Even though the day started off foggy, the sky cleared and we were able to appreciate the whole glory of Reserchebreen Glacier.
We found out that we were not the only ones enjoying this scenery. Just two to three days ago, a polar bear, followed by an Arctic fox, had wandered around the same area, as tracks on the snow suggested.
But it was no surprise, as there was lots to see. From the former moraine of the glacier, we were able to appreciate the mysterious marble-like patterns and clear blue hues of the glacier wall. In a lagoon just in front of the glacier, we spotted around a hundred common eiders whose strange sounds followed us throughout the trip. In addition to eiders, we observed black guillemots playfully diving with their red feet paddling through the cold waters. Farther away, three ringed seals rested on the ice.
After a morning hike by the glacier front and a lovely lunch back on the ship, we headed out for another adventure. This time we landed on a snow-covered beach by Bamsebu, where we wandered around a trapper’s cabin established in the 1930s. During our stay in Bamsebu, we heard the constant singing of snow buntings. These small, migrating songbirds look a bit like sparrows. We kayaked in the afternoon, surrounded by the spectacular snowy Arctic mountain landscape. We hiked on slopes around the coast, observed from a distance by Svalbard reindeers.
