The last day – Oslo

The last day of our trip starts little before 5 o’clock in the morning when bustling sounds of Gardemoen airport reaches our “cosy bedroom” in the corner of airport hall. Some of us preferred sleeping on ground, some on chairs, but all of us seemed to sleep quite well. During this trip I experienced my first sleeping in airport ever and have to say, to my surprise, it is possible to sleep in airport.
Early breakfast with sandwiches and little of coffee made using remains of hot water we got for free yesterday in Starbucks. They were very kind and filled our thermos for free even three times.

Our train to the Central station of Oslo departs at 7:03. Agnese says she has heard that train tickets can be used in other transport means, too. Lady who checks tickets in train confirms it is true and very kindly puts a time stamp on our tickets 08:00 thereby giving us time till 9 o’clock for using the same tickets and saving a good amount of money for us. In the station we put all our big bags and 3 suitcases in the luggage room. There are different sizes of luggage boxes and the biggest one (70NOK/24h) was big enough for luggage of six people.

After that we start our Oslo sightseeing plan. We go to metro or so called Oslo T-bane and take a train till the Majorstuen station. From there to the first point in our schedule – Frogner park is only some ten minutes by foot away. Park is mostly known by the famous Vigeland sculpture installation created by Gustav Vigeland in the first half of the last century. We’re having a nice slow walk along the east-west axis of park followed by men, women and children sculptures all together looking to me like a laud to human beings. Officially the overall theme of the park is Man’s journey from the cradle to the grave.

Oslo Royal palace

Oslo Royal palace

Metro seems to be the most convenient transport for us today, so we go back to the same metro station and take a train to the very center of Oslo – till Nationaltheateret station. We walk around the center streets enjoying buildings of Old University, Palace and modern and old ships in Oslofjord. As me and Everita already had been in Oslo we decide to walk directly to the Central station while others stay to see Akershus Fortress and uses a chance to walk on the roof of Oslo Opera House.

After our short Oslo sightseeing it is time to go to the Rygge airport to start the last part of this trip. It’s 49 minutes in train and 10-15 minutes in bus and we’re already there. Enough time for lunch, trying to finish with our food left-overs, repacking of our suitcases to fit their weight in Rynair’s 15 kg, a little inconvenience for me and Agnese on safety check (put the cheese in the checked-in baggage we are later said) and in a while our plane’s taken-off. Flight is quite calm and pretty short and in an hour and half we land in Riga airport. Most of us have some greeters come to take us home, so after short farewells we part.

And that’s the end of the story?
Absolutely not. So many beautiful memories and new impressions can’t be kept inside. Just in a couple of days there will be a story about our trip told in the monthly meeting of Latvian Astronomical Society and probably some article in the popular science periodical “Zvaigžņotā debess” .
As for me personally I have to say this jorney was full of new experiences – from human attitude to nature and to each other to some activities I did first time in my life (snow mobiles, dog sledges). And that so unusual feeling when you wake up in the morning and the first thing your eyes see through the window are white mountain peaks in the whiteness that surrounds everything.

THE day

As I first open my eyes in the morning of the eclipse day, I look out of the window. The sky is mostly clear, with thin layer of clouds in some parts. The weather looks hopeful. But, as we have learned this previous week, it can change in short time.

Clear sky

Clear sky

This is our last day in Svalbard. Everyone is packing slowly, but it somehow turns out everyone is ready well before planned time to leave for eclipse observation spot. Some of us still need to visit the post office to send postcards with the special total eclipse stamps that are available only on the eclipse day.

Our free sledge (Arctic version of free city bicycles) that we had so much fun in last couple of days are gone. As we race down the hill on our foot with Agnese, I remember Tommy, traveler, dog-racer and owner of “Traveling Huskies” who told us how to drive the dog sledge. The central leash of dog-team needs to be under tension at all times not to harm the dogs. And it always was, as the dogs were eager to run forwards.
Our imaginary leash this morning is under tension as well. The aim is close. The bags are packed. The eclipse watching spot selected. Go!

View from our eclipse place

View from our eclipse place

We have selected a spot between the local church and sun-dial. Both of them, of course, the “northern-most” ones. As we have checked before, the church is very friendly and some of us use it from time to time to warm up during the eclipse hours in -18 degree cold. Norwegian flag is being raised near church. Yes, this small northern community can be proud of themselves!

It is some twenty minutes before the beginning of the eclipse and we are watching the games shadows are playing. The situation changes from day to day as each day is ~20 minutes longer at this time, however the sun is still low over the horizon. Well, the imaginary horizon, because you need to take into account the geometry of mountains. We end up following the visible area between shadows of two mountains during the eclipse.

Everything is set. Partial phase of eclipse is well underway. We are here. I am here. Everything that needed and could be done- is done. The weather is perfect. The time till Totality remains. I am standing there, observing how inevitably, in speed of Earth and Moon, my childhood dream comes true.

