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These steep mountains gave Svalbard also the name SpitzbergenThe Glaciers are always in the move and might loose some ice, while you are watching. The small Icebergs inside the salt-water are not melting right away, because the salt-water is also below 0 degrees Celsius but it is not freezing at that point because of the salt.
All cruises will take you to Magdalena-bayAnd when you are lucky, you will have a great weather like here on these pics, that were all taken on a special day in 1978. Still it is freezing cold, even in the brightest sunshine in june and july and I may recommend to bring several pullovers and jackets that you may take off easily, when it is getting a bit warmer.
About 2 - 3 hours north of Longyearbyen - across the Isfjorden - you come across the Esmarkbreen Glacier.I know that actually "breen" means glacier, so I just introduced the Esmark glacier glacier, but in the literature (if you find any), you will see it written like this.Beautiful blue ice and structures - nature at its best!
Now if you think that Longyearbyen is boring, then do not even think about going to Barentsburg....Barentsburg is the only remaining Russian settlement on Svalbard and about 600 people (mostly Russians and Ukrainians) live and work here. It is a mining town with nothing much to see - still I found it very interesting, because it is more Soviet than any of the Russian places I have ever visited!Curious? If so, have a look at my Barentsburg page!
Longyearbyen is the capital of Svalbard and also its biggest settlement. There are about 2000 inhabitants. Main source of income is/was coal mining with the tourism getting stronger and stronger.There is not too much that you can do in Longyearbyen: a church, a museum, some hotels and a little shopping, that is about it. But Longyearbyen is the perfect starting point for excursions in the vicinity of Longyearbyen or along the coast.For more information, please have a look at my Longyearbyen page!
On a day cruise out of Longyearbyen you may visit several glacier fronts calving into the sea. With a bit of luck and patience you may be able to see huge chunks of ice falling off and into the sea with a thundering sound and flood waves. One of the easiest visits is to Esmarkbreen glacier, which can be done as an extension of a Barentsburg visit or an Isfjord Radio transit.
The Svalbard archipelago is situated within the polar pack and drift ice area. The maximum extent of the drift ice during winter is as far south as Bear Island, but the warm Gulf Current leads Atlantic and North Sea water northwards and keeps a tongue of open water up along the western coast. Still, access to harbours of Ny Ålesund, and Svea and longyearbyen will be by icebreakers only during winter and spring. The northern and eastern areas of Svalbard are nearly permanently within the pack and drift ice belt. Normally, however, there is a possibility of travelling up to about 80 degrees north by cruise ship straigth north of Spitsbergen during the heigth of summer before hitting the pack ice. Circumnavigation of Svalbard may not be done all years due to pack ice and crushing drift ice around Edge island and the Hinlopen straight.Be aware of the restraints caused by the ice movements...
The Arctic can offer some real culinary treats. But vegetables? Hardly.But try whatever arctic food you can stomach. On the fishy side there is the local arctic char prepared in a variety of ways, and there is also salomon to be had. Ensure that it is wild salomon from the mainland or the locally caught hump-backed Russian variety of Pacific salomon.Inbetween land and water there is much excitement: whale and seal. You can get a variety of locally caught seal meat (or imports from the mainland), but whale is always the same - minke whale from the mainland. The few land animals found on the table are reindeer, which can be superbly tasty here at good restaurants. Polar bear meat comes as snacks and appetizer only. The avifauna may be the best choice in terms of tastebud teazer of all the critters on Svalbard that have ended in the kitchen: Spitzbergen geese and Svalbard grouse -...
There is an amazing amount of gear and seemingly trashed, rusty and unused facilities lying around Longyearbyen. It is all part of the preservation of Longyearbyen's history as a mining town. Like it or not, it's there. And do not try to remove any of it.What you can do is to take a better look at it all, and see if you can make sense of all the installations used for the coal mining. Maybe you will feel better???
This information may be useful for your planning and budgeting. I have collected some of the best prices found among the tour operators in Longyearbyen from web sites and what we were offered while there:Ice Grotto tour: NOK 590Dog-sled tour 3-4 hrs: NOK 980 Dog-sled tour 8-12 hrs: NOK 1600 upNorthern lights evening: NOK 690 upPolaraften evening: NOK 1090Arctic menu (4 courses) at Huset: NOK 485Mine 3 visit: NOK 890 - - - to becompleted---
Spitsbergen Hotel Longyearbyen
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Radisson Sas Polar Spitsbergen Longyearbyen
2 Reviews and 69 Opinions The SAS hotel has a very central location only 100 m from the main shopping area. It has 95 rooms...
Spitsbergen Guesthouse Longyearbyen
16 Opinions
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Q: Me and my husband are planning our anniversary trip in Spitsbergen. We're from Mexico and want this to be the trip of a lifetime....
A: Hi - welcome to VT! I'd recommend staying at the Radisson. It's really nice and the restaurant is excellent. Spitsbergen Travel (www.spitsbergentravel.no/eng/) booked...
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