The police raid on the local drug scene – which is not the world’s biggest one – was probably the biggest public excitement in August in Longyearbyen. They have to show every couple of years that drugs are not tolerated in such a small and remote community. This appears not to have been a great success this year, as they had to release those again who were initially taken in custody. But on the other hand, if you find out in the end that nothing much had happened (at least as far as you have evidence for), then it is not a bad thing either, is it?
As far as I am concerned, I continued around Svalbard on board Arctica II (“advanced Spitsbergen”; there is still, by the way, an empty seat on this (German speaking) trip in 2018). In that sense, August started in late July, as that’s when we left Longyearbyen again. And on the very same day we could venture for a lovely walk on Bohemanflya. Which is really not far away from Longyearbyen, but you have to have the right weather for a landing there, and we did!
Grave on Bohemanflya.
The weather continued to be fine for some time. I don’t know how many times I had sailed up and down the northern west coast of Spitsbergen, between Kongsfjord and Magdalenefjord, that bit of coast that is known as “Dei Sju Isfjella” (“the seven icebergs”) since the 17th century? And I had never been ashore on this exposed, wild coastline! Obviously a situation that could not be tolerated forever. In bright sunshine and amazingly calm seas, we went ashore in Kvedfjordbukta and enjoyed life there for a while, feeling that we might be the first people there in many years. And that may actually have been pretty close to the truth. A good feeling that we could enjoy yet another couple of times during this trip!
Kvedfjordbukta: rare opportunity for a landing there in perfect conditions.
This includes the amazing days in Lady Franklinfjord and – a geographic highlight in the truest sense of the word – the landing on Rossøya, the northernmost bit of land in the whole of Svalbard. Not that it is a very significant island beyond its furthest north position. But it is the northernmost one. That’s already more than good enough, isn’t it? 🙂
There is no land in Svalbard north of Rossøya.
Heinrich Eggenfellner is putting us ashore.
A walrus (dead) and a polar bear (very much alive) on Edgeøya.
Oh yes, and then we still managed to finish the Spitsbergen calendar 2018 in late August. We are getting better every year, even though it was not available in July, as I had been hoping for. But as you can see, we were not lazy in the book (& related) publishing department either!
This and other publishing products of the Spitsbergen publishing house in the Spitsbergen-Shop.
Norwegens arktischer Norden (1): Spitzbergen
Photobook: Norway's arctic islands. The text in this book is German. [shop url="https://shop.spitzbergen.de/en/polar-books/70-norwegens-arktischer-norden-1-aerial-arctic-9783937903262.html"] ← Back
Lofoten, Jan Mayen and Spitsbergen from the air - Photobook: Norway's arctic islands. The text in this book is German, but there is very little text, so I am sure that you will enjoy it regardless which languages you read (or not).
The companion book for the Svalbardhytter poster. The poster visualises the diversity of Spitsbergen‘s huts and their stories in a range of Arctic landscapes. The book tells the stories of the huts in three languages.
Comprehensive guidebook about Spitsbergen. Background (wildlife, plants, geology, history etc.), practical information including travelling seasons, how to travel, description of settlements, routes and regions.
Join an exciting journey with dog, skis and tent through the wintery wastes of East Greenland! We were five guys and a dog when we started in Ittoqqortoormiit, the northernmost one of two settlements on Greenland’s east coast.
12 postcards which come in a beautifully designed tray. Beautiful images from South Georgia across Antarctica from the Antarctic Peninsula to the Ross Sea and up to Macquarie Island and Campbell Island.