Coldfoot... you really must go there.. even if there's not much to see... There are some old abandoned cabins and a few tombs, ad a restaurant/hotel/post-office/ranger station. But it's here that, at the beginning of the 19th century, stampders heading north for the old rush, started to freeze and got cold feet, and eventually turned around and headed home. As I said, not much to see is left, except that it's like stepping into wild north history.
Here one of our tenders went out into the bay in order to take some pics for the brochures, and also to search for a small iceberg, that was cut into smaller pieces and served in the Bar as a special attraction - these icebergs are of course of sweet-water by the glaciers and not salty at all
no matter how long you are searching - you will not see any pinguins - and each of these cruises some of the passengers did not know before, that polarbears and pinguins never meet - except in a zoo..and sometimes we simply could not resist to make some jokes about having just seen pinguins....and the very best stupid question I ever was asked by a passenger, was during a meal on our way to Iceland, 2 days after the last port :"Michael, please tell me, are YOU ALSO living on this ship ?? "...maybe she expected the crew-members to fly home to Austria by helicopter each night...
Even if Spitzbergen looks like a country outside of restrictions, cruise-ships have to stick to their routes and have to ask permission for each landing they are planning to do - so don't expect to be able to go ashore.
It is a pity, there was no place, where we were allowed to go and take a little walk ashore in Magdalena-bay....but there was a small island at another place in Spitzbergen,where we landed once and spent 2 hours in the afternoon and we found bones and other remains of civilisation on the stony beach
While cruising Magdalena-bay watch the icebergs crashing on the ship - just about 10% of them comes out of the water, and some look rather small from the ship, but might make a lot of noise, when touching the ship .
don't miss the Glühwein-stand on the afterdeck - the weather here in the bay is pretty cold even in summer and great sunshine !And it might be e great idea to have a warm sleeping-bag in order to be able to sit in a deckchair the whole day, watching the great panorama
watch out for seals and polarbears and if you are lucky you might see some !.I actually never saw a polar-bear while we were cruising in the arctic - the ship made a lot of noise of course and they come down from the glaciers and mountains mainly in wintertime
Up there - in the middle of nowhere - you can see, photograph and hike some of the most stunning mountains I've ver seen: what's even better about them is that they are pristine and unspoiled. There's no hiking trails, no roads, nothing... just complete wilderness and great scenery!
Everything and everywhere in Tormso is "Arctic", especially because the explorer Amudsen left from here to go explore the arctic. Arctic sights: first of all there's a wonderful example of modern architecure: the arctc cathedral - a white church, triangular in shape, that from afar looks like an iceberg. Then there are the several museums: the arctic museum and the polan museum. Then there's a great, wonderful, unforgettable exhibition called Polaria, all dedicated to the various Arctic regions... so if it's arctic sights and history that you are craving for, Tromso is the place for you.
Reviews and photos of Arctic attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Arctic sightseeing.
Q: I suddenly mused that it might/should be more interesting to check out the Canadian North, the Inuits etc instead of checking out...
A: Sheherezad, I think “Into the Northwest Passage” tour is definitely unique and is the kind of tour that you’d remember for the rest of your life. I’d say, go for...
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