We have been further north than you

Svalbard! Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago found at 78°N, halfway between Oslo and the North Pole.  It is cold, rocky, desolate, and populated with more polar bears than people.  It is home to 2,600 inhabitants, 2,100 of which live in Longyearbyen, the administrative center and the world’s northernmost settlement of more than 100 people.  Very rarely is there a sunrise or a sunset; it’s generally either fully light or fully dark.  Gavin and I had wanted to visit Svalbard, and aimed for that brief period of sunrise.  Our friend Lizi was planning to visit around that time, so we pitched her on the idea of a two-day dogsledding and snow camping trip as part of her visit (coming up in our next post).

Before we go further, I want you to take a close look at the map below, so you get a sense of where Svalbard is located.

 

Lizi is always up to do something interesting, and I was pretty excited when she said yes. She must have really trusted us, because quite a bit later, and only two weeks before the trip, I received the following text:

I just looked up Svalbard for the first time. The sun didn’t rise there today!

You can imagine my concern, which stemmed from knowing that I would not have been prepared to casually go to Svalbard during my first week in Norway. Avid readers will remember that I struggled with the cold Scandinavian summer, and my cold weather skills have been developed through months of trial and error. Svalbard is no place for error! So, I sent her a detailed packing list.

Lizi arrived on February 12, and of course she was perfectly prepared. We had a few days together in Trondheim, to do very Norwegian things in preparation for our trip north. We skied, skated, and shopped for Dale sweaters (the official outfitter of the Norwegian olympic team).

Lizi brought us new hats and socks that she knit herself. They are totally beautiful and especially appropriate for Gavin, who desperately needs new socks and is finally not intimidating Norwegians with his FBI hat. Thanks Lizi!

 

 

We kept an eye on the weather in Svalbard all week. Lizi was right about the sun. It “rose” for the first time this year on February 15, and we would arrive the day after (though it wouldn’t actually be high enough to clear the surrounding mountains, it was enough to give a lit sky and beautiful colors). Check out this screenshot of the weather forecast in the days leading up to our visit (the top two rows are Svalbard). You’ll notice a weather icon you’ve probably never seen before: sunny, but with the sun below the horizon.

We left for Svalbard on the morning of February 16, and our flight from Oslo was surprisingly full. By the time we were flying over the archipelago, the whole plane was going nuts, like high schoolers on a trip to Disneyworld. It seems that Svalbard has a pull for Norwegians just like Orlando has a pull for (some) Americans — it’s a playground, and it represents the country in its purest form.

The sun was out and the sky was clear, and so we couldn’t help but take a bunch of selfies from the runway.

Longyearbyen was settled in 1906 as a coal mining town, and our guidebook referred to it as a junkyard. The town retains its industrial feel, but I would object to any negative description of it. I found it to be quite lovely and surprisingly livable for a place that spends three months a year in darkness. I’d call it “junkyard chic.”

There is a Radisson in Longyearbyen, but we opted for the quirkier Mary-Ann’s Polarrigg, a former barracks for miners.

These days, Longyearbyen is Svalbard’s hub for scientific research and tourism. The town plays to its strengths which are 1) The Northernmost [ATM, Newspaper, Spa, etc.] and 2) polar bears. The main tourist attraction in Longyearbyen is the Svalbard Museum, which depicts the harsh reality of life on the islands. Many of the exhibits were quite bloody.

We were cheered by testaments from former residents, who said things like, “This place is abandoned by God, and ought to have been abandoned long ago by mankind as well,” and “Stone after stone, I am now seeing stones in my sleep and when I am awake.  They are going to get on my nerves; I can feel it.  This stony land, the total gigantic barrenness, is going to haunt me as a bad dream.”

Longyearbyen is surrounded by mountains, so residents don’t actually see the sun until March 8. However, the low light made for a beautiful place to enjoy the views and take some pictures. 

Gavin captured this great video of the arctic water lapping against the frozen beach.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOUL3m_bkX8]

Lizi is an avid birder, and we were on the lookout for the rock ptarmigan (the only bird that winters in Svalbard). We didn’t see it, but we did spot this northern fulmar.

And of course we took some arctic portraits.

In a surprising turn of events, I was able to meet up with a teammate from my high school swim team. She is an arctic researcher and spends a fair amount of time on Svalbard. She was there for the month teaching a class at the University.

Finally, I need to mention what is probably the most famous thing about Svalbard, the Global Seed Vault. It’s built deep into the side of a mountain as an attempt to ensure against the loss of seeds in other gene banks during large-scale regional or global crises. We weren’t allowed to tour it for obvious reasons, but we did catch a glimpse of it from the airport. Martha Stewart apparently toured it earlier in the month, so you’ll have to wait for her to write something about it if you want to know about the inside.

Svalbard is definitely one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been to. I’m still on a high from this trip even after being home for several days. I would strongly recommend it as a place to visit for anyone who ever gets the opportunity (you can only fly there from Oslo and Tromsø, in northern Norway).

Lizi, thanks so much for trusting us on this adventure! It was super special to be there with you.

Up Next: Gavin and Allison Fall Down: Dogsledding Edition (feat. Lizi)