Totality is indescribable. I could tell you about the Corona and protuberances. I could tell you about visible Venus and stars during midday. About diamond ring and sun rays that shine through the mountains on Moon. I could even show you photos (Anders took some really cool ones)! But it will not convey what i felt and experienced.

Totality is just as indescribable, as a new unknown spice. You just don`t have words for that particular taste and the ones you have- they are just not enough. A spice, that is available roughly only each 18 month. Provided that the shadow of Moon actually crosses some land, not just oceans. Provided that you can travel to that narrow patch where it can be tasted. Provided that the weather is good.

I thought the last sentence was pretty good ending of this blog. But on our flight from Svalbard to Oslo, I finished an introductory book on satellites and from tens of unread books on my kindle, I chose a new one. The Happiness of Pursuit by Shimon Edelman- human and machine cognition professor at Cornell University. The same university Daina Taimiņa is teaching on hyperbolic planes, part of non-Euclidian geometry, another of my interests.

As I was reading the first chapter, a quote struck me unexpectedly like a lightning. A quote from “Monday starts on Saturday” by brothers Strugatski- same authors I referenced in my Day 1 blog. What were the chances.

The circle is now complete. The Diamond ring. With a new path forking off.
Author: Sandy kil at ru.wikipedia

Author of the diamond ring picture: Sandy kil at ru.wikipedia

Day 8 – The free day. Part 2

[… continued …]

Reindeer

Reindeer

The three of us follow the road further. Only footmarks and tracks of snowmobiles are visible on the road. The old road goes along the flat top of a steep hill, and the new road goes a couple of meters above the sea level. In the middle there is the old trolly line. The weather is fine, sunny, there is no wind, only quite a frost. On our way we meet several of the Svalbard’s distinctive reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus)

After some time the airport is visible, and we are heading uphill. On our way a big bus passes us and it is soon followed by a minivan which stops and we are asked if we’re fine and where we are going without a guide. the woman reminds us that it is not the best idea to wander around ourselves, but also says that there haven’t been any polar bears seen in this area. We continue our journey, soon the entrance of the seed vault is visible, and Juris is already excited. Juris goes straight to the door, me and Agnese go along the road and stop at the sign “Svalbard Global Seed Vault”.

Seed vault

Seed vault

We are there now, the entrance is a big concrete building with steel door at the top of which there are many triangle-shaped tablets made out of bright metal and at the front of which there is a short metal grid bridge. We drink some tea, eat some sandwiches and head back to the town. We meet on the way the same reindeer, this time they are crossing the road. A bit further on we find another Geocache which surprised me with its originality. It was not hard to find as it was hanging in a ceramic bowl, and I marveled that it was still intact.

We get back to the trolly sorting station, and the kicksled are still here. Agnese sat down and we were sliding down the hill. I have not managed to learn to control them as well as some other guys. They are as a chair on rails which are extended backwards, on which one is standing and controlling the sledge. At the junction we switch places, but Juris meanwhile crossed the slope straight across the snow and soon was at the bottom of the hill. Me and Agnese pick up the speed. The road has a bend which was driven along perfectly by her, and behind us a car followed with a normal speed. That was such an experience!

On our way we stop by the same store to use the internet. The post cards here are cheaper than in the post office – 7NOK. In addition I eye some souvenirs and playing cards for my collection. Soon after that we are back home where we will be staying the last night. Some are already home, some others still out.

We find out from Anders that a polar bear has attacked Czech tourists. Later we find out a more precise information from Maija. In the morning the polar bear had looked inside a tent, taken one guy by its hand and dragged outside. Everyone had been surprised as the scaring device around the tent had not worked. They had shot with a revolver (as far as I understand they didn’t have a guide), but that only could injure the bear. The polar bear had run away and later people were following its tracks to kill it as an injured bear is dangerous. Since the new scaring devices are not always working, those who still have the old Norwegian army scaring devices which are no longer produced, keep them as treasure as those are said to be very reliable. Also the university is looking for better alternatives for such cases but so far they have not succeeded.

Lecture

Lecture

Juris is preparing to go to a museum and eats lunch before us. We are preparing our food and later will go to the same (university) building to attend a lecture about the Solar eclipse. On our way we meet Alīna and Edgars, who are coming from their guesthouse. Soon we are there. Also here we need to take off our shoes at the entrance, and then inside one can walk around in socks or slippers. The building itself is big and spacious. The auditory is already crowded, some have been timely to take the seats, some are looking for a place along the sides. We were warned that it’s not allowed to sit on the side-stairs due to fire safety rules. Then we find a place at the very front on the floor and find out that the 2 empty seats are free, so we quickly occupy those. From the middle I am passed my camcorder which I had given them from the side to film the lecture. Since I am in the front now, I will film everything from the front so that the talks get recorded better.

