Svalbard, the Land of the Polar Bears Part 2/2
Canoeing in summer
Isfjorden
The Russian settlement of Barentsburg
The small wooden church of Barentsburg was erected in 1996 to commemorate the 140 victims of a plane that crashed while bringing in a new shift of miners to Barentsburg.
A boat on Isfjorden
By the fjord
A house on the hill
Art by local artists on display at the Galeri Svalbard
Svalbard means cold coast, or cold edge. Here it is!
Svalbard was absolutely incredible. Such a pristine, quirky, different and poetical place in our world that definitely needs to be preserved. I highly enjoyed my time there and I am planning to go back at the end of summer in order to experience a different light and see more vegetation.
If you are interested in going
- Accomodation in Svalbard is very expensive. I recommend staying at Gjestehuset 102. It is a 25-minute walk into Longyearbyen but you get a nice view on the settlement and it is a third of the price of the other hotels in town.
- Eating out: The historic Huset is the world’s northernmost gourmet restaurant and boasts one of Europe’s largest wine cellars with more than 20,000 bottles! You can taste seal, whale and reindeer there as well as at the Radisson Blu Polar Hotel. Budget restaurants include the relaxing and popular Kroa, and Taste of Thailand.
- Dress well: if you go on a day-tour on a snow mobile, you will need thermals, wool and fleece clothes, as well as ski pants under the snow mobile riding suit, gloves and mittens. The temperature is around -16°C in March plus polar wind but it is an incredible experience!
Enjoy the spectacular scenery!
