers were the widest I have seen, even wider than the huge Perito Moreno glacier in Patagonia. We saw a couple of arctic skuas and a fight between them and some gulls.
The ship anchored at Gnalodden and we got on zodiacs to get close to the icebergs and hear the air bubbles crackle inside them. As the zodiac stopped and turned we got to see the stunning land and seascape from different angles. It was a photographer's paradise!
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| A barnacle goose on the untouched landscape! |
We went ashore briefly to look at a historical trappers's cabin and climbed up to a viewpoint to get a panoramic view of the surroundings. Armed expedition staff were positioned on both the landward and seaward side to make sure we were safe from wildlife, mainly polar bears as they could apparently run up to 40 km/hr and easily outrun humans. We saw hundreds of kittiwakes, guillemots and glaucous gulls, including a rare sighting of an ivory gull. We went back to the boat for lunch while the ship saled past the majestic peak of Hornsundtind, the highest mountain in southern Spitsbergen.
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| Panorama from the viewpoint half way up the hill |
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| Expedition staff standing watch |
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| Hundreds of kittiwakes hangout on shore |
The ship next cast anchor in the bay of Brepollen with its stunning scenery and mirrored reflections. We got into zodiacs to see the two glaciers, Svalisbreen and Mendeleevbreen. The glaciers were the widest I have seen, even wider than the huge Perito Moreno glacier in Patagonia. We saw a couple of arctic skuas and a fight between them and some gulls.
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| Hornsundtind, the highest mountain in southern Spisbergen in the distance |
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| The Svalisbreen Glacier and the amazing shapes of the mountains |
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| Arctic pyramids! |
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| An all white ivory gull |
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| Arctic skua also called Parasitic jaeger, so called because it robs other birds, like gulls and we actually saw them do it from our zodiac! |
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| Guillemot |
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| Svalisbreen and Mendeleevbreen Glaciers |
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| Zodiac going through glacier ice |
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| The stunning landscape and reflections along the Bay of Brepollen |
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| Barbeque dinner on the rear deck |
Tuesday, 16 July 2019
Arctic wildlife
After
the stunning hard to beat arctic landscapes of Hornsund, the last two
days of the trip to Svalbad focused on looking for wildlife. This meant
hours on the zodiac - one record-breaking trip had us in the zodiac for
more than 3 hours! This was because just as we were about to wrap up the
session in Bellsund, we heard on the radio that there was a bear
sighting on the other side of an island where we just left. This meant
heading back all the way and of course by the time we arrived, the bear
was almost near the top of the hill! Even our toes were frozen and the
weather throughout the trip had not been cold enough for that. It truly
gave us a small taste of what long hours in the Arctic environment could
feel like.
The last day of the trip we visited Poolepynten, known as the site of a walrus haul-out on the beach. We were allowed a half hour with the walruses at a respectful distance and the interaction between them were quite fun to watch. It was such a chore for them to move even a few feet and the expressions on their faces disarming. The time went quickly.
The afternoon expedition was supposed to be a landing and a hike on Alkhornet. And just as we were debating about whether the clamber up the rocks might be too hard for us, we heard on the PA that the landing was cancelled. The reason - a polar bear was sighted in the exact place of our landing!
So instead of a landing, we all headed out on deck to see the polar bear sauntering along where we were supposed to be hiking. It was also a treat to have a bird's eye view of the bear and the reindeer together on this magnificent tundra landscape.
The bear kept walking along the length of the shore with no change in gait for more than an hour. But there was more excitement as there were several whale sightings while we were all out on deck. What a super end to an exhilarating trip!
This wraps up our trip to the Norwegian fjords and the Arctic - an awesome experience all round!
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| Polar Bear on Alkhornet |
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| The antlers were developing on this reindeer |
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| A skua harrassing a kittiwake |
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| This tiny loon like bird is a Red Phalarope |
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| An eider threesome |
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| Arctic tern mating |
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| Eider in flight |
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| Another reindeer in a classic pose |
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| Our first bear sighting - this one was first sighted going into the water and swimming then it went up on shore and seemed to be looking for a place to snuggle down. |
The last day of the trip we visited Poolepynten, known as the site of a walrus haul-out on the beach. We were allowed a half hour with the walruses at a respectful distance and the interaction between them were quite fun to watch. It was such a chore for them to move even a few feet and the expressions on their faces disarming. The time went quickly.
The afternoon expedition was supposed to be a landing and a hike on Alkhornet. And just as we were debating about whether the clamber up the rocks might be too hard for us, we heard on the PA that the landing was cancelled. The reason - a polar bear was sighted in the exact place of our landing!
So instead of a landing, we all headed out on deck to see the polar bear sauntering along where we were supposed to be hiking. It was also a treat to have a bird's eye view of the bear and the reindeer together on this magnificent tundra landscape.
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| The bear and reindeer on the tundra - the reindeer originally started running away when they saw the bear but when the bear showed no reaction, they stopped, but kept their distance. |
The bear kept walking along the length of the shore with no change in gait for more than an hour. But there was more excitement as there were several whale sightings while we were all out on deck. What a super end to an exhilarating trip!
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| Humpback whale tail |
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| More stunning arctic landscape at Longyearben, from where we took our flight home. |
This wraps up our trip to the Norwegian fjords and the Arctic - an awesome experience all round!