The following topics are looked at in the lecture: The safety measures for observing the Sun, how to observe it, how to use the eclipse glasses; which camera setup to use at certain eclipse moments; The structure of the Sun and the principles of its activity. We also found out about the Sun spots, magnetic storms and how the auroras originate. As one of the lecturers said, the greatest dream would be to see the total Solar eclipse here and an around an aurora. The lecture was cool, after it there was a time for questions and answers to them. At the reception there are eclipse glasses which we can get for free.

We head home and find another kicksled, and are pushing it to home as well so that it would be easier to move the bags in the morning. Kristīne un Everita have decided to go to sauna which is located close to our home.

Meanwhile I have firmly decided to photograph stars tonight and to try to catch the Iridium satellites which will fly over shortly before 2am, one soon after the other. At the same time maybe it will be possible to take a photo of aurora. Also others are interested, but they are going to sleep and asking to be woken up if the sky will be clear.

Before 2am Agnese decided to go outside to take a look, and came back with bad news that nothing is visible above. A shame, have to leave out photographing of Svalbard’s sky, but it is likely that I’ll come here again some day. Then we go to sleep, after all the greatest event of this trip which we came here for – the total Solar eclipse -, is happening in the morning! We hope for the best weather and that no clouds will interfere with viewing this phenomenon.
Good night!

Day 8 – The free day. Part 1

19.03.2015
The first morning in the new home. Juris quietly wakes me up and bit by bit we start to get ready for going to the seed vault. While we’re heating water and preparing breakfast the others are waking up one by one.

Also Maija who is hosting us, is up. We talk about many things, then I ask her whether she has seen a polar bear at all -? She replied affirmative and told that she had faced one in summer – some weeks after starting the studies here. They had gone to camp in groups outside the town as part of the studies and the polar bear had woken them up in the morning by starting the alarm system. But that didn’t scare the polar bear, and it continued to search for food. The had fired a flare gun which doesn’t hurt the bears, just to scare them off, but that hadn’t helped and it had continued with scavenging and eating. As a result they had fired 17 of the flare guns! Soon the helicopter appeared which they had called out and that finally scared of the polar bear who run away. Everyone got through unharmed but with a big shock and experience. It had been very serious but now it’s possible to tell with a smile on. She said that some people who have been living here for a long time haven’t seen any polar bear, some spot one occasionally, and others meet one soon after arriving here. To see a polar bear is a rare happening and to get attacked by one is even rared.

Me, Agnese and Juris are preparing for a long walk to the seed vault along the old road which is accessible to snowmobiles and pedestrians (armed as it’s outside the town). Anders will also come with us till some moment and then will leave for his own errands in the town. Also the others have their own plans. Some are walking in the town, some are resting – this is the free day, so everyone can do whatever they want.

We will visit the post and the supermarket before going to the seed vault as it has a free wifi. Using the internet Agnese does the things she wants to do in time and Juris is also using the opportunity. Meanwhile I browse the shops. I’m curious on what is on offer here for an active lifestyle. While exploring the shop I concluded that here is almost everything that would be needed to be in winter freeze and summer. Diverse equipment is available starting from cutlery to mountaineering. The clothes are offered in a good variety. There is also Hero Go pro camera and its accessories. If one doesn’t have special requests, one can come here without almost anything and come here to shop, but there is one “but” – the price. The price is as in Norway, but there is also a positive side to it – there are no taxes included in the price since there are no taxes here. If one has a lot of money, it is possible to go on shopping spree. It is more complicated with the alcoholic drinks as you can only buy a limited amount. If you have arrived by plane, you can present your ticket to buy some, but the locals are given a special card to mark how much you have bought.

Agnese finished to use the internet and I to browse the shops. We are going to the post and find out the prices for the post cards. Tomorrow they are issuing a special stamp in honour of the Solar eclipse. The stamp will cost 20NOK.

The northern-most sundial

The northern-most sundial

The four of us are going to the seed vault and pushing the acquired kicksled. We cross a bridge and go to see the sundial which is the northern-most and showing time the entire day when it’s the midnight sun here. The time of the sundial matches that of the mobile phone. We sign in the guest book, take many pictures of the sundial and check on how it is here with the shadow of the mountain and where we should observe the eclipse. We concluded that the place is good and it should be possible to see the eclipse between two mountains.

We are heading for the old road and see an old snow bulldozer as well as a cable trolly which has been put out for public to see. Soon we notice on a wall of a building something familiar from one of the previous eclipse trips – an Australian road sign with a kangaroo! It’s not so hot here, however, and there are no kangaroos either.

