part 3....
All in all we were kept very busy, with landings, lectures, eating, drinking and socialising with our fellow passengers. They were a mix of nationalities, Brits and Americans in the majority, with about 20 French/Belgians, 10 or so Germans and a group of about 15 from South Korea. Announcements on board were made in English and German, with the French and Koreans having their own translators. The age demographic was largely from about 45 to 70. There was a mix of singles and couples. HX went to the effort of having restaurant tables set aside for single travellers to meet others and likewise in the bar.
Our expedition was focussed on the fjords of the west coast of the Svalbard archipelago. This meant we got to visit the research settlement of Ny Alesund, which is said to be the most northerly settlement in the world. A really interesting place with a museum covering the history of the place from mining and whaling to the current research stations. There was a really cool shop where we bought a couple more Christmas ornaments.
Then finally we headed far north as it was possible to go - to the edge of the polar ice. Zodiacs took us right to the edge of the ice, which at this time of year is not a flat sheet of ice, but lots of fragments, which pile into each other, making crazy shapes and which sway up and down with the swell of the water. Hard to fathom how anyone could walk or ski to the north pole!
Finally, I should mention the wildlife. New regulations to protect polar bears mean we had to remain a minimum of 500m from any polar bears that we might see and we were cautioned that to see one would be a bonus not an expectation. In the event we saw two, which was fantastic even from a distance. We also visited two colonies of walrus and were able to get pretty close to them on foot (without disturbing them and remaining silent). We also saw whales, seals, arctic reindeer, and countless seabirds (not my strong point, but I know there were lots of little auks).
We were on board for 8 nights and it absolutely flew by. We ended up back in Longyearbyen and had another SAS flight back to Oslo.
Overall it was the experience of a lifetime and I feel privileged to have been able to make the trip.
If anyone wants to know more about Svalbard (which is also possible to get to without taking an all inclusive package like we did) then just write a comment and I'll do my best!
Skyegirl (Jacqui)