On the first morning of our expedition around Svalbard, during breakfast and morning briefings we had spectacular views of Smeerenburgbreen. After environmental and safety briefings, everyone was looking forward to the first expedition outing. Following lunch, we spent the afternoon around Fuglesongen Island.   Some guests navigated the challenging conditions on the beach to explore the island. We climbed the boulder beach and trekked around the island to a colony of little auks (Alle alle). All were amazed when thousands of the small birds took flight. Returning to the ship, the hikers exchanged hiking poles for paddles and went to the water to experience the bird colony from kayak level. Our afternoon outings were a great introduction to this wild and scenic landscape.