Cable trollies

Cable trollies

Then we stop at the old sorting place of the cable trollies which come from four directions and the old stanchions are still standing in their places. That’s the history of mining that is kept here as historical heritage, and the old houses are not allowed to be pulled down either. A part of the sections with cables and trolleys is preserved. There is also a GeoCache here. For some time we are looking for it by the description where it should be located, but soon after we find it a bit further away. Meanwhile Anders takes photos. He is not coming further and will go back to the town.
[… to be continued…]

Day 7 – Dog sledging with dogs that went to the North Pole

18.03.2015
I believe everyone of us has seen those advertisements of an ideal holiday and vacation places with sea, palms and sandy beaches, hot weather and lazy mornings. Well, you may not believe me, but those ads are lying. The ideal place to spend your vacations is covered with snow and ice, it has no trees (definitely – no palms) and no sandy seaside for getting suntan, but don’t worry, you can get some frostbite instead… You cannot go easily where you want, as the polar bears, the kings of Arctic, may become interested in you, which may result in rising up your adrenaline levels…
Let’s call this place Svalbard!

I am one of those lucky people, who are there in Svalbard for the sixth day already, engaging in many types of activities this wonderful place has to offer. Today we will experience dog sledging, visit an ice cave and have a special dinner in a local restaurant. I am really looking forward for it all!

Morning

Morning

But let’s follow the natural order of things and start the day with a daily running!
So, we woke up at about 7 o’clock and went out running our daily 5K. The weather was nice, about -13C degrees, almost no wind, no snowing. (Would you believe anyone in Latvia, who’d told you, that it is -13C and nice weather? I wouldn’t!)

After the run we got breakfast. I overate as usually. We had some chat with some “guesthouse friends” which we’ve already made there, and we were ready to go for our today’s adventures!

Our today’s guides Tommy and Laura picked us up nearby the guesthouse and took us to the Tommy’s house, where we got on some warmer clothes, snow costumes and mittens with ropes (for not losing one), like in my childhood! I have to admit that Tommy’s house looked kind of wonderful (and I am not telling this just because there is “huskies’ farm” right nearby). The house is some kilometers away from the city, it is located in beautiful place with nice view around. It has many cosy wooden furniture items, which looked really nice. The bookshelves were pretty eye-catchy for me, as they were full with adventure literature about Arctic, North, huskies, expeditions etc. The house is like North version of eco-house. But it is a different story already.

Let me say at least few more words about Tommy himself, as it turned out that we were lucky to go dog sledging with a legendary person and his very special dogs. Tommy has not only ridden through Alaska with huskies, but also has reached the North Pole. His kids continue his hobby as well and have already great success in junior competitions.

The dogs are preparing for a trip

The dogs are preparing for a trip

Well, back to our story. So, after getting on some warm clothes, we met the wonderful dogs, which would take us to an inspiring journey through the white Arctic scenery. We helped Tommy and his assistant Laura to attach the dogs to the sledges. The dogs were really friendly, but each with a different character.

We made four teams and started to ride. Shortly after the start our (my and Edgar’s) team decided that we have to keep the tradition of falling over, so it is better to do it in the very beginning to take pressure off of our further journey. The plan went out well, so the remaining 99% of our trip we were going just fine.

The white wonderland

The white wonderland

We sledged through the white, beautiful hilly valleys, observing the greatness of Arctic nature and appreciating the stamina and strength of the dogs. Sledging with dogs were completely different of snowmobiles and hiking, as it has such a peace and strength of nature in it, making it kind of meditative process. Of course, it didn’t keep my fingers from freezing and my mind from thinking of falling out of the sledge. Still, I really enjoyed the ride.

What’s interesting, you can see the dogs’ characters even when riding. One of our team’s dogs was a bit like a bully, trying to bite leash or a back of the other dog running next to him. The other one was so strong that it looked like he could pull our sledge just by himself.

Riding further the teams switched, so me and Edgars got together on team with Tommy. I got to stand behind and push on uphills. That is the part, where you get your fingers really warm again. While riding, Tommy told me about the dogs, their characters and strength.

We made a pause nearby the ice cave, which is formed in frozen river. It was such a calm, quiet and peaceful place down there, with sparkling icicles and ice layers, which reveal some mysteries of the past years.
After crawling out of this sparkling adventure we had lunch sitting all together in a plateau, watching dogs and hills all around us and listening to Tommy’s stories.

On the way back I and Edgars were on a team with Laura. There were many descents, so Edgars and Laura got to operate the break, while I was sitting in the sledge and calculating possibilities of falling over. It was such luck we’ve ready completed this task earlier today. So the way back was just great.

Going down through the valleys, watching rhythmical dog movement in front of us and snowy peaks all around the trail, the time flew by, and soon we already approached the Tommy’s home again.
We helped getting the dogs in their places. It looked like they were in a great mood after the ride. After we got out of our snow costumes, we hurried back to the town, as we still had great plans for this evening.

The majority of our team had to quickly change the place they were staying at (as the eclipse time is very busy for the Longyearbyen’s hotels and guest houses). I was lucky enough to stay all my days there in one guest house, which felt like home already.
Still, I had to hurry to get to the fancy restaurant in the city centre in time. I put on my best (and only) big white handmade woolen jumper (thanks, Mom!) and my prettiest (and only) snow pants, and matching earrings (of course!), and I was ready for the beautiful evening.

