The sun may never set during our week in Svalbard, but it could quite easily be shrouded behind the low-lying cloud and fog so common around this island archipelago. Not today: This morning we drew our blackout blinds to witness a glistening seascape and mountainscape—the jagged peaks of Svalbard piercing into the blue skies above and the gentle seas of Storfjorden lapping the edges of the small icebergs we were sailing past.
The diorama surrounding us was only to improve as our ship National Geographic Explorer sailed towards the face of Negribreen Glacier. Located on the eastern coast of Spitsbergen (the largest island in the Svalbard archipelago) this glacier is an unmistakable vast expanse of ice stretching for many crevassed kilometers along the coastline. This morning the glacier was illuminated in varying shades of blue and many bird species including fulmars and kittiwakes were to be spotted feeding and bathing along its face.
We had to leave the Negribreen glacier and the large icebergs that had calved from its face in our wake—we had a destination to reach for our afternoon activities. Continuing our navigation through the calm and sunlit waters of the eastern coast of Spitsbergen we enjoyed another fascinating talk from our Global Perspectives guest speaker Dr. Joe MacInnis as well as an introduction to Lightroom from one of our photo instructors and naturalists Doug Gould.
Following our morning on board we had an afternoon of activities planned at a destination called Kvalågen. Spiked mountaintops with flat snow plains stretching out in front were our backdrop and for those who opted for the long hike this afternoon they certainly worked off their Argentinean beef steak lunch. For those less inspired to hike for kilometers across the Arctic snowfields there was a medium and a short hike on offer, too. Whether you chose to stroll along the coast or venture further, there was an exceptional view to be enjoyed by each and every one of us as well as some very refreshing cold Arctic air.
As we embarked Explorer reinvigorated by the fresh air and unique views, we settled into our evening on board and another superb dinner from the galley team and the opportunity for more spectacular Svalbard ship cruising throughout the night.
