Sandfjord
We approach that bittersweet moment when our trip beyond the North Cape nears its conclusion. What a trip it has been! We have seen the jagged peaks of Spitsbergen and the massive icecap of Nordaustlandet, the glacial face of Monacobreen and fog pouring off of the tall cliffs of Bear Island. We never knew that fog could be so beautiful! We have seen black guillemots and snow-white ivory gulls, the phantoms of the northern ice. We have seen blue ice, and purple saxifrage. We have tasted cloudberries on a Norwegian hillside, and smoked reindeer served by the Skoltesami in their tepee-like Lavu. We have seen reindeer, walrus, and polar bears. Oh yes; we have seen polar bears!
Early this morning we entered Sandfjord, in northernmost Norway. Could there possibly be one more rabbit in the expedition hat, one more chip in this incredible cookie of a trip? Some went off to kayak in solitude, absorbing the last moments. Others went off on Zodiac tours beneath towering cliffs. Some of us went ashore for a final walk over the fjell. There we were greeted by this inquisitive red fox, seemingly as interested in us as we were in him … or her, as the case may be. The time drew near to return to the ship, but a contingent of guests and staff insisted in one more experience … a dip in the ocean. Here at 71° 06’ N, about 320 miles north of the Arctic Circle, we made the Polar Plunge.
We approach that bittersweet moment when our trip beyond the North Cape nears its conclusion. What a trip it has been! We have seen the jagged peaks of Spitsbergen and the massive icecap of Nordaustlandet, the glacial face of Monacobreen and fog pouring off of the tall cliffs of Bear Island. We never knew that fog could be so beautiful! We have seen black guillemots and snow-white ivory gulls, the phantoms of the northern ice. We have seen blue ice, and purple saxifrage. We have tasted cloudberries on a Norwegian hillside, and smoked reindeer served by the Skoltesami in their tepee-like Lavu. We have seen reindeer, walrus, and polar bears. Oh yes; we have seen polar bears!
Early this morning we entered Sandfjord, in northernmost Norway. Could there possibly be one more rabbit in the expedition hat, one more chip in this incredible cookie of a trip? Some went off to kayak in solitude, absorbing the last moments. Others went off on Zodiac tours beneath towering cliffs. Some of us went ashore for a final walk over the fjell. There we were greeted by this inquisitive red fox, seemingly as interested in us as we were in him … or her, as the case may be. The time drew near to return to the ship, but a contingent of guests and staff insisted in one more experience … a dip in the ocean. Here at 71° 06’ N, about 320 miles north of the Arctic Circle, we made the Polar Plunge.