Dinner in a posh place

Dinner in a posh place


The restaurant were located some kilometers from our guest house, which could take us about half an hour, but it took us much more, as we met all together on our way there and decided to get lost a bit. Who could imagine that right after those industrial hangars there is a romantic block with a beautiful restaurant and guest house? We were happy to finally get in a warm place, furthermore, it looked really cosy and fancy at the same time. Unfortunately we discovered that the eclipse time has brought different prices to this place, not the ones we were expecting, but I believe it happened to many places there. As some of us were already starving (and as we all know, we can’t be choosy and picky in a survival situations), we decided to stay. And it was worth it, as from my side I can assure you that the vegetarian dish was really delicious. The non-vegetarians decided to have seal and whale stakes, whose taste will remain a mystery to me. We had some nice chat, and Juris gave us a wonderful speech. We concluded the evening with Anders’s story about adventures of the previous day, which were our tradition before I broke it a day later.

On a way back some of us enjoyed winter fun by sledging up and down the hilly road home. Nice surrounding, good company, physical activities and a touch of wine works really well for having great time! :)

I fell asleep immediately after getting under the blanket and dreamt about our next day in a white wonderland.

Day 6 – A Beer in Barentsburg

17.03.2015
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I don’t know who said it, and he or she was probably paid by some producer of breakfast cereal, but I think it’s true. This morning the restaurant was more or less packed with people. With more and more tourists arriving for the eclipse this is to be expected, and when the weather promises to be excellent for outdoor activities everyone wants to get going early.

Today we were going to Barentsburg on snowmobiles. With a temperature of -13, clear skies and light winds, the conditions were ideal. The sun was shining on the mountaintops. We set off over Longyearbreen where we were walking three days ago, coming down from Sarkofagen. Our guide, Tobbe, lead the way and everybody followed in line. Today’s route was a little more technical than the one to Tempelfjorden. Both driver and passenger would have to use their bodyweight somewhat to steady the vehicle when going perpendicular to the slope.

After a lovely drive of maybe two hours through U-shaped valleys and over glaciers and frozen rivers, we cruised into the Russian town of Barentsburg. In large parts owned by a Russian state-run mining company, this is the main Russian settlement in Svalbard. We parked right next to the new brewery and I thought it might be a good idea to test this local brew. Me, Rūdolfs and Alīna went to the bar while the others waited in the hallway. They had three kinds of beer, Belgian blonde, amber and dark. For 15 NOK I bought a 33 cl glass of blonde and we all shared this and also got some small samples of the other kinds of beer. They were all only 2,5% alcohol. For light beers they were quite allright!

Next, we took a walk around the town, our guide pointing out different buildings. Some were from the soviet era, some were newer, all looked completely different from the ones in Longyearbyen. The school was painted with pictures of animals, buildings and historical figures. There was a sculpture of Lenin in a park and behind it a big sign that read “Our aim is communism”.

On the way back we stopped for lunch beside a pingo mostly covered in snow and ice. There was a small hut built on top of it. Pingos consists of ice covered in earth and can form when there is a steady supply of groundwater that may freeze and lift the above earth layer. I was happy to have the opportunity to climb it and have a walk around on top of it.

For the last part back to Longyearbyen we took a different route through some narrow passages. At one point you really had to shift your weight to one side while going up an incline. Unfortunately, Edgars and Alina weren’t able to counter the sideways slope and rolled over. Both escaped this incident without injuries though.

Safely back in Nybyen (the furthest part of the Longyearbyen town where our guesthouse was), Juris and Agnese rushed away to a free lecture about the sun and the northern lights held at the university. When they came back they had brought two kicksleds. Apparently they were provided by the city and free to use by anybody. Juris an Kristine were soon out on the nearby road, trying one of them out. Me and Rudolf joined them in just a while. I had a few downhill races against both Juris an Rudolf and in my opinion I was clearly the winner. Except maybe one time when I forgot to shift my bodyweight and rolled over!

Day 5. The mountain, the cave and the canyon.

16.03.2015
The morning started similarly to the last 2 ones – with guys leaving the guesthouse at about 7:15am to eat breakfast in the building across the street and ladies following them at around 7:45am. It is worth to get up that early even when the trip of the day starts at 10am – the sooner after 7am you go, the more food choices for the breakfast you have.

At 10am Katja is looking for all the hikers. There will be 7 of eclipse-tour team and 2 other people from the guesthouse next doors. But she only manages to find one of them – we will later learn that the other one has not arrived yet due to plane not flying in last nights’ storm.

Today we will have 2 four-pawed companions as the lady who is joining us is taking her dog Santos along. And Katja’s dog Miro is coming as well, of course. We pick up a flask with hot water for each of us and choose a type of “space” food for the lunch on the hill. Our guys were nice enough to put the girl’s flasks in their bags as well. :)

We start the same way as 2 days ago – across a frozen river, up a hill, only to learn that we will need to do that once again because Kristīne has decided to turn back for health reasons and we need to escort her back to the polar-bear safe area within town’s boundaries. We are fine as our guide has a rifle, but Kristīne obviously doesn’t have one.

Meanwhile I had found a brilliant technique to get up the hill – just need to look down all the time (easy with hood covering the sides) and imagine that it is flat. All the strength needed to move the feet would come (in my imaginary world) from lifting the foot with the snowshoe out of the snow. This worked the best when there was somebody walking in front of me as then it was even easier to disregard the slope because of the embossed footprints.

We went higher and higher, and the view backwards got better and better. On the contrary to our first hiking day now there was no fog and no snow falling. After a brief time of walking over some rather flat snow field at the top of one hill we arrived at a steeper slope. At the top of that we could see the natural stone construction which gives the name to this mountain – Trollsteinen. At this point the wind had picked up and it got harder to walk up. The higher we got, the stronger was the wind blowing. During the strongest gusts all we could do was to stay with our backs against the wind and support ourselves with the walking poles. We got to a place where the ridge narrowed and decided to turn back. It would not be safe or smart to continue in this wind and some of us had started to get cold.

The walking down was much faster but not much easier due to the steepness of the slope. Only Alīna and Edgars seemed to not notice the decline and were going arm in arm like a married couple on a very casual walk. At one point I decided that going down on one’s bottom should be much faster. I figured out how to not let the spikes of the snowshoes touch the ground and soon had caught up with everyone. Unfortunately I hadn’t fastened my gaiters before that and got some unwanted and cold snow in the boots.

Then we arrived at two red poles which marked an entrance into an ice cave. Katja shoveled of a layer of snow from the covering board and soon we were one by one sliding in a hole. Nobody except Katja knew how deep it is and whether it’s possible to get out again. A few metres down and we were in a narrow but long cave with ice walls. A good place for lunch – the “space” lunch from pouches again.

After the lunch Katja decided on a different route down. We went inside a small canyon, an amazingly beautiful one. I wanted to take pictures every time I went around a corner. The canyon alone would have been worth a climb up! Some skiers were going down as well, worked much faster for them.

Some more oh-s and ah-s in the canyon and then we’re back home. Dinner, the daily presentation (reading out loud) of the yesterday’s story, some games of Uno and the day is well lived.

Day 4 – the whiteout and the blackout

15.03.2015
The morning is overcast, with strong wind about 14m/s. The travellers at a well set breakfast table are rather quiet, maybe they all are hoping silently that the weather will improve, and the day will be nice and sunny.

The plan for the day is to go by snowmobiles to Tempelfjorden. Before the trip the Arctic Adventures company gives us detailed safety instructions, dresses us up in special suits and boots. Of course the helmet, the goggles and the gloves are provided. A short instruction on how to drive a snowmobile and … let’s go … :) The journey has started. At the beginning everyone very cautiously tries out the accelerator, then the brake, and in a couple of minutes woohoo … the pedal to the metal as much as that’s possible when going in a line one after the other.

We start the drive to Tempelfjorden. On the way we stop several times and take some photos and videos. The drivers switch and the relaxing/chill-out has started. That’s because when driving the snowmobile you concentrate on the road but when sitting at the back you can enjoy the nature by observing the leisurely reindeer.

One of the stops was at a frozen waterfall. Cool. Turns out we have driven on a frozen river rather than it seemed to me – along a valley between hills! When Tempelfjorden has been reached a wonderful view to Tuna and Von Post glaciers and the bay can be seen. We don’t see any seals or bears, but the view is nevertheless lovely.

We stop for the lunch in Fredheim where Hilmar Nous spent 26 out of his 38 winters in Svalbard. It is also possible to see the only ship hotel which is frozen in the ice – Noordenlicht. The lunch is rather tasty taking into account that it’s in a pouch, and require addition of water, something similar to Rollton instant noodles!

Us on snowmobiles

Us on snowmobiles

When we have eaten and drank some tea or syrup-water which is very popular here, we leave for the return trip. The wind is already much stronger, the snow is falling thoroughly and it is blown right into our faces. At some moments it is not even possible to see anything. Every minute I need to clean the snow from my goggles to be able to see the lights of the snowmobile driving in front of us and it would be possible to see where I should drive. With the other hand I need to hold the straight course and the accelerator! We cannot lag behind the snowmobile driving in front of us as then you can be left alone who knows where, as everything around is white and it is not possible to understand where the ground ends and the sky starts!

Approaching the town of Longyearbyen the blizzard calms down but instead it starts raining as the temperature is above zero. Where it was not possible to suspect a river in the morning, now the water already starts to accumulate in some places.

We have successfully finished the route of today. But do you think that the adventures of today have finished?! No! While preparing dinner in the evening (it will be vegetarian dinner this time, pasta with cheese), we notice that the wind is whistling behind the window. And then suddenly, puff – there is no electricity! A silence; the first idea – the fuses have been blown out as there were several kettles on. But no, turns out there is no electricity in the entire village! We find different torches, which happen to be taken along by some of us, we turn them on, pour the hot water in flasks, we also pour the cold water in some empty bottles as we realise that the water is not being renewed in the tap.

We are sitting around the table and playing the board game Uno. From time to time somebody tells some black joke, like about the last text message which we could send since the phones also will stop working soon. From time to time someone goes to get something warmer to put on as the warmth gets blown out of the house gradually. Whoops, the electricity is back for a moment, everyone is happy, but that’s just for a moment…

It’s quite late, somebody is rumouring that this is not a normal situation and, if the electricity won’t be renewed for too long, we will need to evacuate the island! Hmm… just it’s not really clear in which way as in this wind (around 24m/s excluding gusts and blizzard) it cannot be believed that any plane will lift off! But we are calm and a we have a thought of a brighter tomorrow, so we go to sleep with woollen socks on as that’s safer! :)
Will see what tomorrow will bring!

Day 3 – Mountains attempt to take their part

14.03.2015
The day started just like the last 858 days of my life – with a run. And yet this turned out to be very different day indeed. The first full day here in Longyearbyen! The post office happens to be located 2.4 km from our living quarters – ideal for running down to it to send a postcard to my sister back home in Valmiera and then running back uphill to collect the so necessary five kilometers – minimal amount per day set for us by Alina. The weather is really nice today – sunny and without wind. This naturally means the default running outfit for me – just a T-shirt and shorts. I don’t know the temperature, but since my ears started to get cold in the way back, I estimate it to be slightly colder than, say, -5°.

First full day comes with the first breakfast offered by the guesthouse. I was a bit worried about whether there will be also something edible or just toasters with jam and chocolate, serials and other poisonous food. No worries, my dear reader – there were plenty of real food available including but not limited to two kinds of cheese and four kinds of meat, as well as some cucumbers and even pate.

9 o’clock and we are ready to go! Today we are expecting a hike outside the city over some minor mountains. It is said to be over in 5-6 hours, so a half-day trip. We are provided by the necessary equipment – snowshoes, walking poles and windproof gloves if needed – and we are to be guided by two official guides – the main guide Katja, originally from Germany, and her helper Luise. Katja also carries a rifle in case of polar bear attack, which happens quite rarely in this area, but the probability of encountering the king of Arctic is certainly not equal to zero (and, of course, also not negative, as you may remember from your math lectures). Our guides are assisted by the most inspiring member of our little team, who hiked all the way completely barefoot and also without any other clothing than that of his own fur. The dog even enjoyed laying back in snow and waiting for us, other members, now and then.

View to Longyearbyen

View to Longyearbyen

10 o’clock and off we go! We are heading the big mountains very near the guesthouse of ours. Walking in snowshoes is quite easy, although this is the first such experience for me. Snowshoes provide extra surface area for us not to sink deeply in loose snow, as well as a protection from slipping down the cliff because of their spikes. Soon enough we have reached the foot of the mountain and start to incline a bit. Let me just run a bit ahead of the story by stating that the hike was spectacular. It was just perfect and certainly one of my most memorable hikes I have ever done! Although our pace was really slow and we made breaks really often, the magnificent views around us made me think of what an amazing adventure I am in.

Katja had explained before that the weather can change quite a bit rapidly in winter, and we noticed some changes right away. The morning sun had left us alone, and wind had appeared instead. As we progressed more towards the peak of the mountain, wind gathered in force and sometimes blew really hard. I was happy to be part of it all and to feel the raw strength of nature. It was not cold, however, because of several layers of clothing, only my fingers started to get cold now and then, but it was a quite easy-to-solve problem by just swinging the arms sparingly to induce better blood flow to fingertips.

At one point it was stated that we are now on a glacier – also the first time in my life. Yeah, today is the day of many first times, and I think not just for me. I think the name of this glacier was Larsbreen, which means in Norwegian the Lars Glacier (but I may be wrong, don’t put all your money on this). Then there was a second glacier towards the end of the hike – Longyearbreen. Between the glaciers we reached the highest point of the trip – the Sarkofagen mountain ridge. The weather on the ridge was really windy and thus quite cold (particularly, if you want to take some pictures with your touchscreen, which requires removing your glove). It was also snowing a bit, so the panorama around us was quite dim, but something was seen anyway, and that was really beautiful – the mountains were (and still is) majestic and looks even a bit surreal covered in snow and ice. The peak was a bit more than 500 meters above sea level, so we had ascended by some 450 meters or so.

Then there was a tea (or coffee, or water and some cookies, or a strange syrup) break a bit lower from the ridge, where there was a bit less windy, and then the final stretch back to the civilization. Outside the civilization we met only a couple of other groups, smaller than ours, and one solo traveller, as well as we got lucky to observe some reindeer from a distance. Our furry colleague was always first to notice the presence of reindeer sniffing the air towards them and wanting to catch some, and Katja tried to convince him (although unsuccessfully) that this is not his dinner.

On the way back Agnese offered a more fun way of getting down the slopes by laying on your back and being pulled head first by two people pulling by your walking poles. Where is fun, comes a sorrow, and this was a place I left my mobile phone by letting it accidentally slip out of my pocked. I noticed it only at the end of our journey, so what to do – mountains, however much inspiration they give, also take their part back. Like everybody of us – they give and they take, and you are not always allowed to choose, what is given and what is taken. It was a clear sign for me that I must reconsider the role of stuff and things in my life – maybe I still own too much. I must, however, mention that after the discovery of the loss Katja and Alina went back by a snowmobile to this place, where I was pulled, and found my phone already covered with an icy skin, but still working. This is, however, a different story that does not go well together with my version of giving and taking, so this is not a part of today’s tale.

The journey is now ended, but the day is still on. Alina and Juris walked down to the city centre to see the church, while the rest of us rested at home. The rest of us rested – what a word play! But also other parts of this story were actually described with inaccurate words. The mountain we hiked was actually just a small hill, the big journey was actually just a small walk (we covered only 8.5 km in just over four hours), and the home we rested at was just a cozy guesthouse. But this is the life – when you are placed in a so different environment from usual, everything seems unnaturally amazing!

Day 2 – The arrival day

Those 7 of us who came to Oslo last night spent it in the Gardemoen airport which is claimed to be one of the top 10 European airports for sleeping. There were several options ranging from the floor to nice-looking cushioned stools in one of the cafes. However, the cafe area appeared rather busy and it would take long time to wait till everyone has left. So we went for some shorter space along 3 seats in a row of chairs on the 2nd floor for 3 of us, and a quiet corner on floor for the other 4. I opted for the chairs and spent a very peaceful and not at all uncomfortable night,

On the other side of security control it turned out that Longyerbyen flights are on the international schedule rather than the domestic. I believe that might be because Svalbard is not part of Schengen zone while Norway itself is.
We met Anders at the gate. Some (unsuccessful) attempts to fix the map on the homepage and I had to leave the internet behind. That’s not too bad as we were supposed to have wifi when airborne! We are flying Norwegian airlines after all, and they have free wifi on board. Except that the wifi experience this time was not the best. It took a long time to open google, and it was impossible to open gmail. Some Norwegian newspaper webpages worked better, however. So no success with the map again.

We landed a couple of hours later in a snowy place next to a body of water, Longyearbyen. The mountains are not comparable to Alps, but so close to the sea they are still impressive. To get a better first impression 5 of us had decided to walk from the airport to the guesthouse. The others would go by bus (75 NOK) and take all the suitcases and large backpacks with them. The walk to the town centre is 4.5km, and to our guesthouse it’s 7km in total, so not impossible at all. Technically there’s a risk of polar bears between the airport and the boundary of the city (first 3km), but the risk of being hit by a car is in fact greater, so we didn’t worry about that much.

Polar bear sign

Polar bear sign

Jeans were perhaps not the best piece of clothing to wear for the walk as we had a head-wind and we were longing for some skiing-trousers which had gone along with the suitcases by the bus. On the positive side, we saw some reindeer and enjoyed the walk in other ways. We were not the first ones to reach the “Polar bears around” road sign, so our sticker was only about the 10th on that road-sign pole. But we have now marked our presence :)

We are living in 2 guesthouses which are located next to each other. Ours was said to have one public pc with internet connection. That sounded as a great potential for wifi to me, so I had taken a router with me to try to set it up. In the real life there had been some improvements and there were wifi routers in our building. Unfortunately having a router and having a wifi are two different things, as it wasn’t working. After some educational exploring we attached the power cable from my router to theirs and got the wifi signal. Later on when talking to the receptionist, we found out that this access point has been the previous wifi they have had and now they have a new system to connect to if we want internet. With one bar signal strength out of five in our building on good times that was not really usable, however, and the fact that they are supposedly working on improvements didn’t help either. So we were happy to use their old one without them noticing.

The guesthouses are nice. Both of them are very clean and warm. There’s a kitchen with all the pots, pans, plates and cutlery, a fridge, an oven and a stove and even a dishwasher. Thus we have a very good setup to prepare our own food which we have brought with us from Riga. However, just before the dinner there’s some fun going on outside – a snowmobile jumping show was a part of a restaurant opening celebration and our kitchen windows were perfectly positioned to see it. We went outside for a closer look and got a welcome drink on the house in the new restaurant.

This had been a long day, so after some cozy chatting around dinner table we went to sleep to be ready for a hiking trip on the following day.